You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive chords by 
Patty Loveless 
Key: G minor
Intro 1
Em
G
D
A
Em
Bm
Em
Verse 1
In the deep dark hills of eastern Kentucky
That's the place where I traced my bloodline
G
C
G
A
C
And it's there I read on a hillside gravestone
Em
B
Em
Em
"You'll never leave Harlan alive"
Verse 2
Em
G
Oh, my grandfather's dad
D
A
crossed the Cumberland Mountains
Em
G
C
Where he took a pretty girl to be his bride
G
C
G
Said, "Won't you walk with me,
A
C
out of the mouth of this holler,
Em
B
Em
or we'll never leave Harlan alive"
Chorus 1
C
G
about ten in the mornin'
F
C
about three in the day
D
G
And you fill your cup
C
G
with whatever bitter brew you're drinkin'
F
Em
just thinkin' of how to get away
Verse 3
Em
G
No one ever knew
D
A
there was coal in them mountains
Em
G
C
Till a man from the northeast arrived
G
C
G
Wavin' hundred dollar bills,
A
C
said, "I'll pay you for your minerals"
Em
B
Em
Em
But he never left Harlan alive
Verse 4
Em
G
Grandma sold out cheap
D
A
and they moved out west of Pineville
Em
G
C
To a farm where Big Richland River winds
G
C
G
And I bet they danced them a jig
A
C
And they laughed and sang a new song
Em
B
Em
"Who said we'd never leave Harlan alive"
Interlude 1
Em
G
D
A
Em
G
C
G
C
G
A
C
Em
B
Em
Verse 5
Em
G
But the times they got hard
D
A
and tobacco wasn't sellin'
Em
G
And old granddad knew what he'd do
G
C
G
He went and dug for Harlan coal
A
C
And sent the money back to grandma
Em
B
Em
But he never left Harlan alive
Chorus 2
C
G
about ten in the mornin'
F
C
about three in the day
C
G
with whatever bitter brew you're drinkin'
F
Em
from the bottom of your grave
Interlude 2
Em
G
D
A
Em
G
C
G
C
G
A
C
Em
B
Em
You'll never leave Harlan alive
Outro 1
Em
G
D
A
Em
G
C
G
C
G
A
C
Em
B
Em
Em
G
D
A
Em
G
C
G
C
G
A
C
Em
B
Em
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