"You will never leave Harlan alive" Well my grandad's dad walked down Katahrin's Mountain And he asked Tillie Helton to be his bride He said, "Won't you walk with me out of the mouth of this holler Or we'll never leave Harlan alive" Where the sun comes up about ten in … working in the same mine. Of this holler. In the deep dark hills of Eastern Kentucky That's the place where I trace my bloodline And it's there I read on a hillside gravestone 'You'll never leave Harlan alive' It has special meaning to me. You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive is one of my favorite songs performed by Brad Paisley (and I am still ticked he did not perform it the last time I saw him at Rupp Arena). "You will never leave Harlan alive" [Verse 2] Well my Granddaddy's dad crossed the Cumberland Mountain And he asked Nelly Hassell to be his bride Said, "Won't you walk with me out of the mouth of this holler Or we'll never leave Harlan alive" [Chorus] Where the sun comes up about ten in the morning And the sun goes down about three in the day They went to work before daylight and got home after dark. Many successive generations have lived, worked and died in Harlan, unable to leave town due to the poverty and limited economic opportunities in the region. I believe it was originally written by Darrell Scott. I can’t and won’t take sides in the great debate about the coal industry in Kentucky. My grandfather left for another mining camp in Kay Jay, Kentucky, where he lives to this day. Especially in counties such as Harlan where according to the US census bureau 31% of residents live below poverty level , which is double the poverty average for the entire state. Lyrics to 'You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive' by Kathy Mattea. Katahrins Mountain. You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive is one of my favorite songs performed by Brad Paisley (and I am still ticked he did not perform it the last time I saw him at Rupp Arena). No, you’ll never leave Harlan alive… We don’t have any photos of William George Estes as a child, but one of his earliest known photos with Ollie is shown below. You will never leave Harlan alive. Oh, my granddad’s dad walked down Katahrins Mountain And he asked Tillie Helton to be his bride Said, won’t you walk with me out of the mouth Of this holler Or we’ll never leave Harlan alive. Most of the nation became familiar with Harlan, Kentucky not from a Brad Paisley song but from the television show Justified. "You'll never leave Harlan alive" Oh my grandfather's dad crossed the Cumberland Mountains Where he took a pretty girl to be his bride Said "Won't you walk with me out the mouth of this holler Or we'll never leave Harlan alive" Where the sun comes up about ten in … I think the only time he left was for his tour in the Korean War. Don’t have an account? And it's there I read on a hillside gravestone, you will never leave Harlan alive. I was born because my grandfather left Harlan alive. It was a realistic fear for many mining families, which often had grandfathers, fathers, brothers, siblings, cousins, etc. It was used again in the final episode of the second season. Mining isn’t a safe profession either. They never left Harlan alive. It is about the long and hard road that many coal miners in Harlan, Kentucky (and across this region) face. Why would you take away the job openings of those willing to work? 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