He grabs his pick axe and goes down to where the light will cease
This ole mountain's gonna bury that boy deep where nobody can reach
His daddy died on the job when them rocks fell on his head
He was one wrong turn from goin' down and findin' himself dead
You better run boy far from Harlan
Make your peace with God and quit coal minin'
Run boy far from Harlan
Before the Devil gets you down
Well don't get buried by a river made of stone
Don't get buried no!
On the day they laid his daddy to rest nobody made a sound
All that was there was an empty pine box he was already underground
So he grabbed his suitcase, turned his back, said I'm gonna make it on my own
Ain't no fuckin' way I'm gonna die in Harlan with that mine as my grave stone
You better run boy far from Harlan
Make your peace with God and quit coal minin'
Run boy far from Harlan
Before the Devil gets you down
Well don't get buried by a river made of stone
Don't get buried no!
I won't be buried by a river made of stone
I won't get buried no!
He can hear the ghosts of tear drops fallin' on his Mama's heart
Are you better off just shatterin' quick
Or slowly fallin' apart?
And to this day not a second goes by that he don't think about his home
Where he left his life on the mountain side
Beneath the river of stone
You better run boy far from Harlan
Make your peace with God and quit coal minin'
Run boy far from Harlan
Before the Devil gets you down
Well don't get buried by a river made of stone
Don't get buried no!
I won't be buried by a river made of stone
I won't get buried no!
Lyrics Submitted by J Blaze