By David Allan Coe SPOKEN USED TO GO WITH MY GRANDPA UP TO THE TOWN SQUARE, SET HIM DOWN UP THERE ON A PICNIC BENCH AND HE USED TO PLAY CHECKERS WITH THEM OTHER OLD MEN UP THERE. THEY USED TO TELL STORIES BOUT WHEN THEY WERE KIDS. GRANDPA SAYS HE SHOT THE CHIEF OF POLICE WHEN HE WAS NINE YEARS OLD. N' I BELIEVE HIM, CAUSE THEY TELL ME THAT HAZARD, KENTUCKY'S THE BALDEST PLACE IN THE WORLD. WHY, THEY SAY THEY USED TO SIT OUT THERE ON THERE FRONT PORCH, SHOOT THEN REVENUERS WHEN THEY'D COME DOWN THE HOLLOW. SAID THEY WAS SO YOUNG, TOOK TWO O' THEM BOYS TO HOLD THE RIFLE AND ONE TO PULL THE TRIGGER, HYMN! WELL, GRANDPA , HE'D LIE A LITTLE BIT, BUT I'LL TELL YOU, THERE'S A LOT OF STORIES IN HARLAN COUNTY. YEA, FOLKS IN HARLAN COUNTY, LORD, THEY KNEW THAT WE WERE POOR THEY ALWAYS CALLED MY DADDY PREACHER DAN BUT DADDY WEREN'T NO PREACHER, LEAST WAYS I DON'T RECOLLECT NEVER HEAR OF POPPA TALK OF NOTHING' BUT THE LAND
AND DADDY WAS A GOD FEARING' FARMER YES HE WAS COULD NOT READ NOR WRITE, LORD, HE COULD BARLEY SPELL HIS NAME DADDY WAS A GOD FEARING' FARMER ALL HIS LIFE SOMEDAY WHEN IM GROWN ILL BE THE SAME. WELL HE ALWAYS GREW TOBACCO THOUGH HE DID NOT SMOKE HIMSELF HE HAD THE BEST TOBACCO CROP AROUND AND HE NEVER TOUCHED A DROP OF LIQUOR THAT I CAN RECALL PAPA MADE HIS LIVING' ON THE GROUND. YES SUNDAY-GO-TO-MEETING' CALLED FOR MORE THAN HE COULD STAND I GUESS HE FELT AT HOME IN HIS OLD CLOTHES BUT HE NEVER MISSED A SUNDAY TAKING MOMMA TO THE CHURCH MAYBE IT WAS HABIT, LORDS, BUT HEAVEN ONLY KNOWS YEA, FOLKS IN HARLAN COUNTY, LORD, THEY KNEW THAT WE WERE POOR THEY ALWAYS CALLED MY DADDY PREACHER DAN BUT DADDY WEREN'T NO PREACHER, LEAST WAYS I DON'T RECOLLECT NEVER HEAR OF GRANDPA TALK OF NOTHING' BUT THE LAND