A                    D       A
If you gonna be king of the hill
                           D     A
You can't make it at the cotton mill

                     E       A
If you gonna be king of the hill
                            E    A
You can't make it at the cotton mill
                   E      A
Get put on at the Harlan mine
        D        A        D       A
Be the last one out at quittin' time

                                E     A
You already workin' when the whistle blew
                        E      A
Never complain about a job to do
                            E     A
When they say who can, you say I will
                          D        A
If you ever gonna be king of the hill
 
A                    D       A
If you gonna be king of the hill
                           D     A
You can't make it at the cotton mill

                           E         A
You need a good woman to share your bed
                          E        A
To keep you loved and to keep you fed
                      E      A
To help you to face another day
    D       A      D       A
To get you up and on your way

                             E        A
Where the golden rule don't rule out true
                            E     A
You do to them before they do to you
                            E      A
Watch out for yourself or nobody will
                           D      A
If you ever gonna be king of the hill

A                    D       A
If you gonna be king of the hill
                           D     A
You can't make it at the cotton mill





                          E      A
Saturday night you go to Harlan town
                             E      A
You shoot some pool and you fool around
                              E        A
You watch the girls and you drink bootleg
                       D         A
Get starved to death before you beg

                              E       A
You trust in luck till your luck is gone
                            E         A
Then jump right in and you hang right on
                              E       A
There may be times you would have to kill
                           D       A
If you ever gonna be king of the hill

A                    D       A
If you gonna be king of the hill
                           D     A
You can't make it at the cotton mill

                                   E      A
When the last of the coals out of every vein
                              E         A
Had long been gone on the northbound train
                                    E        A
Walk up to the top and if you're standing still
                           D       A
You can call yourself king of the hill

                        E         A
But if you fall like a lot have done
                 E       A
By accident or knife or gun
 D                 A       E             A
When they lay you high on the mountain still
                           D        A
You can call yourself king of the hill

A                    D       A
If you gonna be king of the hill
                           D     A
You can't make it at the cotton mill