Readin', Rightin', Rt. 23

They learned readin', writin', Route 23

To the jobs that laid a-waiting in those cities' factories

They didn't know that old highway

Could lead them to a world of misery

Have you ever been down Kentucky way

Say south of Prestonsburg?

Have you ever been up in a holler

And have you ever heard

A mountain man cough his life away

From diggin' that black coal

In those dark mines, those dark mines?

If you had, you might just understand

The reason that they left it all behind

They learned readin', writin', Route 23

To the jobs that laid a-waiting in those cities' factories

They learned readin', writin', roads to the north

To the luxury and comfort a coal miner can't afford

They thought readin', writin', Route 23

Would take them to the good life that they had never seen

They didn't know that old highway

Could lead them to a world of misery

Have you ever seen 'em

Put the kids in the car after work on Friday night

Pull up in a holler about 2 AM

And see a light still burnin' bright

Those mountain folks sat up that late

Just to hold those little grandkids

In their arms, in their arms

And I'm proud to say that I've been blessed

And touched by their sweet hillbilly charm

They learned readin', writin', Route 23

To the jobs that laid a-waiting in those cities' factories

They learned readin', writin', roads to the north

To the luxury and comfort a coal miner can't afford

They thought readin', writin', Route 23

Would take them to the good life that they had never seen

They didn't know that old highway

Could lead them to a world of misery

Yeah, it turns out that that old highway

Leads you to a world of misery

They found out that that old highway

Leads you to a world of misery