Denver, John - Paradise Lyrics






When I was a child, my family would travel
down to western Kentucky where my parents were born.
There's a backwards old town that's often remembered, so my times that my memories are worn.
And daddy, won't you take me back to Muhlenberg County,
down by the Green River where paradise lay?
Well, I'm sorry, my son, but you're too late in asking.
Mister Peabody's coal train just hauled it away.

Well sometimes we'd travel right down the Green River
to the abandoned old prison down by Adrie Hill,
where the air smelled like snakes and we'd shoot with our pistols,
but empty pop bottles was all we would kill.
And daddy, won't you take me back to Muhlenberg County,
down by the Green River where paradise lay?
Well, I'm sorry, my son, but you're too late in asking.
Mister Peabody's coal train just hauled it away.

Well, the coal company came with the world's largest shovel,
and they tortured the timber and stripped all the land.
And they dug for their coal till the land was forsaken, wrote it all down as the progress of man.
And daddy, won't you take me back to Muhlenberg County,
down by the Green River where paradise lay?
Well, I'm sorry, my son, but you're too late in asking.
Mister Peabody's coal train just hauled it away.
And daddy, won't you take me back to Muhlenberg County,
down by the Green River where paradise lay?
Well, I'm sorry, my son, but you're too late in asking.
Mister Peabody's coal train just hauled it away.





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Denver, John Paradise Comments
  1. M.... P....

    Great tune. I see John Prine wrote it. Another awesome talent. I praise them both and all of music. It soothes and saves my soul.

  2. j.... b....

    For a nickle more profit,,the rich man will take your job away, ,,,to the lowest labour worker anywhere in this world,,,,,,,,,,,believe me,,,,,,,,,,,,,

  3. e.... ....

    Tempo too fast......Listen to the way Dwight Yoakem sings it......I swear it will make you cry...

  4. J.... C....

    it's a good song

  5. B.... S....

    always loved this, a great cover of the John Prine classic

  6. p.... p....

    Does any American singer today celebrate America’s great beauty? I cannot think of another one like John Denver and this song in particular, outside of Pete Seeger so long ago

  7. D.... B....

    John Prine says "not such a bad rendition of my song".

  8. B.... ....

    My childhood in a frame. <3

  9. J.... W....

    Fire Down Below

  10. N.... ....

    I've heard many versions of this song over the years.... I really liked John Denver. That said, this just lacks the " real " feeling I got from other versions. Technically excellent, just something missing.. and a little to much instrumentation. The song doesn't need it, a fiddle, guitar and a bull bass.. plenty.. .Sorry John, this one didn't do it for me.

  11. Y.... H....

    Just one of the things Trump means when he talks about making America great again....

  12. M.... P....

    He sounds even better these days. G-d I miss John Denver. Gonna' go listen to Darcy Farrow.

  13. H.... O....

    An Amazing song with such an amazing meaning behind it.

  14. J.... P....

    TRUMP wants RAPE America AGAIN

  15. D.... H....

    Google celebrated Mr. Peabody, yesterday. And today i made the connection. so, here i am. happy st. pattys day john. d

  16. K.... T....

    I was in Kentucky for the eclipse, Aug 21, 2017. To my surprise, I found myself crossing the Green River, twice, coming and going on a little windy back road. I couldn't remember all the lyrics. Beautiful place. I was in awe both times. I saw the eclipse from a beautiful Antebellum-era home. The Green River and finding a spot where the Trail of Tears is know in Hopkinsville, eclipsed the eclipse experience. I can be a Daughter of the America Revolution and a Daughter of the Trail of Tears. What a day!

    K.... T....

    Kelly T well said fellow DAR

  17. J.... H....

    I remember this town.I had friends that lived there.peabody coal company did exactly what the song song says.

    J.... H....

    J Heart sure did, I am from cetral city, ky. I saw that coal shovel when I was a kid, you could drive 4 pickup truck in the bucket side by side!

  18. w.... ....

    Heard this beautiful song on a John Denver album my Mother had. She was from the south and told me she remembered seeing this. Miss and Love You Mom. Wish you were here.

  19. s.... ....

    I believe that this song was also on the "Fire Down Below"s soundtrack, but Randy Travis sang it instead.

    s.... ....

    This song is by THE John Prine . There have been several covers.

    s.... ....

    It's impressive.

  20. C.... ....

    I miss that man.

    C.... ....

    I didn't see your comment and wrote the same thing, essentially, CitizenKane380, then saw your comment!

    C.... ....

    CitizenKane380 I do, too, and it only gets worse over time. :'(

  21. t.... ....

    This was the 2nd Prine song that he did. He had covered "Blow Up Your TV (Spanish Pipe Dream)"  on "Aerie" the previously. Both of them used the fiddle in the arrangement that the original did not. I put all 4 in my Denver playlist. Thanks for the upload!

    t.... ....

    John Prine's version of Paradise did have fiddle, though the arrangement was a bit different than John Denver's.

    t.... ....

    He also did Angel from Montgomery

  22. B.... T....

    Una joyita country.

  23. i.... ....

    being born in 97, i never got to see any of this in realtime. sucks because to me, this is an extremely interesting topic.

    i.... ....

    +iApple I was born in '57. You missed much of the bad. And, it's still interests me :)

    i.... ....

    What topic? John Denver's performances, John Prine 's music or the the devastation of coal companies?

    i.... ....

    I was born in 93' and still saw the devastation of the coal industry all my life so idk what you're talking about. That county is still 1 quarter rich and 3/4 poor due to the lack of replacement for the coal industry, it's ravished by drugs, and even people working hard can't make a living. It's sad.

    i.... ....

    it was, "FAR OUT!"

  24. i.... ....

    here in new athens IL where the largest shovel in the world at the time was (Bycrus Erie 3850) same story. although they covered the mines back in the early 90's. sad from both sides. the land was ruined, and the historically significant shovel was scrapped in '92. shame it wasn't kept around for people like me to see years later. peabody coal is now a preservation area here.

    is the sinclair shovel still buried in the pit? if so that may be the only one that wasn't scrapped.

  25. S.... T....

    The scenery here looks more like western Kentucky.

  26. C.... B....

    I have family from this area.  Sadly, the song is the truth of the matter...  

  27. D.... K....

    John Prine wrote this but this is not a terrible version.

  28. C.... M....

    "When I die let my ashes flow down the Green River let my soul roll on up to the Rochester Dam, I'll be 5 miles away w/ Paradise waitin', 5 miles away from wherever I am" I saw John Denver over a dozen times; and @ several concerts he added the above lyric when "Paradise" was included on the night's playlist. @ those shows he sang it w/ such heart; that you'd think his family was from KY instead of Oklahoma.

    C.... M....

    C. Middleton Oklahoma...Kentucky...is there much difference, really? Same great rural patriotic American people. It’s like Elvis says it in I’ve Never Been to Spain...what’s the difference between all those rural down home American states? He even includes Arizona

  29. J.... A....

    Bless my old Kentucky home 

  30. L.... M....

    The best version of "Paradise" is by Jonathan Edwards.
    Paradise Kentucky was  once a trading post on the Green River but the TVA moved in and tore it down in 1967.

    L.... M....

    Where can I find Jonathan Edwards cover of Paradise?  He's awesome!  Thank you!

    L.... M....

    @J Raven
    I was wrong...not the great Jonathan Edwards but Dwight Yoakam, 2004, album called Dwight's Used Records...

  31. g.... ....

    Which version is better in your opinion? This or Johnny Cash singing it?

    g.... ....

    John Denver....of course......Love  John Denver

  32. S.... D....

    Excellent!

  33. r.... r....

    Sadly, I was never able to see John Denver play live. But he was my influence to play the guitar at age 12. No, I'm not as good as he ever was, but the first song I really learned to play was "Paradise"!! I still play it today, and blow people away not by my playing but by his message! LOVE YOU, JOHN, and THANK YOU!!

    r.... r....

    There's one song that john did that got me to learn how to finger pick a guitar and that's (this old guitar)

  34. J.... ....

    Judge not, lest thou be judged.

  35. J.... ....

    To what do we owe this bombastic outburst? Missed medication?

  36. b.... ....

    True,it's MUCH better for people to sit out in the woods and freeze to death with no light,no heat,and no houses to live in or food to eat because the mining jobs never showed up.

    Do any of you kneejerk people EVERY stop and think before you jump on a bandwagon? You can't eat coal,and that was all there was there before the mines came in.

  37. d.... k....

    I hauled coal out of queen river mine when I was a kid just 16 , Told them I was 21 to get my CL , it was scary coming out of that pit!

  38. S.... W....

    Being from Muhlenburg county the result of coal mining is visible all over the county and many small towns have disappeared because the mining companies owned the mineral rights. Sad because it is a beautiful place.

  39. d.... d....

    your right I was a coal miner for 25 years in pikes ky got the black lung but took care of my family it was a job all I knew

  40. J.... ....

    Dang, Panzer, that's a bummer. Hope you're hanging on. I'll bet Mr. Peabody ain't hurting any. Probably still living high on a hill and having his tea brought to him. Don't worry, though. Our time is coming. Jesus said in his "house are many mansions" and if we trust in Him one of them has our name on it!

  41. J.... ....

    ...and they wrote it all down as the progress of man.

  42. d.... d....

    pretty sad

  43. d.... d....

    right on

  44. d.... d....

    right on

  45. A.... T....

    this the true me...no fakes here

  46. d.... d....

    right on true story

  47. c.... l....

    One doesn't have to be Sherlock Holmes to to figure that out . . .DOC

  48. W.... P....

    "glasssectomy" (sic) would translate, extremely loosely, to "glass removal", as appendectomy means removal of appendix. I believe you are attempting to coin the phrase, "umbiloplasty (surgical alteration of the belly button) with vitreous implant".

  49. J.... ....

    The Everly Brothers lost their hometowns ( Martwick and Nelson, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky) to Mr. Peabody's coal train. For real! How sad is that?

    J.... ....

    StvMcQueen1 don everly was born in brownie ky just outside cleaton. its gone too

  50. c.... ....

    LOVE this! Miss John Denver...

  51. s.... ....

    Better by John Denver

  52. A.... M....

    mbcNOOFS was quoting a movie. I bet they actually love John Denver, as do I.

  53. A.... M....

    Dumb & Dumber!! "I expected the Rocky Mountains to be a little rockier than this." " I was thinking the same thing......"

  54. S.... A....

    And yes a TVA power plant is in Muhlenburg Co.

  55. S.... A....

    I have fished the Rochester many , many time . Its good country in Kentucky . I love my small town .

  56. r.... o....

    Two things.....1)check out Jimmy Buffett's live cover and 2)Paradise was NOT destroyed by any coal company. TVA bought out the town.

  57. M.... ....

    don't mean to be a buzzkill... I'm not sure how I feel about JD's version. John Prine's has always been special to me. Growing up in Southern WV, I've seen the horrors of what coal can do to the ancient, beautiful Appalachians. The phrase "world's largest shovel" sends shivers down my spine. It's disgusting what those people do to our mountains.

  58. m.... ....

    @LeslieSteeg no thanks.

  59. m.... ....

    @LeslieSteeg Oh, I was just curious to see if you wanted to talk any more about how much better you are than me. It seems like a very passionate and fulfilling past-time.

  60. m.... ....

    @LeslieSteeg hahaha, care to elaborate?

  61. c.... l....

    @dannyraystewart1 They'll always hate you for that - they can't help it - it's in their DNA .

  62. c.... l....

    Anybody that doesn't like this great song needs a glasssectomy -- a glass belly button because they've got their heads so far up their asses they can't see where they are going .

  63. d.... ....

    @mbcNOOFS LOL platter, that is a movie reference. I don't believe NOOFS meant to disparage Mr. Denver in any way.

  64. m.... ....

    @platter1000 That one flew straight over your head, didn't it?

  65. m.... ....

    That John Denver is full of shit, man.

  66. D.... S....

    Grew up in Western KY. Muhlenburg Co......

  67. J.... S....

    Yo. I will check out John Prine's version.

  68. m.... ....

    @jaysewall1 You should check out John Prine's version. He wrote it, and it's pretty incredible.

  69. J.... S....

    This and Johnny Cash are my two favoutite versions, although John's ends rather abruptly.

  70. s.... ....

    I'm not a big John Denver fan but he nailed this. Because of the fact he was a real folk singer and he felt it

  71. m.... ....

    I heard John Denver perform in concert when I was a college freshman and 'Leaving on a Jet Plane" was his early hit song. I continued to enjoy his song writing and wonderful voice over the years.

  72. T.... W....

    oop's I got ahead of myself Rahall's a Congressman!

  73. T.... W....

    go ask Sen. Rahall if he likes this song. I know he's from West Virginia but it the same problem MTR