John Prine: 'Daddy won't you take me back to Muhlenberg County, down by the Green River where Paradise lay'

That would be right here.

"When I was a child my family would travel
Down to Western Kentucky where my parents were born
And there's a backwards old town that's often remembered
So many 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 has hauled it away

When I die let my ashes float down the Green River
Let my soul roll on up to the Rochester dam
I'll be halfway to Heaven with Paradise waitin'
Just five miles away from wherever I am.

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 has hauled it away"

–lyrics from the song Paradise (1971) by the late singer-songwriter John Prine

The town is now gone. This is what Paradise, Kentucky is today. In my photo above, the Green River meanders below that tree line and below the TVA Paradise Power Plant that towers at the center of once Paradise, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. That's about the only thing that stands there now. The power plant, which was commissioned in 1963, was originally three coal units. It converted to natural gas in 2017. In 2020 the last of its coal-fired units stopped.

All I can say is that setting the power plant aside, this land is soul-quenching. Profound. The Green River nourishing. How fascinating that Prine would pick not just his family stomping grounds but also this significant American ancient cradle of humanity who first fell in love with its magic. I felt that magic too.

From this spot of Paradise, I went further up the Green River to Rochester dam.

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Taken in: United States / Kentucky / Paradise (show map)

Taken on: April 15, 2021

Tags:

boyhood memories

Western Coal Field region

Green River

power plant

coal

TVA Paradise Power Plant

Drakesboro

Kentucky

United States

dusk

sunset

John Prine

Muhlenberg County

disappeared town

coal town « less

Sets appears in: • Kentucky's Mississippi Plateau & Western Coal Country

Groups appears in: • Kentucky • KET - Kentucky Educational Television more » • AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHER « less

Camera: Nikon D850, f/8.0, 1/100 sec, 100mm, ISO 64 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D850
Lens:	70.0-200.0 mm f/2.8
Aperture:	f/8.0
Exposure Time:	0.01 sec (1/100)
Focal Length:	100mm
ISO:	64
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	No Flash
Exposure Program:	Manual
Exposure Mode:	Manual
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Saturation:	High
Sharpness:	Hard
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic 10.4 (Macintosh)
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