About the song
Background:
- Released in 1976, “One Piece at a Time” became a surprise hit for Johnny Cash.
- The song wasn’t written by Cash himself, but by songwriter Wayne Kemp.
- It was a departure from Cash’s usual sound, with a more humorous and lighthearted tone.
- To promote the song, a custom Cadillac was built based on the lyrics, featuring parts “stolen” one by one.
Themes:
- The American Dream: The song explores the classic American desire for upward mobility and owning a luxurious car.
- Blue-collar struggles: The protagonist works a factory job but feels he can never afford the things he builds.
- Cunning and resourcefulness: The protagonist hatches a plan to slowly steal a Cadillac piece by piece, highlighting a kind of underdog ingenuity.
- Morality vs. Desire: The song has a playful ambiguity about whether stealing car parts is wrong, as the protagonist sees it as taking a small piece of something he already helped create.
The song’s catchy melody and Cash’s signature delivery made it a popular choice for live shows, adding a bit of humor to his repertoire.
Video
Lyrics
Well, I left Kentucky back in ’49An’ went to Detroit workin’ on a ‘sembly lineThe first year they had me puttin’ wheels on CadillacsEvery day I’d watch them beauties roll byAnd sometimes I’d hang my head and cry‘Cause I always wanted me one that was long and black
One day I devised myself a planThat should be the envy of most any manI’d sneak it out of there in a lunchbox in my handNow gettin’ caught meant gettin’ firedBut I figured I’d have it all by the time I retiredI’d have me a car worth at least a hundred grand
I’d get it one piece at a time and it wouldn’t cost me a dimeYou’ll know it’s me when I come through your townI’m gonna ride around in style, I’m gonna drive everybody wild‘Cause I’ll have the only one there is a round
So the very next day when I punched inWith my big lunchbox and with help from my friendsI left that day with a lunch box full of gearsI’ve never considered myself a thiefBut GM wouldn’t miss just one little pieceEspecially if I strung it out over several years
The first day I got me a fuel pumpAnd the next day I got me an engine and a trunkThen I got me a transmission and all of the chromeThe little things I could get in my big lunchboxLike nuts, an’ bolts, and all four shocksBut the big stuff we snuck out in my buddy’s mobile home
Now, up to now my plan went all right‘Til we tried to put it all together one nightAnd that’s when we noticed that something was definitely wrongThe transmission was a ’53 and the motor turned out to be a ’73And when we tried to put in the bolts all the holes were gone
So we drilled it out so that it would fitAnd with a little bit of help with an adapter kitWe had that engine runnin’ just like a songNow the headlight’ was another sightWe had two on the left and one on the rightBut when we pulled out the switch all three of ’em come on
The back end looked kinda funny tooBut we put it together and when we got throughWell, that’s when we noticed that we only had one tail-finAbout that time my wife walked outAnd I could see in her eyes that she had her doubtsBut she opened the door and said, “Honey, take me for a spin”
So we drove up town just to get the tagsAnd I headed her right on down main dragI could hear everybody laughin’ for blocks aroundBut up there at the court house they didn’t laugh‘Cause to type it up it took the whole staffAnd when they got through the title weighed sixty pounds
I got it one piece at a time and it didn’t cost me a dimeYou’ll know it’s me when I come through your townI’m gonna ride around in style, I’m gonna drive everybody wild‘Cause I’ll have the only one there is around
Uh yow, Red Ryder, this is the cotton mouthIn the Psycho-Billy Cadillac come on, huh, this is the cotton mouthAnd negatory on the cost of this mow-chine there Red RyderYou might say I went right up to the factoryAnd picked it up, it’s cheaper that wayUh, what model is it?
Well, it’s a ’49, ’50, ’51, ’52, ’53, ’54, ’55, ’56’57, ’58’ 59′ automobileIt’s a ’60, ’61, ’62, ’63, ’64, ’65, ’66, ’67’68, ’69, ’70 automobile