One Piece at a Time
Verse 1
Well, I left Kentucky back in '49And went to Detroit, working on assembly lineThe first year, they had me putting 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 blackOne 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, getting caught meant getting firedBut I figured I'd have it all by the time I retiredI'd have me a car worth at least a hundred grandChorus
I'd get it one piece at a timeAnd it wouldn't cost me a dimeYou'd know it's me when I come through your townI'm gonna ride around in styleI'm gonna drive everybody wild'Cause I'll have the only one there is aroundVerse 2
So the very next day, when I punched inWith my big lunchbox and with help from my friendI left that day with a lunchbox full of gearsI've never considered myself a thiefBut GM wouldn't miss just one little pieceEspecially if I strung it out over several yearsThe 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 the chromeThe little things I could get in my big lunchboxLike nuts and bolts and all four shocksBut the big stuff we snuck out in my buddy's mobile homeNow, up to now, my plan went alright'Til we tried to put it all together one nightAnd that's when we noticed that something was definitely wrongThe transmission was a '53And the motor turned out to be a '73And when we tried to put in the bolts, all the holes were goneSo we drilled it out so that it would fitAnd with a little bit of help from an adaptor kitWe had that engine running just like a songNow the headlights, they was another sightWe had two on the left and one on the rightBut when we pulled out the switch, all three of 'em come onThe back end looked kind of 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 laughing for blocks aroundBut up there at the courthouse, they didn't laugh'Cause to type it up, it took the whole staffAnd when they got through, the title weighed sixty poundsChorus
I got it one piece at a timeAnd it didn't cost me a dimeYou'll know it's me when I come through your townI'm gonna ride around in styleI'm gonna drive everybody wild'Cause I'll have the only one there is aroundOutro
Uh, yeah, Red Ryder?This is the Cotton Mouth in the Psycho-Billy Cadillac, come onHuh? This is the Cotton MouthAnd negatory on the cost of this machine, there, Red RyderYou might say I went right up to the factory and picked it upIt'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 automobileWhat the song means
The song is a comic tall tale about a factory worker in Detroit who wants a luxury Cadillac he can't afford. Having left Kentucky for the assembly line, he decides to steal the parts he needs, one small piece at a time, and smuggle them out in his lunchbox. The story is told with cheerful scheming and a playful, boastful tone, and the narrator treats his plan as a clever way to get the car he's always dreamed of.
The mood changes once the parts are put together. Components come from different years, so the engine and transmission don't match, the holes don't line up, and the car ends up with three headlights on one side and only one tail fin. The narrator's wife, who has doubts at first, eventually agrees to take a ride. The town laughs at the bizarre car, but the courthouse has the final joke: the paperwork for the title weighs sixty pounds.
The key images carry the humor. The lunchbox stands for the small, everyday means of a working man. The mismatched car is a patchwork of several years, which mocks the idea of a perfect, shiny status symbol. The closing radio exchange, which lists every model year, makes the car feel like a Frankenstein's monster of Detroit's history. Underneath the jokes, the song suggests that persistence and a stubborn sense of humor can turn an absurd dream into something to be proud of.
Key phrases explained
- punched in
- clocked in for work — Refers to using a time clock to start a shift at the factory.
- beauties
- beautiful cars (slang) — Affectionate slang for the Cadillacs he watches roll past each day.
- wouldn't cost me a dime
- wouldn't cost me anything — An idiom that is ironic here, since the car is built from stolen parts.
- main drag
- main street — The town's principal street, where he shows off the car.
- the title weighed sixty pounds
- the paperwork was enormous — A humorous exaggeration of bureaucracy, and the song's final punchline.
Song info
- Release date
- March 1976
- Album
- One Piece At A Time
- Written by
- Wayne Kemp
- Produced by
- Charlie Bragg, Don Davis (Country)
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