One Piece at a Time – Johnny Cash

“One Piece at a Time”


Well, I left Kentucky back in forty nine

An’ went to Detroit workin’ on a ‘sembly line

The first year they had me puttin’ wheels on Cadillacs


Every day I’d watch them beauties roll by

And 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 plan

That should be the envy of most any man

I’d sneak it out of there in a lunchbox in my hand

Now gettin’ caught meant gettin’ fired

But I figured I’d have it all by the time I retired

I’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 dime

You’ll know it’s me when I come through your town

I’m gonna ride around in style

I’m gonna drive everybody wild

‘Cause I’ll have the only one there is around.


So the very next day when I punched in

With my big lunchbox and with help from my friends

I left that day with a lunch box full of gears

I’ve never considered myself a thief

But GM wouldn’t miss just one little piece

Especially if I strung it out over several years.


The first day I got me a fuel pump

And the next day I got me an engine and a trunk

Then I got me a transmission and all the chrome

The little things I could get in my big lunchbox

Like nuts, an’ bolts, and all four shocks

But 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 night

And that’s when we noticed that something was definitely wrong.


The transmission was a fifty three

And the motor turned out to be a seventy three

And when we tried to put in the bolts all the holes were gone.


So we drilled it out so that it would fit

And with a little bit of help with an adapter kit

We had that engine runnin’ just like a song

Now the headlight’ was another sight

We had two on the left and one on the right

But when we pulled out the switch all three of ’em come on.


The back end looked kinda funny too

But we put it together and when we got through

Well, that’s when we noticed that we only had one tail-fin

About that time my wife walked out

And I could see in her eyes that she had her doubts

But she opened the door and said “Honey, take me for a spin.”


So we drove up town just to get the tags

And I headed her right on down main drag

I could hear everybody laughin’ for blocks around

But up there at the court house they didn’t laugh

‘Cause to type it up it took the whole staff

And when they got through the title weighed sixty pounds.


I got it one piece at a time

And it wouldn’t cost me a dime

You’ll know it’s me when I come through your town

I’m gonna ride around in style

I’m gonna drive everybody wild

‘Cause I’ll have the only one there is around.


Ugh! Yeah, RED RYDER

This is the COTTON MOUTH

In the PSYCHO-BILLY CADILLAC Come on


Huh, This is the COTTON MOUTH

And negatory on the cost of this mow-chine there RED RYDER

You might say I went right up to the factory

And picked it up, it’s cheaper that way

Ugh!, what model is it?


Well, It’s a ’49, ’50, ’51, ’52, ’53, ’54, ’55, ’56

’57, ’58’ 59′ automobile

It’s a ’60, ’61, ’62, ’63, ’64, ’65, ’66, ’67

’68, ’69, ’70 automobile.