One Piece at a Time
Encyclopedia
"One Piece at a Time" is a humorous rockabilly
song written by Wayne Kemp
and recorded by Johnny Cash
in 1976. It would be the last song performed by Cash to reach number one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.
The song tells of a man who, in 1949, leaves his home in Kentucky
to pursue work at General Motors
in Detroit, Michigan
. The singer assembles wheels on Cadillac
s, watching each one roll by day after day on the assembly line
, knowing that he will never be able to afford one.
Beginning almost immediately, he and a co-worker decide to steal a Cadillac, using their assembly line jobs to obtain the parts via salami slicing
. He takes the small parts home hidden in his large lunchbox; larger parts are smuggled out in his co-worker's mobile home
.
The process of accumulating all the necessary parts turns out to take over 24 years (the song mentions that the transmission was from 1953 and the engine was from 1973), but once they have what they think is a complete car, they assemble the pieces. The result is an odd-looking Cadillac created from parts of many different models and whose pieces don't fit together very well (for example, it had only one tail fin and three headlights, two on the left and one on the right).
The singer's wife is surprised at the outcome but wants a ride. However, the folks at the courthouse were not as pleased – it would take the "whole staff
" to type up the vehicle title
, which would end up weighing 60 pounds.
The song ends with a truck driver inquiring about the "psychobilly Cadillac". After saying that "you could say I went down to the factory and picked it up, it's cheaper that way", the reply echoes Leroy Van Dyke
's song "The Auctioneer" as the owner lists all the model years (starting with '49 and continuing into the early 70s) that went into making the car.
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
song written by Wayne Kemp
Wayne Kemp
Wayne Kemp is an American country music singer. He recorded between 1969 and 1986 for Decca, MCA, United Artists, Mercury and Door Knob Records, and charted twenty-four singles on the Hot Country Songs charts. His highest-peaking single was "Honky Tonk Wine," which peaked at #17 in 1973...
and recorded by Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
in 1976. It would be the last song performed by Cash to reach number one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.
Chart performance
| Chart (1976) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 29 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | 6 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 40 |
| Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks | 1 |
| U.K. Singles Chart | 32 |
Plot
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
to pursue work at General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
. The singer assembles wheels on Cadillac
Cadillac
Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
s, watching each one roll by day after day on the assembly line
Assembly line
An assembly line is a manufacturing process in which parts are added to a product in a sequential manner using optimally planned logistics to create a finished product much faster than with handcrafting-type methods...
, knowing that he will never be able to afford one.
Beginning almost immediately, he and a co-worker decide to steal a Cadillac, using their assembly line jobs to obtain the parts via salami slicing
Salami slicing
Salami slicing is a series of many minor actions, often performed by clandestine means, that together results in a larger action that would be difficult or illegal to perform at once...
. He takes the small parts home hidden in his large lunchbox; larger parts are smuggled out in his co-worker's mobile home
Mobile home
Mobile homes or static caravans are prefabricated homes built in factories, rather than on site, and then taken to the place where they will be occupied...
.
The process of accumulating all the necessary parts turns out to take over 24 years (the song mentions that the transmission was from 1953 and the engine was from 1973), but once they have what they think is a complete car, they assemble the pieces. The result is an odd-looking Cadillac created from parts of many different models and whose pieces don't fit together very well (for example, it had only one tail fin and three headlights, two on the left and one on the right).
The singer's wife is surprised at the outcome but wants a ride. However, the folks at the courthouse were not as pleased – it would take the "whole staff
Department of Motor Vehicles
In the United States of America, a Department of Motor Vehicles is a state-level government agency that administers vehicle registration and driver licensing. Similar departments exist in Canada...
" to type up the vehicle title
Title (property)
Title is a legal term for a bundle of rights in a piece of property in which a party may own either a legal interest or an equitable interest. The rights in the bundle may be separated and held by different parties. It may also refer to a formal document that serves as evidence of ownership...
, which would end up weighing 60 pounds.
The song ends with a truck driver inquiring about the "psychobilly Cadillac". After saying that "you could say I went down to the factory and picked it up, it's cheaper that way", the reply echoes Leroy Van Dyke
Leroy Van Dyke
Leroy Frank Van Dyke is an American country music singer best known for his hits, "The Auctioneer" and "Walk On By" .-Biography:...
's song "The Auctioneer" as the owner lists all the model years (starting with '49 and continuing into the early 70s) that went into making the car.
In popular culture
- Bruce Fitzpatrick, owner of Abernathy Auto Parts and Hilltop Auto Salvage in Nashville, TN, was asked by the promoters of the song to build the vehicle for international promotion. Fitzpatrick had all the models of Cadillacs mentioned in the song when it was released and built a car using the song as a model. The result was presented to Cash in April 1976. It was parked outside The House Of Cash in Hendersonville, TennesseeHendersonville, TennesseeHendersonville is a city in Sumner County, Tennessee, United States, on Old Hickory Lake. The population was 51,372 at the 2010 census. Hendersonville is part of the Nashville Metropolitan Statistical Area and is located 18 miles northeast of downtown Nashville. The city was settled around 1784 by...
, until someone could find a place to store it. - The song was covered by Chicago rock band Tub RingTub Ring-Biography:Tub Ring formed in 1992 as a high school punk band.The band really took form with addition of keyboard player Rob Kleiner, who spent his teenage years following around the band Mr. Bungle. With Kleiner added to the band, Tub Ring adopted the similar sounds of Mr. Bungle. Mr...
for the 2001 Johnny Cash tribute album, Cash from Chaos. - The car from the "One Piece at a Time" video is at the Historic Auto AttractionsHistoric auto attractionsHistoric Auto Attractions is an automobile, history and pop culture museum in Roscoe, Illinois, most known for its large collection of artifacts associated with the John F. Kennedy assassination...
museum in Roscoe, IllinoisRoscoe, IllinoisRoscoe is a village in Winnebago County, Illinois, a suburb of Rockford incorporated in 1965. The village is in a suburban area along the Rock River. It is part of the Rockford, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the village population was 10,785, up from 6,244 at the...
. - An attempt at building a vehicle "one piece at a time" was completed successfully over a five year period by a Chinese motorcycle assembly line worker in Chongqing.
External links
- Lyrics as they appear on Yahoo! Music
- Origin of the Second Cadillac as presented by the Antique Automobile Club of America. See also http://www.uss-rangerguy.com/Johnny_Cash/one_piece_at_a_time.htm