One Piece At A Time

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Johnny Cash - One Piece At a Time
[Intro]
F Bb C7 F
[Verse 1]
F
Well, I left Kentucky back in '49
Bb
And went to Detroit working on assembly line
C7 F
The first year, they had me putting wheels on Cadillac's
F
Every day, I'd watch them beauties roll by
Bb
And sometimes I'd hang my head and cry
C7 F
'cause I always wanted me one that was long and black
F
One day, I devised myself a plan
Bb
That should be the envy of most any man
C7 F
I'd sneak it outta there in a lunchbox in my hand
F
Now, getting caught meant getting fired
Bb
But I figured I'd have it all by the time I retired
C7 F
I'd have me a car worth at least a hundred grand
[Chorus]
F Bb
I'd get it one piece at a time and it wouldn't cost me a dime
C7 F
You'll know it's me when I come through your town
F Bb
I'm gonna ride around in style, I'm gonna drive everybody wild
C7 F
'cause I'll have the only one there is around
[Verse 2]
F
So the very next day when I punched in
Bb
With my big lunchbox and with help from my friend
C7 F
I left that day with a lunchbox full of gears
F
I've never considered myself a thief
Bb
But GM wouldn't miss just one little piece
C7 F
Especially if I strung it out over several years
F
The first day, I got me a fuel pump
Bb
And the next day, I got me an engine and a trunk
C7 F
Then I got me a transmission and all the chrome
F
The little things I could get in my big lunchbox
Bb
Like nuts and bolts and all four shocks
C7 F
But the big stuff we snuck out in my buddy's mobile home
F
Now up to now, my plan went alright
Bb
'til we tried to put it all together one night
C7 F
And that's when we noticed that something was definitely wrong
F
The transmission was a '53
Bb
And the motor turned out to be a '73
C7 F
And when we tried to put in the bolts, all the holes were gone
F
So we drilled it out so that it would fit
Bb
And with a little bit of help from an adapter kit
C7 F
We had that engine running just like a song
F
Now the headlights, they was another sight
Bb
We had two on the left and one on the right
C7 F
But when we pulled out the switch, all three of 'em come on
F
The back end looked kind of funny too
Bb
But we put it together and when we got through
C7 F
Well, that's when we noticed that we only had one tail fin
F
About that time, my wife walked out
Bb
And I could see in her eyes that she had her doubts
C7 F
But she opened the door and said, "Honey, take me for a spin"
F
So we drove uptown just to get the tags
Bb
And I headed her right on down main drag
C7 F
I could hear everybody laughing for blocks around
F
But up there at the courthouse, they didn't laugh
Bb
'cause to type it up, it took the whole staff
C7 F
And when they got through, the title weighed sixty pounds
[Chorus]
F Bb
I got it one piece at a time and it didn't cost me a dime
C7 F
You'll know it's me when I come through your town
F Bb
I'm gonna ride around in style, I'm gonna drive everybody wild
C7 F
'cause I'll have the only one there is around
[Outro]
F
Uh, yeah, Red Rider, this is the Cottonmouth
F
In the psychobilly Cadillac, come on
F
Huh? Uh, this is the Cottonmouth
F
And negatory on the cost of this machine there, Red Rider
F
You might say I went right up to the factory and picked it up
F
It's cheaper that way
F
Uh, what model is it?
F Bb
Well, it's a '49, '50, '51, '52, '53, '54, '55, '56
C7 F
'57 '58 '59 automobile
Bb
It's a '60, '61, '62, '63, '64, '65, '66, '67
C7 F
'68, '69, '70 automobile

One Piece At A Time chords and lyrics

Free chords for One Piece At A Time by Johnny Cash. Scroll the interactive sheet above or read the chord names inline below.

Johnny Cash - One Piece At a Time
[Intro]
F    Bb    C7    F
[Verse 1]
[Chorus]
[Verse 2]
[Chorus]
[Outro]

One Piece At A Time Chords by Johnny Cash

Learn how to play One Piece At A Time by Johnny Cash with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “One Piece At A Time chords”, “One Piece At A Time guitar chords”, or “Johnny Cash One Piece At A Time chords” and you will find this page — transpose to any key, tap chords for diagrams, and use auto-scroll while you play. Perfect for beginners looking for easy One Piece At A Time chords and for experienced players who want accurate One Piece At A Time lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include F, Bb, C7.

Frequently asked questions about One Piece At A Time

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What key is "One Piece At A Time" in?

The chords for "One Piece At A Time" show the original chord names (including F, Bb, C7). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.