Enjoy the free lyrics and streaming audio below. For the original unembellished story of the Pigmobile, see page 360 of my 2024 book "In the Land of Used to Be."
The Pigmobile — a backroads car song
© Lannie Dietle 2026
Did ya hear about the Pigmobile, the fastest car around?
It wasn't built exactly sleek, but the CG was near the ground.
There really was a Pigmobile, but what's left is mostly myth.
An old hog farmer made it. Let's call him Chester Smith.
Old Chester had an ailing heart, and he was tired out all the time,
But he got himself a pig valve, and that fixed him up just fine.
The Pigmobile, it got its name from Chester's operation,
And wherever he drove that car, it caused a huge sensation.
Did ya ever have a ride on Chester's Pigmobile?
It had an engine and a frame, a bench seat, and a steerin' wheel.
He drove it on them back roads where the cops don't never go.
He might be rollin' crazy fast, or he might be cruisin' slow.
Chester, he learned young to make do or do without.
And makin' do was exactly what his mobile was all about.
Now what can a feller do when his car's all rusted out?
Chester tore the body off, and made a run-about.
When Chester punched the gas, Them back tires really squealed.
Did ya ever have a ride on Chester's Pigmobile?
I can hear old Chester comin'. He's really carry'n the mail.
I cain't see his mobile yet, but I can see its rooster tail.
The mobile had a V8, and it twerked when he hit the gas.
Without all that body weight, it could get lost mighty fast.
Did ya ever have a ride on Chester's Pigmobile?
It had an engine and a frame, a bench seat, and a steerin' wheel.
He drove it on them back roads where the cops don't never go.
He might be rollin' crazy fast, or he might be cruisin' slow.
When the muffler finally fell off, the mobile made lots a' noise.
I could see his mouth a movin', but I couldn't hear his voice.
Chester's up in heaven now, where the cops are just for show.
And he might be rollin' crazy fast, or he might be cruisin' slow.
St. Peter let that mobile in when he opened up heaven's gate.
The thing that really sold him was all the power for the weight.
I know Chester's out havin' fun when I hear the thunder roll.
That's just the sound that V8 makes rollin' down them streets a' gold.
Pretty soon I'll take another ride on Chester's Pigmobile.
It has an engine and a frame, a bench seat, and a steerin' wheel.
We'll drive it on them back roads where the cops don't never go.
We might be rollin' crazy fast, or we might be cruisin' slow.
You'll know we're out a havin' fun when ya hear that thunder roll.
That's just the sound that V8 makes rollin' down them streets a' gold.
Oh, that's just the sound that V8 makes rollin' down them streets a' gold.
The song also carries emotional weight. Although the Pigmobile serves as a symbol of freedom and resilience, Chester's passing and imagined arrival in heaven transforms the car into a symbol of joy that echoes through the final verses as thunder from the sound of his V8 rolling "down them streets a' gold".
In short, the song matters because it preserves local history, celebrates resourcefulness, and transforms a family memory into a bluegrass folk tale that feels both personal and universal.
L. Dietle
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