There’s a special kind of magic in dragging a forgotten car out of a field, turning the key, and hearing life return through sputtering cylinders and an overtaxed starter motor. It's not just wrenching on a car—it's like witnessing a literal resurrection.

Shortly before reviving vehicles became a YouTube genre of its own, shows like Roadkill  (which is now dead) helped shift the car culture conversation in mainstream circles. Finnegan and Freiburger proved that you didn’t need a spotless garage or six-figure build to make something worth celebrating. A half-buried junker, a few tools, and the will to get greasy were enough.

As Freiburger puts it: "Don't get it right, just get it running."

At the same time Roadkill was giving enthusiasts the go-ahead to revive and drive imperfect cars, YouTube was growing into the perfect place for everyday folks to share those adventures with, well — everyone.  

I wrote Field Revival Blues to honor those early everyday voices—guys like Luke Finley from Thunderhead289 and Kevin Brown (and Angus Wacker) from Junkyard Digs - some of the original field revivalists who weren’t afraid to pull a dead truck out of the weeds and film the whole beautiful mess.

This song attempts to capture the grit, the heart, and the sheer stubborn joy that comes with reviving something the world gave up on.

It’s for the ones who see possibility where others see scrap.  It's for the guys who’ll fight a seized bolt for three hours just for the chance to hear an old V8 stumble back to life.

Field Revival Blues is my personal tribute to Luke, Kevin, and Angus — who offer enthusiasts a chance to either live vicariously through their work or — even better — inspire us to do the same.   They rolled cameras, turned wrenches, and built a community that thrives on elbow grease and second chances.

So here’s to the OG field revivalists from Iowa —the ones who showed us that even the rustiest heap still has a story worth telling.  Sometimes an even more compelling one than the shiny ones.

Field Revival Blues

We wake up every mornin’
With wrenches in our hands
We don’t need no dealership
Just "junkyard gold" and "barn dust" fans
We find ‘em where they’re sinkin’
Half-buried in the clay
Then we fire up that engine
And drive it clean away

[Luke - ThunderHead289]
Well I’m Luke from up in Iowa
Got a Maverick beater dream
Slapped a Kohler on that V8
She gets forty-one MPG
I got small blocks and some FEs
Carbs tuned sharper than a tack
Carb cheater AFR so fine you’d swear
EFI’d sue the shirt right off my back

[Kevin - Junkyard Digs]
Name’s Kevin down the gravel road
Got jewels stashed out behind the shed
Whether it’s handing out possum evictions
Or fixing drum brakes left for dead
I’ll fix it — RV, truck, car, snowmobile, quad or tractor too
If it ran once, I’ll make it run again —
Just need pliers and Mountain Dew
Saw Luke out there just wrenchin’ hard
On YouTube, plain as day
Thought, “If he can do it slick like that
Then maybe I should play"

[Angus - Junkyard Digs]
Now I’m Angus, Kevin’s sidekick
Got a Y-block F-one-oh-oh
If there’s rust, I’m right behind it
With some jokes and carb cleaner flow
Name like beef, and that’s no joke —
But I’ll weld a frame with grace
And like MacGyver I’ll fix anything
With whatever’s round the place

[Chorus]
We’re the Field Revival Trio
With pliers and some hope
Pullin’ jewels out of the fields
And givin’ ‘em new rope
Don’t need no fancy scanner
Or a shiny, spotless bay
Just a jug of gas and jumper wires
And a prayer to start the day

[Bridge]
Well the neighbors think we’re crazy
Said we’re livin’ in the past
But when that engine fires up
You can bet we’re haulin’—fast!

[Final Chorus]
We’re the Field Revival Trio
Just three wrenchin’ men at play
Bringin’ life to steel and stories
In the YouTube USA
So if your dream is buried
Under weeds and red clay grime
Call us in, we’ll fire it up
One crank at a time!