diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 48f3996..8583a9c 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -128,14 +128,17 @@ You may include as many environments as you like, and you can use the `-env` com
 goose will expand environment variables in the `open` element. For an example, see the Heroku section below.
 
 ## Other Drivers
-goose knows about some common SQL drivers, but it can still be used to run Go-based migrations with any driver supported by database/sql. 
+goose knows about some common SQL drivers, but it can still be used to run Go-based migrations with any driver supported by database/sql. An import path and known dialect are required.
 
-To run Go-based migrations with another driver, specify its import path, as shown below.
+Currently, available dialects are: "postgres" or "mysql"
+
+To run Go-based migrations with another driver, specify its import path and dialect, as shown below.
 
     customdriver:
         driver: custom
         open: custom open string
         import: github.com/custom/driver
+        dialect: mysql
 
 NOTE: Because migrations written in SQL are executed directly by the goose binary, only drivers compiled into goose may be used for these migrations.
 
diff --git a/db-sample/dbconf.yml b/db-sample/dbconf.yml
index 52c355c..65672fc 100644
--- a/db-sample/dbconf.yml
+++ b/db-sample/dbconf.yml
@@ -15,3 +15,4 @@ customimport:
     driver: customdriver
     open: customdriver open
     import: github.com/custom/driver
+    dialect: mysql
diff --git a/dbconf.go b/dbconf.go
index ce929b2..4cf17fd 100644
--- a/dbconf.go
+++ b/dbconf.go
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ type DBDriver struct {
 	Name    string
 	OpenStr string
 	Import  string
+	Dialect SqlDialect
 }
 
 type DBConf struct {
@@ -70,6 +71,11 @@ func newDBConfDetails(p, env string) (*DBConf, error) {
 		d.Import = imprt
 	}
 
+	// allow the configuration to override the Dialect for this driver
+	if dialect, err := f.Get(fmt.Sprintf("%s.dialect", env)); err == nil {
+		d.Dialect = DialectByName(dialect)
+	}
+
 	if !d.IsValid() {
 		return nil, errors.New(fmt.Sprintf("Invalid DBConf: %v", d))
 	}
@@ -94,9 +100,11 @@ func NewDBDriver(name, open string) DBDriver {
 	switch name {
 	case "postgres":
 		d.Import = "github.com/lib/pq"
+		d.Dialect = &PostgresDialect{}
 
 	case "mymysql":
 		d.Import = "github.com/ziutek/mymysql/godrv"
+		d.Dialect = &MySqlDialect{}
 	}
 
 	return d
@@ -108,5 +116,9 @@ func (drv *DBDriver) IsValid() bool {
 		return false
 	}
 
+	if drv.Dialect == nil {
+		return false
+	}
+
 	return true
 }
diff --git a/dbconf_test.go b/dbconf_test.go
index 457fad9..dcf6a2c 100644
--- a/dbconf_test.go
+++ b/dbconf_test.go
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ func TestBasics(t *testing.T) {
 
 	dbconf, err := newDBConfDetails("db-sample", "test")
 	if err != nil {
-		t.Error("couldn't create DBConf")
+		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 
 	got := []string{dbconf.MigrationsDir, dbconf.Env, dbconf.Driver.Name, dbconf.Driver.OpenStr}
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ func TestImportOverride(t *testing.T) {
 
 	dbconf, err := newDBConfDetails("db-sample", "customimport")
 	if err != nil {
-		t.Error("couldn't create DBConf")
+		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 
 	got := dbconf.Driver.Import
diff --git a/dialect.go b/dialect.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c3a14f3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dialect.go
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"database/sql"
+)
+
+// SqlDialect abstracts the details of specific SQL dialects
+// for goose's few SQL specific statements
+type SqlDialect interface {
+	createVersionTableSql() string // sql string to create the goose_db_version table
+	insertVersionSql() string      // sql string to insert the initial version table row
+	dbVersionQuery(db *sql.DB) (*sql.Rows, error)
+}
+
+// drivers that we don't know about can ask for a dialect by name
+func DialectByName(d string) SqlDialect {
+	switch d {
+	case "postgres":
+		return &PostgresDialect{}
+	case "mysql":
+		return &MySqlDialect{}
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+////////////////////////////
+// Postgres
+////////////////////////////
+
+type PostgresDialect struct{}
+
+func (pg *PostgresDialect) createVersionTableSql() string {
+	return `CREATE TABLE goose_db_version (
+            	id serial NOT NULL,
+                version_id bigint NOT NULL,
+                is_applied boolean NOT NULL,
+                tstamp timestamp NULL default now(),
+                PRIMARY KEY(id)
+              );`
+}
+
+func (pg *PostgresDialect) insertVersionSql() string {
+	return "INSERT INTO goose_db_version (version_id, is_applied) VALUES (0, true);"
+}
+
+func (pg *PostgresDialect) dbVersionQuery(db *sql.DB) (*sql.Rows, error) {
+	rows, err := db.Query("SELECT version_id, is_applied from goose_db_version ORDER BY id DESC")
+
+	// XXX: check for postgres specific error indicating the table doesn't exist.
+	// for now, assume any error is because the table doesn't exist,
+	// in which case we'll try to create it.
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, ErrTableDoesNotExist
+	}
+
+	return rows, err
+}
+
+////////////////////////////
+// MySQL
+////////////////////////////
+
+type MySqlDialect struct{}
+
+func (m *MySqlDialect) createVersionTableSql() string {
+	return `CREATE TABLE goose_db_version (
+                id serial NOT NULL,
+                version_id bigint NOT NULL,
+                is_applied boolean NOT NULL,
+                tstamp timestamp NULL default now(),
+                PRIMARY KEY(id)
+              );`
+}
+
+func (m *MySqlDialect) insertVersionSql() string {
+	return "INSERT INTO goose_db_version (version_id, is_applied) VALUES (0, true);"
+}
+
+func (m *MySqlDialect) dbVersionQuery(db *sql.DB) (*sql.Rows, error) {
+	rows, err := db.Query("SELECT version_id, is_applied from goose_db_version ORDER BY id DESC")
+
+	// XXX: check for mysql specific error indicating the table doesn't exist.
+	// for now, assume any error is because the table doesn't exist,
+	// in which case we'll try to create it.
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, ErrTableDoesNotExist
+	}
+
+	return rows, err
+}
diff --git a/migrate.go b/migrate.go
index 16ce0fd..842da76 100644
--- a/migrate.go
+++ b/migrate.go
@@ -15,6 +15,8 @@ import (
 	"time"
 )
 
+var ErrTableDoesNotExist = errors.New("table does not exist")
+
 type MigrationRecord struct {
 	VersionId int64
 	TStamp    time.Time
@@ -192,11 +194,14 @@ func numericComponent(name string) (int64, error) {
 // Create and initialize the DB version table if it doesn't exist.
 func ensureDBVersion(conf *DBConf, db *sql.DB) (int64, error) {
 
-	rows, err := db.Query("SELECT version_id, is_applied from goose_db_version ORDER BY id DESC;")
+	rows, err := conf.Driver.Dialect.dbVersionQuery(db)
 	if err != nil {
-		// XXX: cross platform method to detect failure reason
-		// for now, assume it was because the table didn't exist, and try to create it
-		return 0, createVersionTable(conf, db)
+
+		if err == ErrTableDoesNotExist {
+			return 0, createVersionTable(conf, db)
+		}
+
+		return 0, err
 	}
 
 	// The most recent record for each migration specifies
@@ -243,17 +248,8 @@ func createVersionTable(conf *DBConf, db *sql.DB) error {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	// create the table and insert an initial value of 0
-	create := `CREATE TABLE goose_db_version (
-                id serial NOT NULL,
-                version_id bigint NOT NULL,
-                is_applied boolean NOT NULL,
-                tstamp timestamp NULL default now(),
-                PRIMARY KEY(id)
-              );`
-	insert := "INSERT INTO goose_db_version (version_id, is_applied) VALUES (0, true);"
-
-	for _, str := range []string{create, insert} {
+	d := conf.Driver.Dialect
+	for _, str := range []string{d.createVersionTableSql(), d.insertVersionSql()} {
 		if _, err := txn.Exec(str); err != nil {
 			txn.Rollback()
 			return err