diff --git a/gitrev.cabal b/gitrev.cabal
--- a/gitrev.cabal
+++ b/gitrev.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 name:                gitrev
-version:             1.0.0
+version:             1.1.0
 synopsis:            Compile git revision info into Haskell projects
 homepage:            https://github.com/acfoltzer/gitrev
 license:             BSD3
diff --git a/src/Development/GitRev.hs b/src/Development/GitRev.hs
--- a/src/Development/GitRev.hs
+++ b/src/Development/GitRev.hs
@@ -17,16 +17,18 @@
 -- > panic :: String -> a
 -- > panic msg = error panicMsg
 -- >   where panicMsg =
--- >           concat [ "[panic ", $(gitBranch), "@", $(gitHash), dirty, "] ", msg ]
+-- >           concat [ "[panic ", $(gitBranch), "@", $(gitHash)
+-- >                  , " (", $(gitCommitCount), " commits in HEAD)"
+-- >                  , dirty, "] ", msg ]
 -- >         dirty | $(gitDirty) = " (uncommitted files present)"
 -- >               | otherwise   = ""
 -- >
 -- > main = panic "oh no!"
 --
 -- > % cabal exec runhaskell Example.hs
--- > Example.hs: [panic master@4a0a592c37ad908889bd2a7a411923a903ed05a3 (uncommitted files present)] oh no!
+-- > Example.hs: [panic master@2702e69355c978805064543489c351b61ac6760b (6 commits in HEAD) (uncommitted files present)] oh no!
 
-module Development.GitRev (gitHash, gitBranch, gitDirty) where
+module Development.GitRev (gitHash, gitBranch, gitDirty, gitCommitCount) where
 
 import Control.Applicative
 import Control.Exception
@@ -103,3 +105,8 @@
   case output of
     "" -> conE $ mkName "Prelude.False"
     _  -> conE $ mkName "Prelude.True"
+
+-- | Return the number of commits in the current head
+gitCommitCount :: ExpQ
+gitCommitCount =
+  stringE =<< runGit ["rev-list", "HEAD", "--count"] "UNKNOWN"