“Ain’t Enough Rocks” by Brandy Clark (ft. Derek Trucks)

Brandy Clark’s fourth-studio album came out on 19 May 2023, a self-titled project which is backed by Warner Records. The entire LP has reportedly been produced by music legend Brandi Carlile, who also appears on the album as a vocalist. In fact, Brandy Clark features three collaborations. And one of them is “Ain’t Enough Rocks”, which co-stars Derek Trucks of The Derek Trucks Band. Also to note, this is the first song on the playlist of the album.

Lyrics of “Ain’t Enough Rocks”

Brandy is a country musician and furthermore one of those folklorist or Americana types. And that’s important to point out because even though there’s figurative language embedded in these lyrics, the narrative of “Ain’t Enough Rocks”, being quite detailed, is also easy to understand, as with the country songs of old. 

Or let’s say that whereas the featured story is captivating, it isn’t such that the listener’s brain is burdened with challenging metaphors or hard-to-decipher poeticism.

For example, the title itself is metaphorical but very much understandable. Actually, the “rocks” are literal, being the stones which the protagonists used to, most simply put, sink their father’s body. And the reason they were compelled to do so was to hide the evidence after shooting him dead.

What led to that horrific incident is first of all the older of the siblings having grown up being both physically and sexually abused by the dad. Then, by the looks of things, once the younger began budding into a woman, he turned that type of evil intention onto her also.

But the sisters decided not to have it and resultantly shot pop dukes dead, submerged his body in the river and then claimed that the last they saw him, he was wandering off drunk somewhere.  And apparently, with the father being known as a drunkard, the sheriff proceeded to buy that story.

And the reason we referred to the girls as protagonists earlier on is because that is how they are explicitly depicted in the song. In other words, the outro reveals that Brandy and Derek totally support their actions.  Or as the lyrics put it, some crimes are so disgusting that they “don’t deserve a” trial.

“There ain’t enough rocks to drown that pain
Ain’t enough water to sink that shame
Might’ve broke her heart, couldn’t break her soul
But dead ain’t dead enough sometimes you know
Ain’t enough rocks”

So put more bluntly, it’s as if this piece is advocating extrajudicial killing, at least in response to some type of acts, such as a man raping his own daughter. Along those lines of that rationale, what the title alludes to is even in the aftermath of all that transpired, the older daughter, i.e. the one that endured said abuse for so many years, being such that she will never fully recover from it.

“She grew up hidin’ bruises thinkin’ it was love”

“This song captures the harsh reality of domestic abuse with precision. Survivors like myself can easily relate with the line, ‘she grew up hidin’ bruises thinkin’ it was love’. The song delves into the themes of abuse, resilience, and the quest for justice. Its evocative imagery and emotional depth weave a powerful narrative that strikes a chord. The repetition of ‘ain’t enough rocks’, echoes the longing for resolution and closure in the face of the pain endured. Overall, the song conveys a powerful message that stirs up emotions of those who have experienced similar situations. Domestic abuse is a devastating situation, one nobody deserves to go through.” 

– Amanda