Barely Enough Beer

Well I’m sitting here surrounded by seven empty pitchers
Not bitching, but her breakup brought me here
A richer man might drown himself in finer wines and liquors
But me I’ll just partake in true-blue beer

Never saw it coming till she vanished under cover
That stunner took a runner in the night
Dawn broke over Marblehead, I knew I’d lost my lover
And it’s wrong but now I’m left to drink it right

But there’s barely enough beer in this here barroom
To bandage up this broken heart of mine
Barely enough beer in this here barroom
But that won’t stop this broken boy from trying

Well her love became ironic like bathtub gin and tonic
She played it sweet to cover up the taste
She wasted all the moonshine til our love became platonic
And that’s all that’s left when love evaporates

But there’s barely enough beer in this here barroom
To bandage up this broken heart of mine
Barely enough beer in this here barroom
But that won’t stop this broken boy from trying

It’s no excuse but lovesick blues make any man a boozer
Like every pint this story’s icy cold
Old promises she made to me that I would never lose her
Some bill of goods my baby bought and sold

But there’s barely enough beer in this here barroom
To bandage up this broken heart of mine
Barely enough beer in this here barroom
But that won’t stop this broken boy from trying
No that won’t stop this broken boy from trying

"Barely Enough Beer" channels the spirit of country music legends, with a nod to the unexpected country journey of Elvis Costello reflected in his 1981 album "Almost Blue" and narrated in his 2016 memoir "Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink."

This song captures a quintessential, almost cliché country theme — a heartache drowned in the bottom of a beer glass. Drawing inspiration from the raw emotions and storytelling of Hank Williams, George Jones, and other country icons, the track is a fictional homage to traditional country music's soulful requiems for loves gone cold.

The lyrics portray a man grappling with (or maybe it’s whining about…) lost love, surrounded by the cold companionship of empty beer pitchers, and the use of pedal steel guitar infuses the song with an authentic country "my girl done left me" whimper. I hope this song’s tongue-in-cheek drollness raises a smile even while it resonates with anyone who's ever had their heart broken.