Brantley Gilbert and Jelly Roll are no strangers to writing about the hardest chapters of their lives. But their recent collaboration grew out of a real-life encounter that left a lasting impression.
The song “Begging For Change” finds the pair teaming up for an emotionally driven track, which serves as the only one with a feature on Gilbert’s eighth studio album, SINS OF THE FATHER. The project arrived on July 24 via BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville, and marks the Georgian’s first full-length project with his new label.
On “Begging For Change,” Gilbert and Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason DeFord, take a raw look at addiction, homelessness, and the people who can so easily become invisible to the world around them.
Written by Gilbert, alongside Jelly Roll, Brock Berryhill and Andrew Baylis, the track tells the story of a homeless man who was once familiar to those around him, someone who seemingly had every reason to have a different future.
By the chorus, the singer-songwriters challenge perceptions by telling folks: “Nobody wakes up one morning / Like this is what I always wanted / To be living for the next fix / Kind of broke you can’t fix / Homeless and homesick / And tired of the bullshit / And I wasn’t born or raised this way / I know I need amazing grace / But I ain’t begging for money / I’m begging for change.”
As the song progresses, the two artists also acknowledge the complicated nature of trying to help someone struggling with addiction, while making it clear that recovery doesn’t have to be faced alone.
“You know me well enough to know / I’ve had some demons of my own,” they sing. “But let’s get you sober / Let’s get you some help / This battle ain’t over / You ain’t by yourself.”
Opening up about the inspiration behind “Begging For Change,” Gilbert recalled a writing appointment that he had scheduled with Jelly Roll. That’s where he learned about Jelly Roll’s encounter with a homeless man.
He explained that the “Son of a Sinner” singer was getting into a car following a label event when he happened upon a homeless man nearby.
But this wasn’t a stranger. Jelly Roll recognized him.
“The guy actually turned around, and Jelly recognized him,” Gilbert said. “He said it wasn’t that he recognized him that bothered him. It was that he was the kid that, if they had to pick a kid in their high school, it would be the least likely to be homeless and be that kid.”
That realization became the emotional foundation for “Begging For Change.”
For Gilbert, who has spoken openly about his own recovery, the situation also reinforced something he has long believed about addiction and mental health.
“He kinda paired with something that I’ve said since I’ve been in recovery,” Gilbert explained. “He’s like, ‘Hey, dude, nobody wakes up one morning and goes, you know, and I think I wanna be an alcoholic or a drug addict. You know, I think I wanna be riddled with mental health, or I wanna be, you know, homeless.”
To Gilbert, that’s what makes these struggles so indiscriminate.
“Like, that’s, those are some of the only things in this life that truly are, you know, non-biased in any way, form, or fashion,” he said. “They don’t care what tax bracket you’re in or what color you are or who your mom and daddy are. They just want you dead.”
The blunt sentiment became part of what Gilbert believes gives the song its power. Both he and Jelly Roll have experienced difficult seasons in their own lives, allowing them to approach the subject from a place of personal understanding rather than judgment.
“Jelly and I both having checkered pasts does allow us to kinda meet people where they’re at with songs, no matter how dark that place is,” Gilbert said. “That was the hope for that one, is that. I do believe that song harnesses serious power and is capable of doing some big things. So just hoping it reaches the ears that it was written for.”
Throughout SINS OF THE FATHER, a 15-track collection, Gilbert explores love, redemption, and the lessons he has learned throughout his life. “Begging For Change” appears at No. 4 on the tracklist.
