‘DeAnn's Denim’ by Zach Bryan – Lyrics & Meaning

Zach Bryan has become known for his deeply personal storytelling, creating songs that often tell the tales of the life he’s lived. With ‘DeAnn’s Denim’ he remembers his mother and discusses the struggles that come with familial expectations and the lingering memories that sit hand in hand with grief. The song comes from his phenomenally anticipated sixth studio album, With Heaven On Top, which was released on January 9th, 2026 and, with what we know about Bryan's personal songwriting, was a track that fans were eager to listen to right away.

Back in 2019, Bryan released his debut album titled DeAnn in honour of his mother who passed away in 2016, when the singer-songwriter was only 20. The album featured the beloved track ‘Sweet DeAnn’ which closes the collection and has become a moving staple in Bryan’s live sets. Tributes to his mother are scattered throughout Bryan’s songs, but with ‘DeAnn’s Denim’, the Oklahoman has crafted a new way of memorialising the woman who, evidently, had a huge impact on Bryan’s life.

Not only does it capture the love that Bryan has for the memory of his mother, but is also recognises just how strong family genes can be. Bryan had previously teased ‘DeAnn's Denim’ via TikTok in August 2024 with a stellar acoustic rendition.

The mellow, introspective track feels like somewhat of a callback to Bryan’s earlier music, as the song begins with some gentle acoustic guitar picking before the Oklahoman's voice comes in, accompanied with some simple piano chords.

A distant horn in the background brings it into the artist’s current “signature sound”, yet the track remains understated throughout. ‘DeAnn’s Denim’ exists with a lingering nostalgia; both in lyrics and sound, it feels like stepping into Bryan’s past.

“Well, DeAnn's denim dress has got a dandelion scent
That dress with her as she rounds the door
It's all photographic, not from eighth and ten years back
Of a birthday cake with a lit-up twenty-four”

Bryan kicks off this track by laying the foundation for the clever imagery that runs throughout the song. It seems as if Bryan is looking through old photographs from a 24th birthday party, with the visual bringing back lingering memories of the clothes his mother, DeAnn, would wear and the “dandelion scent” that she carried with her wherever she went. Reminders of people we’ve lost come in many forms, and they can hit you with a wave of nostalgia before you even realise it.

“And I miss times I drank 'cause I'd never overthink
And I never gave into this lore
You ain't Jesus Christ 'cause you don't think twice
Sunday when you pass a liquor store”

Towards the end of 2025, Bryan announced that he had stopped drinking, opening up about some of his own personal mental health struggles. In these lines he acknowledges that drinking may have been a coping mechanism for him, one that stopped him from overthinking and having to relive painful memories.

Like much of Bryan’s astute writing, the final lines of the verse have a couple of different meanings attached to them: is he recalling someone’s criticism of him in the times that drinking would be the first thing he turned to? Or perhaps he's saying that, just because someone is able to steady their thoughts without drinking, they shouldn’t be labelled as a saint or hero - struggles come in numerous forms.

“Well, time changes all, you'll see
Did you become what your mama wanted you to be?
And are you strong enough to stay away from family genes?
'Cause DeAnn's denim was a stubborn thing
Well, DeAnn's denim was a stubborn thing”

The chorus of ‘DeAnn’s Denim’ really shows off Bryan’s songwriting skill as he creates a metaphor around his mothers old denim and the way that their family traits and tendencies can be unavoidable. The personal growth that we’ve seen from Bryan is noted as he sings that “time changes all”, wondering if he has been able to live up to the expectations that his mother had of him. For better or for worse, “family genes” are strong and they’ll find their way into your personality even when you're not fully aware of it - as the songwriter tells us, the ones that come from his mother sure are stubborn. Bryan has spoken in the past about his mother's alcoholism, so it seems he is struggling with the prospect of falling into the same habits. There's also a nice play on words between ‘jeans’ and ‘genes’.

“Well, I recall a letter that she sent me on base
When I was out playin' a patriot
She said she was leaving the house, headed out
And finally had the nerve for facin' it”

Many of Bryan’s songs contain references to the time he spent in the U.S. Navy, and as he thinks about a letter that DeAnn wrote to him during his time serving, we get another insight into the relationship that the mother and son had. Like Bryan has been doing, his mother also spent some time facing her own ‘family genes’.

“The jeans that her daddy left were workin' in vintage and
Proctor's daddy did 'em the same
He said I could change my suit and tie, pray all night to Jesus Christ
But he'd belt my ass if I changed my name”

On Bryan’s 2022 album American Heartbreak, a song titled ‘Corinthian’s (Proctor’s)’ was a tribute to his grandfather - lines like “And granddad sure was punchy, but loved Jesus to his core” introducing his family to the listener. It sounds as if that punchiness was passed down to Proctor’s daughter, DeAnn, and as we very well know, is alive in Bryan now.

Even if we change our clothes, attempt to get rid of those worn out vintage “jeans”, we can never really remove our family ties. In a way, a name carries the family genes too, and Bryan’s punchy grandfather wouldn’t want that name going anywhere.

“Well, DeAnn's denim dress has got a dandelion scent
That dress with her as she rounds the door
It's all photographic, not from eighth and ten years back
Of a birthday cake with a lit-up twenty-four
And I miss times I drank 'cause I'd never overthink
And I never gave into this lore
You ain't Jesus Christ 'cause you don't think twice
Sunday when you pass a liquor store

-

Well, time changes all, you'll see
Did you become what your mama wanted you to be?
And are you strong enough to stay away from family genes?
'Cause DeAnn's denim was a stubborn thing
Well, DeAnn's denim was a stubborn thing

-

Well, I recall a letter that she sent me on base
When I was out playin' a patriot
She said she was leaving the house, headed out
And finally had the nerve for facin' it
The jeans that her daddy left were workin' in vintage and
Proctor's daddy did 'em the same
He said I could change my suit and tie, pray all night to Jesus Christ
But he'd belt my ass if I changed my name

-

'Cause time changes all you'll see
Did she become what her daddy wanted her to be?
Was she strong enough to stay away from family genes?
'Cause sometimes, denim is an ugly thing
Well, sometimes, denim is an ugly thing

-

Well, DeAnn's denim dress has got a dandelion scent
That dress with her as she rounds the door
Cleaned out the closet, found some closure when I threw those old blue jeans on the floor
I cleaned out the closet, found some closure when I threw those old blue jeans on the floor
I cleaned out the closet, found some closure when I threw those old blue jeans on the floor”

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Zach Bryan

Artist