The Way I'm Livin'

Album: The Way I'm Livin' (2014)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The title track of Lee Ann Womack's seventh studio album, this was written by Adam Wright. Speaking with The Wall Street Journal's Speakeasy, Womack said she wanted to perform the song the moment she heard it. "It was so raw, and real, and, well, unrepentant," she said. "Real roots music, whether it's country or bluegrass, the blues, even rock, is about hitting a nerve. You can't not react. It's not an easy thing to do, but man, this song hit me the first time I heard it, and it hits me every time I sing it, hear it or even think about it."
  • The song finds Womack lamenting about a woman who wants to change but just can't help surrendering to those feelings. She told NPR's Wade Goodwyn: "It's just sometimes you find yourself in a situation where you want to change or you want to do something different and you don't know if you're going to be able to. And I guess this song is just at a point where a person's sort of hit bottom."

    Asked by Goodwyn if she's ever truly felt this badly, Womack replied "I don't know if I've felt that bad, but I've certainly been in some situations where I thought, man, does it get better?"
  • Filmed on a 2,300 acre cattle ranch, Womack said of the Roger Pistole-directed video: "Adam Wright wrote a pretty strong song about how addiction pulls you under, you know, just takes you right out of your life...and you don’t want to fight it. So Roger dug into a lot of stuff that evokes the tumult and never actually says who’s to blame."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Name the Character in the Song

Name the Character in the SongMusic Quiz

With a few clues (Works at a diner, dreams of running away), can you name the character in the song?

Tony Joe White

Tony Joe WhiteSongwriter Interviews

The writer of "Rainy Night in Georgia" and "Polk Salad Annie" explains how he cooks up his Louisiana swamp rock.

Ron and Russell Mael of Sparks

Ron and Russell Mael of SparksSongwriter Interviews

The men of Sparks on their album Hippopotamus, and how Morrissey handled it when they suggested he lighten up.

John Kay of Steppenwolf

John Kay of SteppenwolfSongwriter Interviews

Steppenwolf frontman John Kay talks about "Magic Carpet Ride," "Born To Be Wild," and what he values more than awards and accolades.

Jon Anderson

Jon AndersonSongwriter Interviews

Jon Anderson breaks down the Yes classic "Seen All Good People" and talks about his 1000 Hands album, which features Chick Corea, Rick Derringer, Ian Anderson, and many other luminaries.

Gavin Rossdale of Bush

Gavin Rossdale of BushSongwriter Interviews

On the "schizoid element" of his lyrics, and a famous line from "Everything Zen."