Songfacts®:

• Mumford & Sons unveiled this song during a performance at Philadelphia station Radio 104.5 On October 29, 2011. It finds Marcus Mumford singing of a broken relationship that he hopes can be repaired: "But I will hope as long as you like, just promise me we'll be all right."
• The song evolved as the result of the band performing it to audiences and tinkering with it afterward. "That one came together really on our Canadian tour about a month ago, the first time started playing it," multi-instrumentalist Winston Marshall told MTV News. "We tried recording it before, but it then took on a new life when we played it on that tour. ... [The songs] always change when we play them live; the dynamics change a lot. When you play it to a new room, you're playing it to new ears, and you're listening to the song through their ears. So it's really great to feel the song out."
• "Ghosts" features an instrumentation of acoustic guitar, banjo and accordion and when performed live, it allows the band a chance to catch their collective breath. "It's fun to play ... it's a kind of respite for us to just stand back and play a slower song," Mumford told MTV News with a laugh. "It's nice: gives us a moment to take stock."