Songfacts®:

• After wrapping up their tour for the 2015 album Get Hurt at Reading Festival, The Gaslight Anthem went on an indefinite hiatus. The idea of reforming the band gradually gained traction, and solidified after frontman Brian Fallon finished his 2020 solo album, Local Honey. It was further fueled by the introspective nature of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  
  March 2022 marked the official reunion of The Gaslight Anthem. Their sixth studio album, History Books, followed in October 2023. This song is its title track.
• The song "History Books" delves into the empowering act of letting go of things that no longer serve you, particularly harmful or manipulative relationships. "I think forgiveness is so important on so many levels, but I've learned that in some cases you need to cut ties with the people who've done you harm," said Fallon.
• Speaking in an interview with Kerrang!, Fallon elaborated on the personal inspiration behind the song. He described encountering people in his life who crossed boundaries and whom he struggled to set limits with, fearing rejection. The singer emphasized, however, that those who genuinely care wouldn't be angered by established boundaries. "People who are crossing the lines are the only people who get mad about boundaries," Fallon said.
  
  This realization led Fallon to remove himself from such unhealthy dynamics, acknowledging that insecurity often leads to the acceptance of poor treatment for the sake of maintaining superficial connections. He goes on to warn of individuals who manipulate under the guise of care, stating, "There's people who pretend that they care about you who are really just trying to steer you, and they just want you to be what they want you to be."
• Fallon doesn't want any of his friends in high school, or any of the people that he grew up with, thinking this song is about them. "Right before we mixed the record I asked the guys, 'Does that song sound like it's about anybody I knew?'" he said with a laugh. "But they were like, 'No, not at all! We get what it's about, and it's awesome, and you should do it.' And I was like, 'Is it too negative?!' And they were like, 'No, and it's about time you wrote a song like that!'"
• Bruce Springsteen sings the second verse. Like Fallon, he's still wrestling with the emotions that resurface when thinking about his past. Asked by Uncut magazine how he went about pitching the song to The Boss, Fallon replied, "I can't tell you because I don't know how it would go if I pitched Bruce a song – that duet was actually his idea. I'd mentioned to him that I wanted to get the band back together, and later that day he texted me. 'Write us a duet!' to which, what do you say? When the king asks for a duet, you give the king a duet."
• The Gaslight Anthem have joined their fellow New Jersey native Springsteen on tour and on stage on many previous occasions, including during the band's set at Glastonbury 2009.