I Don't Live Here Anymore

Album: I Don't Live Here Anymore (2021)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song finds War On Drugs leader Adam Granduciel free-associating lyrics about various random memories.
  • Granduciel sets the scene using a Bob Dylan lyric to describe a state of desolation.

    I was lying in my bed
    A creature void of form


    He borrowed Dylan's expression "a creature void of form" from the Blood On The Tracks track, "Shelter From the Storm."

    "It's such a fantastic way to describe somebody who feels nothing," Granduciel told UK newspaper The Sun. "Somebody who is emotionally in turmoil and broken down... as if he's been out in the woods too long."
  • In the second verse, Granduciel namechecks another Dylan song, "Desolation Row," when he sings:

    Like when we went to see Bob Dylan
    We danced to 'Desolation Row'
    But I don't live here anymore
    But I got no place to go


    At first Granduciel considered these throwaway lyrics. It was only later, listening back, that he thought about all the times he really had seen Bob Dylan. "Those are real memories," he said. "Why throw them away because I make references to my favorite songwriter?"
  • Once Granduciel finished "I Don't Live Here Anymore," he realized its title could fit the mood of the album as a whole. He told The Independent he "liked the affirmation of it. It felt like something."
  • Inspired by becoming a father, I Don't Live Here Anymore is a record about Granduciel trying to navigate his way through life's many changes and seizing control of his destiny. The album's title, he said, refers to a non-literal, emotional place. "If you say 'I don't live here anymore' it means you're still standing where you're saying you're not," Granduciel pointed out. "It's almost like you know where you don't want to be. You know exactly what you're not, but that doesn't mean you know where you're going."
  • The song features backing vocals by the New York band Lucius. They are the only other artist that contributes to I Don't Live Here Anymore.
  • Granduciel co-produced the song with Shawn Everett (The Killers, Cold War Kids). The War On Drugs frontman told Apple Music they aimed for an '80s vibe. "At one point Shawn and I ran everything on the song - drums, the girls, bass, everything - through a JC-120 Roland amplifier, which is like the sound of the '80s, essentially," he said. "We spent like a day doing that, and it just gave it this sound that was a familiar heartbeat or something."

Comments: 1

  • Mike from Se PaLove this song. Pretty sure it is alluding to the narrators struggle overcoming depression/ anxiety and possible drug addiction. My sense “I don’t live here anymore” refers to him reminding himself that he needs to remain past that and live for the future
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: Tarantino Edition

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: Tarantino EditionMusic Quiz

Whether he's splitting ears or burning Nazis, Quentin Tarantino uses memorable music in his films. See if you can match the song to the scene.

Dr. John

Dr. JohnSongwriter Interviews

The good doctor shares some candid insights on recording with Phil Spector and The Black Keys.

Church Lyrics

Church LyricsMusic Quiz

Here is the church, here is the steeple - see if you can identify these lyrics that reference church.

Jon Oliva of Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Jon Oliva of Trans-Siberian OrchestraSongwriter Interviews

Writing great prog metal isn't easy, especially when it's for 60 musicians.

Neal Smith - "I'm Eighteen"

Neal Smith - "I'm Eighteen"They're Playing My Song

With the band in danger of being dropped from their label, Alice Cooper drummer Neal Smith co-wrote the song that started their trek from horror show curiosity to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Bob Daisley

Bob DaisleySongwriter Interviews

Bob was the bass player and lyricist for the first two Ozzy Osbourne albums. Here's how he wrote songs like "Crazy Train" and "Mr. Crowley" with Ozzy and Randy Rhoads.