Hey there. Dave here from The Gray Havens. “Anywhere” was one of the most challenging songs to write of my career. It came out of a long spell of chronic pain and health issues that were compounded by a series of setbacks as an artist.
I remember it getting so bad that the phrase “just take me anywhere but here” kept coming to mind. At one point, driving past this gas station that was being built near my house every day, and thinking “if I could just get a job at that gas station, I think everything would somehow be better” (I think that’s when you know you’re not in a great place).
So I wrote “Anywhere” both as a way to express my frustration but also as a way to hold on to the fact that I believe in purpose and don’t ultimately grieve as someone without hope. I knew going into writing it that I wanted the final chorus to be a bit of a twist on the first one.
Since releasing the song a year or so ago, it’s become one of the most requested songs we get asked to play.
If you still want to hear more about the song, I did a podcast episode about it, which you can listen to below. It goes into more detail with the songwriting and production if that’s your cup of tea :)
Lyrics below!
