Paul McCartney – 'Days We Left Behind': The Lead Single from The Boys of Dungeon Lane
'Days We Left Behind' is the lead single from Paul McCartney's 18th solo studio album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, released on 26 March 2026. It is a memory song rooted in Liverpool, in the streets of Speke, and in the formative friendships that would come to shape not just McCartney's life — but the direction of modern music itself. And remarkably, its origins stretch back over thirty years.
Watch the Official Lyric Video
Animation by Trunk. Produced by Ben Chappell, MPL.
The Story Behind 'Days We Left Behind'
The intertwined subjects of Liverpool and youthful reverie have long been central to Paul McCartney's songwriting — from the stylised vignettes of 'Penny Lane' to the observational precision of 'Eleanor Rigby'. But 'Days We Left Behind' feels different. It is grounded in lived-in experience, misted with the fog of time, and more inhabited than almost anything he has written before.
The song's roots go back to 1991, when McCartney first referenced Dungeon Lane in a rare, unreleased demo called 'In Liverpool'. In that version, he sang: "Walking with the boys of Dungeon Lane / Aimlessly towards the cast iron shore." He later performed the track at The Liverpool Sound concert in 2008. The line evolved — becoming "See the boys of Dungeon Lane / Along the Mersey shore" — but the sentiment never left him.
Dungeon Lane is a nondescript street in Speke, a stone's throw from McCartney's childhood home at Forthlin Road — the same address referenced in the song's most striking lyric: "We met at Forthlin Road / And wrote a secret code / To never be spoken." That is, of course, a reference to John Lennon — and to the songwriting partnership that would change the world.
McCartney has spoken plainly about the song's origins: "This is very much a memory song for me. I was thinking just that, about the days I left behind, and I do often wonder if I'm just writing about the past, but then I think how can you write about anything else? It's just a lot of memories of Liverpool."
The album itself came about almost by accident. Five years ago, McCartney met producer Andrew Watt for a cup of tea. Amid the exchange of ideas, McCartney happened upon a chord he didn't recognise — a moment of discovery that seemed to take him back to his youth, when everything was new. From that point, a single remembered phrase from a dog-eared demo became an album about memory. A single remembered street became its title.
As one music writer put it: "No matter how grand the consequence, at the heart of his music is daft lads having a daft laugh." That is the beauty of 'Days We Left Behind' — and of McCartney at his best.
'Days We Left Behind' – Lyrics
Looking back at white and black
Reminders of my past
Smoky bars and cheap guitars
But nothing built to lastNothing ever stays
Nothing comes to mind
No one can erase
The days we left behindSee the boys of Dungeon Lane
Along the Mersey shore
Some of them will feel the pain
But some were meant for moreAnd nothing stays the same
No one needs to cry
Nothing can reclaim
The days we left behindWe met at Forthlin Road
And wrote a secret code
To never be spoken
I stand by what I said
The promise that I made
Will never be brokenNothing ever stays
Nothing comes to mind
And no one can erase
The days we left behindIn the skies the skylarks rise
Above the sounds of war
Since that day I knew they'd stay
With me for evermore'Cause nothing stays the same
And no one needs to cry
And no one is to blame
For the days we left behindThe days we left behind
— Paul McCartney, 'Days We Left Behind' (2026)
The Boys of Dungeon Lane – The Album
'Days We Left Behind' is the origin story of The Boys of Dungeon Lane, Paul McCartney's 18th solo studio album, released 29 May 2026 via MPL/Capitol Records. The album was produced by Andrew Watt and features 14 tracks, including the second single 'Home To Us' — a duet with Ringo Starr and the first ever standalone duet between the two surviving Beatles, released 8 May 2026.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is 'Days We Left Behind' by Paul McCartney?
'Days We Left Behind' is the lead single from Paul McCartney's 2026 album The Boys of Dungeon Lane, released on 26 March 2026. It is a memory song rooted in Liverpool and Speke, referencing Dungeon Lane and Forthlin Road — McCartney's childhood home and the place where he and John Lennon began writing songs together.
What is the meaning of 'Days We Left Behind'?
McCartney has described it as a memory song about Liverpool and his youth. The lyric "We met at Forthlin Road / And wrote a secret code" is a direct reference to John Lennon and the beginning of the Lennon–McCartney songwriting partnership. The song reflects on the formative experiences that shaped his life, while acknowledging that the past cannot be reclaimed.
Where is Dungeon Lane?
Dungeon Lane is a street in Speke, Liverpool, close to McCartney's childhood home at Forthlin Road. McCartney first referenced it in an unreleased 1991 demo called 'In Liverpool', and it later became the title concept for his 2026 album The Boys of Dungeon Lane.
When was 'Days We Left Behind' released?
'Days We Left Behind' was released on 26 March 2026 as the lead single from The Boys of Dungeon Lane. The album is released on 29 May 2026 via MPL/Capitol Records.
Who produced 'Days We Left Behind'?
The album was produced by Andrew Watt. The lyric video was animated by Trunk and produced by Ben Chappell for MPL.
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