The song was recorded during the Magic recording sessions which took place between March and May 2007 at Southern Tracks Studios in Atlanta, GA. Patrick Warren contributes Chamberlin and/or tack piano on this track.
The lyrics "I looked in their faces / They were all rank strangers to me", and much of this song's theme, are borrowed from the old country/gospel song RANK STRANGERS (TO ME): "They knew not my name and I knew not their faces / I found they were all rank strangers to me".
"In that particular song a guy comes back to his town and recognizes nothing and is recognized by nothing," Springsteen told The New York Times' A. O. Scott. "The singer in 'Long Walk Home,' that's his experience. His world has changed. The things that he thought he knew, the people who he thought he knew, whose ideals he had something in common with, are like strangers. The world that he knew feels totally alien. I think that's what's happened in this country in the past six years."
"It's sort of the summational song of the album," manager Jon Landau told Rolling Stone. "I think it's one of Bruce's great masterpieces."
"That's one of my favorite songs that he's done in a long time," producer Brendan O'Brien told Rolling Stone. "It's mournful, but also hopeful. It has very introspective verses and then he opens up lyrically as the song progresses. It hits me in a real great spot."