The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word PRE-EXIST
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
P
R
E
-
E
X
I
S
T
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "live before now" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case live before now = pre-exist.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does PRE-EXIST mean?
PRE-EXIST verb- To exist before something else.