[7] According to McCaughan, the song is "a fiction involving a gardener, illegitimate children, and some sort of gothic family murder mystery".
[7] "Dance Lessons", "Basement Life", and "Still Feed Myself" were recorded during the Foolish sessions at Pachyderm Studios.
[11][12] The opening chords of "Fader Rules" were taken from Here Comes My Girl, while the drum pattern was "completely lifted" from the Afghan Whigs song Miles Iz Ded.
[14] "Freaks in Charge" was written shortly before the 2004 United States presidential election, and is about "raising kids in a world run by monsters".
[15] The cover of "Blending In" by Government Issue was recorded during the On the Mouth sessions and features Wilbur on lead vocals.