The previous song unreleased with a chart position by the band was a cover of Leonard Cohen's "First We Take Manhattan", which was released as a B-side to "Drive".

The song's lyrical content is explicitly political, referring to the conditions of the United States during the Presidencies of Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush.

The opening line is, 'These bastards stole all the power from the victims of the us v. them years / wrecking all things virtuous and true'.

And the last verse is really great – 'I know that this is vitriol, no solution, spleen-venting / But I feel better having screamed.

[citation needed] The song made its live debut almost 16 years after its album release at the opening show for the band's final tour Accelerate in Vancouver, British Columbia, on May 23, 2008.