according to an interview of hunter by steve silberman, as asked by silberman, "the song 'box of rain' began as a rough vocal outline from phil lesh. how does that process work?" hunter replied, "scat singing: dum-dum dum, da-da-da-da, bump-dum-dum-dum-dum, dee-dee-dee. i'm able to translate people's scat. i hear english in it, almost as though i write down what i hear underneath that. i hear the intention. it's a talent like the rubik's cube, or something like that, and it comes easily to me. which might be why i like language poetry. i can tell from the rhythms, or lack of rhythms, from the disjunctures and the end stoppages, what they're avoiding saying – the meaning that they would like to not be stating there, comes rushing through to me. i understand dogs. i can talk to babies."