many of the lyrics to this song are reminiscent of the song "ripple", which opens the second side of the album. images of water abound in both, as well as references to "broken" or "hand-me-down" thoughts. according to hunter: "by 'box of rain,' i meant the world we live on, but 'ball' of rain didn't have the right ring to my ear, so box it became, and 'i don't know who put it there.'"