the song was written in the context of "after the disco", where most of the lyrics and music center around a common theme of the party and the morning after, usually in the form of a metaphor for a break-up in a relationship. the song's hook, which had been described by vocalist james mercer as having a sense of "shamefulness", were the first lyrics written for the song, serving as the inspirational basis for the rest of the song's lyrics. mercer spoke to "national public radio", stating: