The opening lyrics, "If the business men drink my blood/Like the kids in art school said they would/Then I guess I'll begin again" manifested from singer/co-writer Win Butler's academic days. "For me, the feeling of "Ready to Start" came from going to art school and meeting a lot of people who had really defined political ideas and rules about art," he said. "But I just wanted to make something in the world and worry about the rest of it later and not get too caught up in rules." Butler's unconventional approach led to a Grammy nomination for the song.