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“I was resistant to writing [‘Ring of Keys’] in the beginning because I was concerned that there wouldn’t be a way of writing lyrics to that song that wouldn’t trigger reflexive ridicule of that character. And I said to Jeanine, ‘we can’t write that song,’ and she said, ‘we have to write it,’ and I was like, ‘all right.’

[…] In terms of the words that I chose, I really – to the degree that I struggled, I struggled with – I knew I couldn’t say ‘combat boots.’ I knew I couldn’t say ‘steel-toed boots.’ I could picture what the boots were, and then I needed language that would fit that little girl’s – if I looked at it through her eyes, and I do, always, picture being in that body and looking out through her eyes – what is it that she’s actually going to see? What’s language that would actually come out of her mouth that’s not going to sound, that’s not going to trigger, an association, a caricature? People will see that woman with fresh eyes, and yet they know exactly what they’re seeing. So, they’re ‘lace-up boots.’” (x)