The speaker in this song disparages herself and her peers for their general inaction ("Standing here on this frozen lake"). Her guilt over this is so great she's afraid of going to the doctor because she fears an MRI will reveal all the things she should have done. The general theme of the song is the cyclical nature of depression, sloth, and guilt.
Lewis isn't the same person who co-wrote the perennially angsty "The Good That Won't Come Out." You say I choose sadness That it never once has chosen me Maybe you're right "Those were my emo days! You could only write that in your 20s," she shuddered to The Independent in a 2023 interview. "But yes, I do think choosing sadness is a thing." "Well, sometimes you can't help it," Lewis added. "I wake up at three in the morning and I'm like, 'Oh God, what have I done with my life?' Sadness is the default, and you have to work your way out a bit. Exercise helps."
"The Good That Won't Come Out" is the opening track of The Execution of All Things, the second full-length album released by Rilo Kiley. Bright Eyes guitarist Mike Mogis produced the record, which Rilo Kiley recorded at Mogis' Presto! Recording Studios in Lincoln, Nebraska.
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