Warning

This song uses an interesting metaphor, describing society as frogs in a Jacuzzi oblivious to the water starting to boil. This may be a reference to the writing of philosophical novelist Daniel Quinn, whose books have used a similar metaphor to express the idea that people pay no mind to social decline because it's gradual, while the same events occurring more quickly would outrage the masses. His book Ishmael inspired some of the ideology of the 1999 film Instinct, starring Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Donald Sutherland.

The song tells a small story about a person who has the world at the tips of her fingers, but through the art of distraction and compromise she wakes up one day to find that it has slipped by her. The information she gains from her mistake she shares in song with the rest of the world. Kind of a "don't do what I did" lament.

"Warning" was the third single from Incubus' fourth album, Morning View, following "Wish You Were Here" and "Nice To Know You." By this time, they had evolved past their days on the Warped Tour and Ozzfest and become an alternative rock band with a wide fanbase. They stood out with Brandon Boyd's thought-provoking lyrics and soundscapes filled with hooks, including turntable inserts from their DJ, Chris Kilmore. The group's breakthrough came on their previous album with the hit "Drive."