Failure Games

The opening track on Flobots' 2017 album No Enemies, "Failure Games" delves into topics of depression and suicide, especially in the lives of people involved with social movements. Jonny 5 told Songfacts that the song was a tribute to a friend of fellow Flobots emcee Brer Rabbit. "He ended up taking his own life, and [Stephen's] verse is all about reflecting on that depression that can be so ever-present in people who commit their lives to social change, and his own feelings. Like, 'Was there something else I could have done, as a friend, as a brother in the struggle? As somebody else who wanted to see a better world, could I have done something more?'"

A piece called "Philia" segues into this track on the album. That piece features an actual voicemail from the mother of emcee Jonny 5. Jonny explained that his brother travels extensively, and isn't always able to stay in touch with his family consistently. In the voicemail, their mother expresses concern about Jonny's brother having been in the vicinity of a recent terrorist attack.