Rickets

Album: Around The Fur (1997)
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Songfacts®:

  • In "Rickets," Deftones frontman Chino Moreno just wants to be left alone to get stoned, eat, and sleep. He's tired of unsolicited advice from friends and family, even if it's well-intentioned. All the same, he knows they're not exactly wrong:

    You're probably right
    This time, but I don't want to listen
    You're probably right
    This time, but I don't even care


    We've all been there. Sometimes we just want to be left to our own devices, even if those devices aren't the wisest.
  • I'm gone too much, I skate too much

    Moreno was part of a thriving 1980s Sacramento skateboarding scene. He wanted to go pro before deciding on the rock-star route. Or, perhaps it's better stated "before the rock-star route decided upon him." Moreno was never a guy overly driven by hunger for fame and fortune. He wanted to make honest music, and the honest music took him to the top.
  • I snore too much, I'm blowin' too much

    Moreno is referring to "blowing" pot (aka smoking).
  • I sleep too much, I snap too often

    Deftones have been close friends since the beginning of their journey, but that friendship has always included explosive arguments. Moreno has stated that he thinks the conflict is healthy, helping to create good music but also to allow them to relate to each other honestly and let all their emotions out. During recording sessions they frequently get into shouting matches, but once the smoke clears, all is forgotten and everyone moves on. It's part of the band's interpersonal dynamic.
  • Deftones recorded "Rickets" in Studio Litho in Seattle, owned by Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard. Pearl Jam shifted recording of their fifth album, Yield, from Litho to Studio X (also in Seattle) after Deftones rented the space for Around the Fur. Musicians and friends were constantly coming in and out of the studio, creating a party atmosphere, and the hubbub frequently annoyed Moreno. That frustrated energy fed into this song.
  • The title doesn't show up in the lyric. Rickets is a softening and weakening of bones in children. The painful condition can lead to stunted growth, bowed legs, and muscle weakness. It generally results from prolonged vitamin D deficiency. Sunlight is crucial to the body's production of vitamin D, so it's somewhat ironic that Deftones recorded the song in notoriously gray and rainy Seattle.
  • Moreno has no known history with rickets, and the choice of title is a mysterious one. In 2017, he did break the top of his foot, though. The injury forced them to cancel a show.
  • Deftones rarely perform "Rickets" live, despite it being a popular song among fans.

Comments: 3

  • Tai from Emo LandDeftones is literally my religion, I’m so obsessed with every single song. And I relate to this song so bad. It’s like I have a bound to this song ngl
  • Luna Loud from Royal Woods, MichiganIt's another song about his (ex) wife.
  • Zero from Nowhere, NjDon't know why it's called "Rickets" but obviously it's directed towards someone who likes to point out flaws in the other person and the part that says, "and if it was mine to say, I wouldn't say it," means that even if he knew he was right in the argument, he wouldn't open his mouth because it would only lead to more fighting.
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