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.