Songfacts®:

• The title track of Rat Boy's debut album, this was penned by the singer in his living room. He told Clash magazine: "I was listening to Arctic Monkeys at the time and I wanted to make something more guitar-based. We played it live for quite a while just from a simple demo. I made that song three times to get it how I wanted it to sound because I don't really make guitar tracks. I wanted to get a hip-hop feel but also the live energy of the band."
• Rat Boy told HMV.com that he titled the album 'Scum' as it's "a word I've always liked." He added:
  
  "It's the name of my clothing line and I really like the way the word looks. My first ever song as Rat Boy I sampled that Ray Winstone film called Scum and I like keeping that idea going. I've never had another title."