This collection was first inspired by 'Heartattack and Vine' by singer-songwriter Tom Waits. The mood of the song is gritty and apathetic and inspired images of wandering people, and ideas of vagabonds and ramblers.

Tom Waits himself, described by the New York Times as "the poet of outcasts" served as inspiration for the overall mood of the collection, in his raw vocal style to his bluesy, experimental ballads of nighthawks and lost souls.