 The music for "River of Deceit" came out of rehearsals that the group had before vocalist Layne Staley joined the band.Much of "River of Deceit", lyrically, was inspired by "The Prophet" by Khalil Gibran, which Staley read during the making of the album.Drummer Barrett Martin said, "Layne Staley felt as though he was on a spiritual mission through his music.