The lyrics on "Riot Act" were more direct than on preceding records, in response to the political climate after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Bassist Jeff Ament commented that he felt that love was a major theme of the album, and Vedder tried to convey themes such as love, loss and struggle to make a difference because of the difficulty in leading with events such as the September 11 attacks and the accidental death of nine fans during Pearl Jam's performance at the 2000 Roskilde Festival – "You start feeling like, 'What do I have to say? What is my opinion?' Then I realized I did have an opinion. Not only did I have one, but I felt like it was formed by processing a lot of information and having good influences. Ament also told that "I think the time's right to turn our voice up a bit [. . .] And Ed did it in a great way, with humour and a mystical, magical approach. It isn't just, 'We're pissed off, and fuck you! Riot! Anarchy!' Cos I don't think that's the method. At least at this point." Vedder, however, said, "I have to admit this record came out a bit one-sided. But I think we, as a country, need to understand why we're involved in the Middle East. This hollow patriotism frightens me." The singer added that the "Riot Act" lyrics "represent[ed] my state of mind these days. I'm optimistic yet disillusioned, hopeful yet frustrated." Several songs on the album were inspired by Roskilde tragedy, with the album's first single, "I Am Mine", written by Vedder in 2000 in a hotel room before the band's first show after Roskilde, and "Love Boat Captain" including a brief lyrical reference ("Lost nine friends we'll never know... two years ago today"). Regarding the time period when the lyrics were being written, Vedder said, "There's been a lot of mortality...It's a weird time to be writing. Roskilde changed the shape of us as people, and our filter for seeing the world changed."