Songfacts®:

• TUnE-yArDs is the music project of New England native Merrill Garbus. This clap-along tune was released as the first single from her third album Nikki Nack. Garbus worked on the project with bass player Nate Brenner at a studio in Oakland, California.
• The song was inspired by a water fountain along Oakland's Lake Merritt. Garbus often brainstorms songwriting ideas whilst walking by the lake. She told NME: "I find there's a natural pace when you're walking, which helps me practice lyrics and rhythms in a stream-of-consciousness way."
• The song has been interpreted by some as a commentary on the decline of the singer's community and others as being about worldwide water shortages. However Garbus told NME; "The songs aren't about anything. There's no way you can translate all those lyrics into one specific meaning. They're all over the place."
• Garbus launched the Water Fountain fund in December 2014 dedicated to water issues around the world. The songstress contributes $1 from every ticket sold on tour to the fund, as well as a portion of revenue from sales and licensing of Nikki Nack. "I was having a lot of anxiety about water in my own community, where there has been a huge drought," Garbus told Billboard magazine. "Water is going to be a big source of conflict in the world."