"The Trees" tells the story of a forest of oak and maple trees, the latter causing an upheaval because the oak trees grow too large and take all the sunlight. The maple trees form a union in an effort to have the oaks cut down to a smaller size. The song is a political commentary on the domination of Canada (Maples) by the United Kingdom (Oaks). Lee explains that the fact that the band was recording in the Welsh countryside set the overall tone for the song: "you're watching English television, walking in the Welsh countryside; there are sheep talking to you in the early morning when you're trying to sleep ... lyrics came first, and we wanted to construct a dynamic little tale as a soundtrack to those lyrics".