On "Hurry", Vasoli discusses swollen glands, stage presence, and the drafting of a note to his ghost. "Something Left to Give" is an acoustic ballad, which Watts said is about people who expected the Starting Line to write "The Best of Me" again. "I Could Be Wrong" is about taking a chance with one's life and beliefs, regardless of others. The pop-influenced song "Somebody's Gonna Miss Us" was compared to the music of Nada Surf; the song is about people's yearning to hear more of the band's earlier sound and includes Vasoli singing the initials of their debut studio album "Say It Like You Mean It" (2002). "Need to Love" was the first track written for "Direction", which Vasoli said was filled with "visualizations from riding a New York City train to Philadelphia". On the album's closing track "What You Want", Vasoli laments about his songs.