Doves vocalist Jimi Goodwin told Q magazine about the writing of his first solo album, Odlukek. "I looked at sampling as co-writing," he said. "'Keep My Soul in Song' samples a track by (1960s US Avant-Pop band) Orpheus. I just used the left side. I thought, 'I'm having that.' The way I see it, I've collaborated with a few people... They just don't know it yet!"
Jimi Goodwin explained the song's lyrical content to Under The Radar magazine: "To me, the title and refrain felt like an old Irish proverb or maxim: 'Keep your soul in song, look after yourself, love yourself, love others, may ye have a song in your heart always.'"
