Beginning work on Neon Bible immediately following a North American tour in support of the band's first album, Funeral, songwriter Win Butler, born in the United States but having lived in Canada for several years, said that he felt he was observing his homeland from an outsider's point of view.
Počevši rad na Neon Bible odmah nakon sjevernoameričke turneje kojom je promoviran prvi album sastava, Funeral, tekstopisac Win Butler, rođen u Sjedinjenim Državama koji je nekoliko godina živio u Kanadi, rekao je kako je smatrao da promatra rodnu zemlju iz perspektive stranca.