"Palaces of Montezuma" is written in the key of E major with the main guitar riff constructed from four chords (E-G5-A5-B5).
The song's lyrics were written by Nick Cave and have been described as an "atypically straightforward love song" and "a list of over-the-top romantic promises; its protagonist, having initially offered up a 'custard-coloured super dream of Ali McGraw and Steve McQueen."[REF]