The written script for "One Last Ride" contained no trace of the lyrics. It did not mention singing.
Speaking in retrospective discussions with Entertainment Weekly, Ben Schwartz confirmed that showrunner Michael Schur and the writing staff had merely mapped out the logistics: Jean-Ralphio and Mona-Lisa watch the funeral from afar, realize they must leave without alerting the mourners, and exit frame. The page gave them a single simple prompt: They walk away stealthily.
Schwartz and Slate, both veterans of New York's competitive improv circuit and the Upright Citizens Brigade theatre, saw dead air and immediately began pitching alt-takes with their bodies. During the initial rehearsals on location, Schwartz started chanting the phrase "Don't be suspicious" under his breath while establishing a marching cadence. Slate picked up the rhythm on instinct. Within two takes, they had layered harmonic accents, arm pumps, and sudden halts.
Director Michael Schur kept the cameras rolling through multiple variations, allowing the pair to push the bit further into absurdity. What made the broadcast edit was the take where Slate hits an unexpectedly screechy upper register, sending Schwartz into a frantic, half-suppressed giggle that made the cut because it matched the characters' manic personalities perfectly.
