Songfacts®:

• There's some double meaning in this song, which finds Caroline Jones holding her own with the boys, something she had to do to be taken seriously in the world of country music. These are tough guys, but it's also tough, guys, if they feel threatened by Jones.
• Jones writes and co-produces her own songs; "Tough Guys" is one she really identifies with. "It's a statement of stubborn individualism, and I would say that speaks to me a lot as I've built my life and my career in unconventional ways that allow me to have creative freedom and march to the beat of my own drummer," she told Songfacts. "That's something I really stand for and that's a message in a lot of my music even when it's not a lyrical message in my music. It's kind of a buried or blended message in my production or in my instrumentation in ways where I'll blend things that are unconventional."
• This was part of Caroline Jones' debut album, Bare Feet, which she produced with Ric Wake and recorded in Palm Beach, Florida. Wake produced most of Taylor Dayne's hits and has worked with Whitney Houston, Dixie Chicks and Celine Dion.
• "Tough Guys" is a great live stomper that has served Jones well as an opening act for Jimmy Buffett, Zac Brown Band and Kenny Chesney. Buffett and Chesney can be heard backing Jones on her track "Gulf Coast Girl."