Songfacts®:

• This energetic and upbeat song has a double meaning for Sugarcane Jane's vocalist and guitarist, Anthony Crawford. In our interview with Crawford, he explained the initial intention of the tune. "Playing 'the game' references golf," he said. "Buzz [Cason] and I used to play golf together and have fun. We're both terrible at it, but we would just get out there and knock the ball around."
• The lyrics in the second verse often mention golf:
  
  I'm going for the birdies
  I ain't settling for no pars
  Shootin' for the pin
  I seldom play it safe
  Some might hit the green
  and some might wind up in the lake
  You've gotta take your chances
  when you're playing the game
  
  According to Crawford, "the game" doesn't mean just the game of golf, though. "You can be talking about golf but you're also talking about just anything that you're doing," he said.
  
  He went on to reveal the other story occurring in the song about wanting to be on top in the music industry. "I think sometimes musicians want to stroke their own egos - they want to prove that they are the best," he said. "The song pokes fun at that a little bit. I feel creepy singing it sometimes because I'm not actually that person saying, 'Oh, look at me! I'm going to be successful. I'll show you!'"
  
  The third verse accurately portrays the musician's desire to achieve popularity and fame:
  
  You'll see my face a shinin'
  up there on that silver screen
  You'll say I am presumptuous
  but it never hurts to dream
  You'll see me on the cover
  of your favorite magazine
  You'll say I knew that sucker
  when he didn't have a thing
  I bet you're gonna say that boy
  is at the top of his game