Kick Your Game
Intro: Jermaine Dupri & TLC
I've been watchingCome on, let me kick a little game to youBaby, baby, let me kick a little game to youCome on, let me kick a little game to youBaby, baby, let me kick a little game to youI've been watching you watching meAnd I know you want itCome on, let me kick a little game to youVerse 1: T-Boz
Lean against the wall, checkin' out the sceneryAll I see is everybody tryna get with meSo I continue to play it CrazysexycoolLost all composure when I laid my eyes on youPre-Chorus: Chilli
We just wanna know if you can kick some gameCome with somethin' more clever than just your nameSee it's like this, I wanna take you homeBut you gotta show me that your game is onChorus: TLC, Chilli
I've been watchin' you, watchin' meAnd I know you want itBut it depends on how you kick your gameI've been watchin' you, watchin' meAnd I know you want itBut it depends on how you kick your gameVerse 2: T-Boz
Club's about to close…but you've only said a few words to meI've been waiting for a dose of your personalitySee I'm in the mood and if all goes rightBaby, you will be, you will be going home with me tonightVerse 3: Left Eye, as Andre
Miss Left Eye (Yo)All I wanna do is kiss your handLet you know I'm not just another fan, I am the manAnd I don't give a damn about who you knowI got a 48-track studio (Really?)Back at the cribSo drop by, you know where I liveI see you all the time but on another noteWould you like to dance?Nah, I'm about to go and, um, hang my coatChorus: TLC, Chilli
I've been watchin' you, watchin' meAnd I know you want itBut it depends on how you kick your gameI've been watchin' you, watchin' meAnd I know you want itBut it depends on how you kick your gameVerse 4: Left Eye, as Andre
Lisa Lopes (Huh?), it's been a monthI called you twiceYou called me onceBaby, come with me, and be mineSo we could make love on the 50-yard lineYou for me, me for youThere's nothin' in this world you know we couldn't doYeah, but, uh, who, who was that girl all on your back?Nicole…I'm just a nigga that followed you to the coat rackPre-Chorus: Chilli
We just wanna know if you can kick some gameCome with somethin' more clever than just your nameIt's like this, I wanna take you homeBut you gotta show me, gotta show me that your game is onChorus: TLC, Chilli
I've been watchin' you, watchin' meAnd I know you want itBut it depends on how you kick your gameI've been watchin' you, watchin' meAnd I know you want itBut it depends on how you kick your gameOutro: Jermaine Dupri, Chilli
Come on, let me kick a little game to youBaby, baby, let me kick a little game to youCome on, let me kick a little game to youBaby, baby, let me kick a little game to youWhat's good? Who you kissin on baby?Who cares, you ain't tryin' to take nobody else home but meSo what difference does it make?Know I'm sayin' you knowI don't have none a these hookers in my videoWell I mean ah hey, okay. I-I-I-I respect that but uhSo like, ya know I'm sayin'Why don't you write yo number down if you won't leave with me?And then uh, we could hookup if ya know, ya know what I'm sayinWhat the song means
"Kick Your Game" is a flirtatious song about a club encounter where each singer tries to win over a potential partner. The lyrics repeat the idea of watching and being watched, so the attraction is mutual, but the singers make clear that the other person has to earn their interest with a good line or a bit of charm. The mood is confident and teasing rather than serious, and the chorus's central claim is that the outcome depends on how well someone plays the game.
The story moves from a simple glance across the room to a series of bolder attempts. T-Boz opens by looking around and admiring the scene, then lets her attraction show as the night goes on. Chilli's sections push the other person to offer something clever, not just a name. Left Eye's verse shifts into a comic, boastful persona, bragging about his studio and his status, and then his lines fall apart into awkward pauses, which makes the flirting feel lighthearted. The outro turns into a loose, improvised exchange in which the singers joke about who the other person is kissing and ask for a phone number.
Key images such as the wall, the scenery, and the "game" itself show that the song treats romance as a performance. The humor comes from the gap between the singers' swagger and their nervous, clumsy moments, which makes the song feel like a fun, self-aware take on nightlife dating.
Key phrases explained
- kick some game
- use smooth talk to flirt — Slang for trying to charm someone with clever words and confidence, which is the song's central idea.
- Crazysexycool
- a cool, self-assured attitude — A playful nod to TLC's name and their 1994 album title, describing an unbothered pose.
- checkin' out the scenery
- looking around and admiring people — Casual slang for scanning a room for attractive people, as the song opens.
- the 50-yard line
- the midpoint of a football field — An exaggerated, joking image of a romantic or sexual fantasy in a very public setting.
- on another note
- changing the subject — A conversational phrase Left Eye uses to shift awkwardly from bragging to asking someone to dance.
Song info
- Release date
- 1994-11-15
- Album
- CrazySexyCool
- Written by
- Jermaine Dupri, Left Eye, Manuel Seal
- Produced by
- Jermaine Dupri
- Interpolates
- Loose Ends – Watching You, Chuckie Da GoodGuy – MALE CREEPER
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