Little Game
Benny Lyrics


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Play us like Pawns and relentlessly confine
Into living up to gender roles and having absent minds
Don't you think it's funny how the tell us how to live?
Don't you think it's funny how we're all delinquent kids?
Hush. Don't say, Don't say

Hush boy, oh Hush boy
Don't say a word
Throw on your Jersey and no-one gets hurt


Hush Girl, oh Hush Girl
Just bat your eyes

Play our Little Game
Play our Little Game

Bounded all thoughts and corrected common sense
Your raising suicidals with your predetermined titles
Like "A mess, Distress. I am Unimpressed"
"You're excess, a dress is all you'll ever be"

Gender Roles impose control and deceive progressive time
Welcome to the land of the broken mind

Hush Boy, oh Hush Boy
Don't say a word
Throw on your Jersey and no-one gets hurt

Hush girl, oh Hush Girl
Just bat your eyes
Play our Little Game
Play our Little game

Hush Boy, oh Hush Boy
Don't say a word
Throw on your Jersey and no-one gets hurt

Hush Girl, oh Hush Girl
Just bat your eyes
Play our Little Game
Play our Little Game

We feign opulence just to get by
Put on false confidence just to feel alive
They can't hurt me anymore
There's nothing to break of me
Nothing left to take from me

Cause Baby it's easy to fake a smile
When you've been doing it for a while
Baby it's easy to fake a smile
When you've been doing it for a while

Hush Boy, oh Hush Boy
Don't say a word
Throw on your Jersey and no-one gets hurt

Hush Girl, oh Hush Girl
Just bat your eyes
Play our Little Game
Play our Little Game

Hush Boy, oh Hush Boy
Don't say a word
Throw on your Jersey and no-one gets hurt

Hush Girl, oh hush Girl
Just bat your eyes
Play our Little Game
Play our Little Game

Play our Little Game
Play our Little Game




Play our Little Game
Won't you play with me?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Benny's "Little Game" talk about the societal pressure to conform to gender norms and stereotypes. The song starts with the lines "Play us like Pawns and relentlessly confine Into living up to gender roles and having absent minds," where the artist points out how individuals are controlled by societal expectations to adhere to gender-specific behaviours while being denied the freedom to explore who they truly are. Benny describes the irony in the way society tells us how to live our lives while hinting that we're all clueless delinquent kids. The stanza "Don't say, Don't say" is used as a refrain, underscoring the idea that the society constantly hushes us down and suppresses our expression.


Throughout the song, the artist implores individuals (both boys and girls) to play their little game, which is the game set by society where gender roles and stereotypes define who we are, and how we should feel, act, and dress. The chorus is repeated after every stanza, with Benny asking the listener to play their little game. The artist points out how society corrects our thought processes, distorts our common sense and predetermined titles as tags like "A mess, Distress. I am Unimpressed", making us feel like we are not good enough. The song suggests that these manipulative practices promote conformity, and deception wrecks progressive growth.


The song "Little Game" is a satirical comment on gender norms and stereotypes, the pressure of conformity, and control. Benny questions societal expectations and urges individuals to embrace who they truly are instead of being controlled. The song highlights the significance of resisting the restriction of one's individuality in a world that demonizes uniqueness.


Line by Line Meaning

Play us like Pawns and relentlessly confine
We are being manipulated and controlled like chess pieces and forced into restrictive roles.


Into living up to gender roles and having absent minds
We are expected to conform to traditional gender expectations and not think for ourselves.


Don't you think it's funny how they tell us how to live?
It's ironic how society imposes expectations on us despite claiming to value individualism and freedom.


Don't you think it's funny how we're all delinquent kids?
We are considered rebellious for simply questioning the status quo and trying to live authentically.


Hush boy, oh hush boy, don't say a word
We are told to keep quiet and not speak out against the system.


Throw on your jersey and no one gets hurt
Conform to societal expectations and you will be safe from judgment and punishment.


Hush girl, oh hush girl, just bat your eyes
Women are told to be passive and use their sexuality to get ahead rather than speaking up.


Play our little game
We are expected to go along with the system and play our designated roles.


Bounded all thoughts and corrected common sense
Our ideas and beliefs are constrained and controlled to fit societal norms.


Your raising suicidals with your predetermined titles
The pressure to conform to societal expectations can lead to depression and self-destructive behavior.


Like 'A mess, distress. I am unimpressed'/'You're excess, a dress is all you'll ever be'
Society uses derogatory labels to shame and control those who don't conform to gender norms.


Gender roles impose control and deceive progressive time
Traditional gender roles hold us back from progressing and limit our potential as individuals and society.


Welcome to the land of the broken mind
Societal pressure causes mental distress and can lead to a sense of hopelessness.


We feign opulence just to get by/Put on false confidence just to feel alive
We pretend to be someone we're not in order to fit in and survive in a society that doesn't accept us for who we are.


They can't hurt me anymore/There's nothing to break of me/Nothing left to take from me
After being pressured and controlled by society, there comes a point where there is no longer anything left to be taken or harmed.


Cause baby it's easy to fake a smile/When you've been doing it for a while
We become so used to pretending and hiding our true selves that it becomes second nature and we forget who we really are.


Play our little game
Society expects us to keep playing along with their expectations and not disrupt the status quo.


Won't you play with me?
The singer is challenging the listener to question the system and join them in trying to live authentically.




Contributed by Katherine B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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