"Play The Game" lyrics

First new friend at seventeen
Yeah, he showed me what a friend could mean
And he gave me friends that I still keep
Messed girls up, and now we don't speak

Cousin gone at twenty-one
On a motorcycle ride gone wrong
And although I'll steal him for a song
I can't shape up and call his mom

I wish that I could make it clear
That the good exists despite the fear
And that life is just some tilted bet
On love and hope against regret

I'm singing at a wedding soon
And I'm hoping for a night in June
That I, I can make myself believe
Things just wrap up happily

I swear to god, I almost feel it
That something's gotta go my way
I'm worried that I'll never see it
That nothing's ever gonna change
I swear to god, I still believe it
Even though I'm still afraid
They tell me winning's on the table
But only if I play the game

The weight of things at twenty-three
We were choosing who we wanted to be
But we didn't think the world would test
Our sense of self with so much death

I met some guys and made my bet
And that, the inning isn't over yet
And though brothers were what we became
I know some brothers live estranged

I swear to god, I almost feel it
That something's gotta go my way
I'm worried that I'll never see it
That nothing's ever gonna change
I swear to god, I still believe it
Even though I'm still afraid
They tell me winning's on the table
But only if I play the game