Unfortunately, the song does not close with a happy ending, as it seems that the mole has finally given up and fallen into the temptation of taking the shortcut. The phrase "We can hold you" is a callback to the previous line "He can hold you and shake you, child", thus suggesting that the sloth, or laziness, has taken control of the mole. The repetition of the phrase "We can hold you" is very unsettling, and suggests that the mole feels very trapped. Perhaps, being lazy and taking shortcuts has now become a norm for the mole, and even though he knows it's wrong, he can't seem to get out of the habit anymore. The addition of the word "we" further emphasises how suffocated the mole is feeling, since whatever he does, there always seems to be something or someone stopping him from being hardworking, causing him to fall back into laziness.

The alliteration of "gushing gold" is the sloth's final persuasion to get the mole to cheat, as he promises the mole that when he wins his body will be full of gold, suggesting that the mole will feel extremely accomplished and proud of himself. The high word intensity of "gushing" further emphasises this by suggesting that the traces of happiness caused by victory will surge through his veins and be a prominent emotion.

The sloth tells the mole to "tickle that cheek". The word "tickle" can be defined as "to touch someone lightly with your fingers, making them slightly uncomfortable and often make them laugh" (quoted from Cambridge Dictionary). Therefore, the sloth is convincing the mole that while being lazy and taking the shortcut to winning may seem uncomfortable at first, it will eventually make him much less stressed and happier, thus causing him to laugh out with joy. This is further emphasised by the phrase "take your throne", where the sloth is desperately trying to convince the mole that if he cheats, the victory will practically be handed to him.

It appears the question "Wanna play cheat now?" wasn't really a question but more like a statement, as a domino is suddenly handed to the mole by the sloth. Presumably, the sloth has given the mole one of his pieces and is indirectly forcing the mole to cheat and take his piece by putting it right at his nose. Putting a piece at someone's face can also be seen as a rude gesture, further suggesting that the sloth is starting to get very impatient.

The mole's inner thoughts are now interrupted by the sloth again. This time, it seems the sloth is more impatient with the mole, outright asking him to just "play cheat" and take the shortcut.

The phrase "black mambo" seems to be a nickname that the mole has given the game. "Mambo" is a type of Latin dance that looks very fast and rhythmic. The dance is far from just sloppy and random movement in a fast manner. It requires very precise motions, otherwise it is very easy to fall. This is similar to the game of dominoes which cannot be played randomly but requires precise and strategic gameplay to master. Additionally, the word "black" seems to suggest that the mole finds the game to be dark and dangerous, possibly because of all the fear the sloth has instilled in him.

The imagery of "twitch their toes" further highlights the damage that excessive laziness has done to the leopards. A common reason why the toes of humans twitch is because of fatigue from a lot of exercise. This is ironic since the leopards have only been lazing around, suggesting that the lack of activity is starting to harm their body in strange ways.

"Paperback" is a type of book cover that uses a single thick layer of paper to protect the book. In contrast, hardback cover books use cardboard covered with plastic or leather to protect the book. This in turn is a lot more sturdy than paperback covers which are flimsy and very easy to bend. Therefore, the phrase "paperback dreams" connotes that the leopards are in a very unfocused state and in a reverie. They are more like floating through life and no longer strong and tough like a hardback cover, because of how much laziness has overwhelmed them.

This idea of laziness wasting potential is further explored through this line. The imagery/diction of "red" capes suggests something very grand and royal, as seen how many kings usually wear red capes. Additionally, red is often associated with strength and power. However, the juxtaposition of "slender" contrasts the grand image of the cape, instead making it seem small and flimsy, like something unremarkable. Therefore, this line suggests how laziness can make us seem incapable (no pun intended) and give others a bad impression of ourselves.

Leopards are big cats that are extremely powerful and fast. When one thinks of a leopard, images of a fierce and ruthless mammal relentlessly chasing down their prey may come into mind. However, the juxtaposition of "laze each on plush pillows" contrasts this fierce image of the leopards, making them look like cute babies taking a nap. This suggests that even the brightest and most capable humans can have their potential put to waste if they become lazy. Linking it back to the mole, he fears that if he falls into this trap, he may end up in a similar fate.

In the final line of the chorus, the mole reminds himself of the power the sloth holds if he lets his guard down. The high word intensity of the phrases "hold you" and "shake you" suggest that the sloth can overpower and control the mole if the mole makes a bad move. This is a metaphor of how giving into temptation and being lazy can overwhelm us and negatively control our lives, by causing us to be unproductive. Additionally, the diction of "child" connotes the mole's vulnerability, in which he feels weak and small as compared to the sloth. This may foreshadow that the sloth can still influence the mole.

In the next line, the mole uses the metaphor "snake-eyed" to compare the appearance of the sloth to a snake. The metaphor further suggests the sloth's sinister intentions; he will first hide them from the mole, luring the mole to be sloppy, and then strike when the mole is most vulnerable, just like a snake hunting for its prey. The alliteration of "sly smile" also emphasises the sloth's deceptive tricks and cunning personality, using his friendliness to manipulate the mole. It reminds me of the idiom "not everything that glitters turns out to be gold".

After calming himself down and taking a moment to think, the mole comes to his senses and sees past the sloths taunting. The word "waiting" confirms this by telling us that the sloths temptation and persuasion were part of his plan to eventually make the mole lose, seen the phrase "bring you down".

The chorus of the song now cuts to the mole's inner thoughts. Despite the sloth's repeated attempts to pressure the mole into making a sloppy move, the mole recollects himself and tells himself to "slow down", exactly the opposite of what the sloth wants. He reminds himself that "it's a science", suggesting that the game has a logic and reasoning behind, therefore proving the previous point of the game requiring strategic thinking.

In the third line, the sloth uses a rhetorical statement to further taunt and pressure the mole. Pharaohs were supreme rulers of ancient Egypt with a lot of power. Contrary to this, the phrase "take a back seat" is used to describe someone who occupies a secondary status; they deny responsibility and allow others to control them. Therefore, it can be interpreted that the sloth is telling the mole "quickly make a move now and you will control the game, or continue thinking and I will control the game". This is done to further manipulate the mole and convince him to make a quick and sloppy move, which the sloth can later capitalise on.

The second line is a continuation of the first. The visual imagery of "curls of smoke" sets the scene as dark and ominous while adding a sense of mystery behind the sloth's personality. It was previously established that the sloth is slightly impatient with the mole. When people are impatient, they tend to raise their voice out of anger and frustration. However, the auditory imagery of "whispers" counteracts this by suggesting that the sloth has remained composed, deliberately delivering an impatient prompt in a soft and hush manner to unsettle the mole. This psychological manipulation can instill fear in the mole, pressuring him to make a move sooner than intended and make a mistake. The sloth's sinister intentions are further highlighted by the phrase "curls of smoke". His cruel intentions are clouded away from the mole and hidden through layers of smoke that the mole cannot see through.

The song starts off by introducing the two main characters of the song; the "Mole" as the protagonist and the "Sloth" as the antagonist. While these may seem like random animals, they are actually deliberately chosen, and hold a hidden meaning which is crucial to understanding this song. Sloths are known to be animals that move extremely slow and laze around all day. In fact, the word 'sloth' is an actual term that can be defined as "unwillingness to work or make any effort" (quoted from Cambridge Dictionary). On the other hand, Moles are known to be one of the most hardworking animals. Despite having extremely poor vision and bad hearing, moles dig a lot underground every single day, ensuring they have adequate food for survival. As quoted from TomCat, "Moles can dig through loosened soil extremely quickly, clearing as much as 18 feet in an hour and adding up to 150 feet of new tunnels under your lawn each and every day. They don't take vacations or time off, either." Through this analysis, it is easy to see the contrasting characteristics of the two animals. The "sloth and the "mole" are extended metaphors for laziness and hard work, which the lyrics explore throughout the rest of the song.

Once again, however, the mole reminds himself to slow down and think about the game in a logical manner.

As the mole gets a better understanding of the consequences of falling into temptation and being lazy, he reminds himself again to calm down and play the game with excellence.

In the second verse of the song, the mole creates a possible scenario in his mind of what might happen if he falls into the sloth's trap and becomes sloppy and lazy.

The fourth line has a twofold meaning, the first being a hint at the game being played by the two characters: dominoes. This is derived from the word "bones", because the earliest form of dominoes came not in plastic tiles, but bones. While at first glance dominoes seems like a game of luck, it actually requires skill and a lot of strategic thinking. In dominoes, players who are able to develop concrete plans and think ahead of their opponents will always win over less skilled opponents who place down tiles at random. Therefore, it becomes clear why the sloth keeps pressuring the mole into making sloppy moves. The second meaning of "dance with me and shake your bones" is that the sloth is trying to persuade the mole to stop thinking so deep. The use of the words "dance" and "shake" suggests that he wants to mole to relax and loosen up instead of being so focused and concentrated. This can be linked back to the extended metaphors that the sloth and the mole represent: laziness and hard work.

The first line of song starts out with the sloth prompting the mole to make a move. The tone of the sloth sounds slightly impatient, indirectly pressuring the mole into making a move. While the context of the game is not given yet, it can already be inferred that the sloth is in power over the mole.