Songfacts®:

• Kingston explained to Blues and Soul magazine that on this song he's saying, "it's taken me so long to get here - to be living my dream doing music - that I can't just let it slip away. You know, I refuse to let my career go down the drain."
• Kingston told Artistdirect.com the story behind this song: "Basically, you and your girl have built up an amazing relationship. Anybody who's been in a long-term relationship, over two or three years, can relate to this. After all that time, all of a sudden a little something happens, and she wants to leave—even though it took so long to build it up. Most of my songs go in two directions. That song tells this story. You and your girl have been together for a long time and suddenly she says, "I don't want to be with you anymore" over something little. She's ready to leave, but you're saying to her, "It took so long. We've been grinding it out, arguing and getting our kinks out, and now you're ready to leave?" It took so long to get here, why do you want to go? Then, on the other hand, it could be a metaphor for me. I'm on my second album. I'm glad I made it here, and I refuse to let everything go. People said I wouldn't be able to come back that I was just going to be a one-hit-wonder for "Beautiful Girls." Then "Fire Burning" dropped, and it was a huge hit. It took so long for me to get my dream that I'm not going to let it go. The song can go in both directions."