englishAlternative Rock, Electronic, Pop

Stay Awake Lyrics

by Example

Lyricist: Example, Jamie Hartman

28 views • Published on Sep 26, 2026

Stay Awake Lyrics

If we don't kill ourselves we'll be the leaders of a messed-up generation If we don't kill ourselves will they believe us if we tell them the reasons why Do we take it too far, take it too far Did we chase the rabbit into wonderland There's a hundred grand, will they understand It was all to stay awake for the longest My sean always afterwards Lost tubes, half the class of us You might not see the last of us Stick around, jetlag, get lost a plus Not half mile, always on fly, keep the sun to let you know what we're coming And we're nasty men Don't need sleeping beauty It's what you did to me Come midnight and daybreak Yes please go find me a name sake We got firm faith, don't need bibles Take the michael, hit my recycle while I hold the title Quite riddle, we get high on the office It was all to stay awake for the longest time It was long, it was wrong But it felt so right See you at the finish line I see you at the finish line If you got the heart to join us If we don't kill ourselves we'll be the leaders of a messed-up generation If we don't kill ourselves will they believe us if we tell them the reasons why Do we take it too far, take it too far Did we chase the rabbit into wonderland There's a hundred grand, will they understand It was all to stay awake for the longest My sean always afterwards Lost tubes, half the class of us You might not see the last of us Stick around, jetlag, get lost a plus Not half mile, always on fly, keep the sun to let you know what we're coming And we're nasty men Don't need sleeping beauty It's what you did to me Come midnight and daybreak Yes please go find me a name sake We got firm faith, don't need bibles Take the michael, hit my recycle while I hold the title Quite riddle, we get high on the office We just grow, if it's late Then we'll show, read and wait We just grow, if you hate We don't show, we don't wait We just grow, if it's late Then we'll show, read and wait We just grow If we don't kill ourselves we'll be the leaders of a messed-up generation If we don't kill ourselves will they believe us if we tell them the reasons why Do we take it too far, take it too far Did we chase the rabbit into wonderland There's a hundred grand, will they understand It was all to stay awake for the longest

Meaning of Stay Awake

“Stay Awake” by Example is a disorienting and darkly humorous exploration of disillusionment, self-destruction, and the desperate search for meaning within a fractured generation. The core theme revolves around a group – seemingly adrift and fueled by excess – who’ve deliberately chosen to remain perpetually awake, not in a state of productive awareness, but rather as a defiant act against an unresponsive world. The repeated refrain, “If we don’t kill ourselves we’ll be the leaders of a messed-up generation,” immediately establishes this unsettling premise: they're actively courting chaos and believing it will ultimately elevate them to some kind of leadership role, despite its destructive nature. The lyrics paint a picture of reckless indulgence – “a hundred grand,” “high on the office,” "lost tubes” – intertwined with a profound sense of isolation and lost potential, symbolized by “my sean always afterwards.” The references to Wonderland, jetlag, and being “always on fly” evoke a feeling of being trapped in a distorted reality, chasing fleeting sensations rather than genuine connection. Example’s message isn't one of straightforward critique but a chillingly detached observation. He doesn’t condemn; he simply presents this group – and perhaps himself – as a symptom of a generation struggling to find purpose, resorting to self-harm and artificial stimulation as coping mechanisms. The repeated insistence on “staying awake” becomes an almost ritualistic act of resistance, a futile attempt to confront a world that seems determined to ignore them. Ultimately, the song’s ambiguity is its strength; it leaves the listener questioning whether this group are victims or architects of their own demise, and whether their desperate pursuit of awareness is truly a path towards enlightenment or simply a prolonged descent into darkness.

Tags:

exampleexistential dreadmelancholicindie rockstay awake

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