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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