Wake up young man
It's time to wake up
Your love affair has got to go
For ten long years
For ten long years
The leaves to rake up
Slow suicide's no way to go
Oh

Blue clouded gray
You're not a crack up
Dizzy and weakened by the haze
Movin' onward
So an infection not a phase
Yeah oh

The cracks and lines
From where you gave up
They make an easy man to read
Oh oh, oh oh
For all the times
You let them bleed you
For a little peace from God you plead
And beg
For a little peace from God you plead

Oh oh oh oh
Yeah oh
Oh oh oh oh
Yeah oh
Oh oh oh oh
Yeah oh

Wake up young man
Wake up, wake up, wake up
Wake up, wake up, wake up
Oh yeah

Wake up young man
It's time to wake up
Your love affair has got to go, yeah
For ten long years
For ten long years
The leaves the rake up
Slow suicide's no way to go oh, oh oh
Slow suicide's no way to go

Wake up, wake up, wake up
Wake up, wake up, wake up


Lyrics submitted by black_cow_of_death

Wake Up Lyrics as written by Layne Staley Mike Mccready

Lyrics © Songtrust Ave

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Wake Up song meanings
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  • +7
    General Comment

    Anyone who listens to Alice in Chains knows what I mean when I say you can just feel how much Layne is in to his music by how he sounds and he shows that in this song especially. To bad he died, the music he has been associated with has always been some of my favorite and he will be missed.

    IceColdon May 29, 2002   Link
  • +5
    General Comment

    This song help kick my drug habit. Thanks Layne.

    irish_deftone6on November 05, 2004   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    In this song, Layne admits that he has a heroin problem and he desparately wants to get sober "wake up young man, it's tme to wake up. Your love affair has got to go" He says that he needs to get his life in order after all the years of wasted time. This addiction has completely consumed him and he's crying for help. He knows his life could be much better without heroin and all of the pain it had caused him.

    SwornToTheBlackon August 19, 2002   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    This song is so beautiful and yet so hard to listen to. Layne is speaking to himself admitting he has a problem and he needs to do something about it. To think about the lyrics of this song is so damn sad.

    TheNooseon January 14, 2005   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    "The cracks and lines from where you gave up, they make an easy man to read" probably refers to the scars left on his body by heroin use. Every time he tried to stop using people would judge him by those. I guess this made it even harder for him because everyone only saw him as a hapless junkie and it's hard to change on your own when people see you as only that.

    No_Snowon August 23, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    These guys are so real! They kick ass!

    frbrd21420on April 23, 2002   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    This song most definitely describes Layne's battle with heroin, but is shown in a different light. Although it has a darkness to it, there is a bit of hope in his words. "it's time to wake up, your

    xoxlonglivelaynexoxon July 05, 2002   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    he's begging for release from all that holds him down

    eddievanhillbillyon May 05, 2003   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    This song is so powerful... just think, they even had it played on his funeral. Layne just wanted everyone to learn from his experiences, and "wake up" from the illusion that you can escape an addiction. Everybody who is stupid enough to do drugs should listen to this song, and be ashamed of themselves if they still call themselves good Alice in Chains or Mad Season fans. WAKE UP!

    Angry Saron June 04, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    If you really think about how powerful this song is, because it explains his life and laynes demise, IT made me cry one time its just so awesome. This song is very powerful

    Darkdrummer1on February 08, 2005   Link

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