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A Wake Lyrics by Macklemore, Ryan Lewis

The Heist

2012

[Intro: Evan Roman]
I need love
You need love
Give me love
And I'll give you my love

[Verse 1: Macklemore]
They say thirty's the new twenty
And twenty's the new thirty, shit, I guess
Makes sense, 'cause fifteen-year-olds seem twenty
And twenty-five-year-olds seem ten
I used to drink away my paycheck
Celebrate the mistakes I hadn't made yet
Our generation isn't the best on safe sex
We forget the latex, becoming Planned Parenthood patients
Synthetic heroin is the new basehead
So much to escape, fuck a straight edge
Walk around looking through a fake lens
Apps this good, who's got time to make friends?
I wish I didn't care
If cynical hipsters with long hair and cocaine problems like my music
It's not my issue, I can't solve it, yeah

[Chorus: Evan Roman]
Said my flight has finally landed down
And the ground has stopped moving all around
Eyes open, awake for the very first time
We both forfeit this game of crime

[Verse 2: Macklemore]
They say, "It's so refreshing to hear somebody on records
No guns, no drugs, no sex, just truth"
The guns, that's America, the drugs are what they gave to us
And sex sells itself, don't judge 'til it's you
Uh, I'm not more or less conscious
Than rappers rapping 'bout strippers up on a pole, poppin'
These interviews are obnoxious
Saying that "It's poetry, you're so well spoken," stop it
I grew up during Reaganomics
When Ice T was out there on his killing cops shit
Or Rodney King was getting beat on
And they let off every single officer
And Los Angeles went and lost it
Now every month there's a new Rodney on YouTube
It's just something our generation is used to
In neighbourhoods where you never see a news crew
Unless they're gentrifying, white people don't even cruise through
And my subconscious telling me stop it
This is an issue that you shouldn't get involved in
Don't even tweet "R.I.P Trayvon Martin"
Don't wanna be that white dude million-man marching
Fighting for a freedom that my people stole
Don't wanna make all my white fans uncomfortable
"But you don't even have a fuckin' song for radio
Why you out here talking race, trying to save the fucking globe?"
Don't get involved if the cause isn't mine
White privilege, white guilt, at the same damn time
So we just party like it's 1999
Celebrate the ignorance while these kids keep dying

[Chorus: Evan Roman]
My flight has finally landed down
And the ground has stopped moving all around
Eyes open, awake for the very first time
We both forfeit this game of crime

[Outro: Evan Roman]
I need love
You need love
Give me love
And I'll give you my love
Credits
Macklemore

Macklemore

Ryan Lewis

Ryan Lewis

About “A Wake” by Macklemore

Read the complete lyrics to "A Wake" by Macklemore, Ryan Lewis from the album "The Heist" in 2012. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Rap.

"A Wake" is performed by Macklemore, Ryan Lewis. from the album "The Heist" in 2012 This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "A Wake", explore more songs by Macklemore, Ryan Lewis using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

View all songs and biography for Macklemore · Trending lyrics · Billboard Hot 100

Frequently asked questions

"A Wake" is credited to Macklemore, Ryan Lewis. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"A Wake" appears on "The Heist" in 2012.

Visit the Macklemore, Ryan Lewis artist page at /artist/macklemore for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.

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