Stay High by Juice WRLD Lyrics Meaning – An In-Depth Examination of Struggle and Elevation
Lyrics
It already feel like it’s nine in the mornin’
Hate it when they play both sides
Too low in my life
Gotta stay high, gotta stay high
Too low in my life, yeah, I gotta stay
Hate it when they play both sides
Too low in my life
So I gotta stay high, yeah, I gotta stay high
Too low in my, too low in my
Count the racks up (huh), I got my stacks up (you dig?)
Bad lil’ bitch, tell her back up (you dig?)
In the cut with the MAC tucked
Run up on me, get hit up
Ambulance, need to pick him up, uh
Six shots to the head like, whoa
Run through the six, no woes
Throw money, throw hands, throw bowls
Up, down, left, right, A, B, cheat codes
Pull up, my gun sing like “Glee” show
Rick Owen on my coat, no superhero
VVS, my wrist like Sub Zero
Play a bitch like guitar, no hero
Run the money up, stack it like Legos
Bad bitch wanna fuck, I say leggo, uh
R.I.P. To my niggas gone
Sometimes I wish I could hit your phone
I don’t really wanna walk through life alone
Ain’t too many real niggas here no more
I lost my woadie, my heart cold
Now, I gotta walk through life alone
Now, I gotta walk through life alone
Now, I gotta live this life alone
Hate it when they play both sides
Too low in my life
Gotta stay high, gotta stay high
Too low in my life, yeah, I gotta stay
Hate it when they play both sides
Too low in my life
So I gotta stay high, yeah, I gotta stay high
Too low in my, too low in my (ayy, uh)
Wockhardt in my body, I can’t help myself, uh
I get so damn high that I can’t feel myself
My girlfriend worried about me, think I’m gon’ kill myself
Sorry, baby, I’m just really tryna feel myself
Keep my head above the water while I drown in wealth
I got that drip like Gunna, I might drip or drown myself
You know I love choppers, I had to surround myself
Takin’ Gelato to the head, smoked the pound myself
Hate it when they play both sides
Too low in my life
Gotta stay high, gotta stay high
Too low in my life, yeah, I gotta stay
Hate it when they play both sides
Too low in my life
So I gotta stay high, yeah, I gotta stay high
Too low in my, too low in my
In the labyrinth of Juice WRLD’s discography, ‘Stay High’ reverberates as an anthem of survival, a melodic narration of the highs and lows that come with youth, fame, and the harsh realities of life. The song, a part of the late artist’s posthumous album ‘Legends Never Die’, goes beyond the surface of its catchy hook and deep into the psyche of an individual attempting to maneuver through the complex dimensions of pain and pleasure.
The lyrics of ‘Stay High’ reflect on the struggles with drug use, the loss of close ones, and the relentless pursuit to maintain equilibrium in a life that often feels too low. It’s a delicate balance between an acknowledgement of the darkness and a relentless fight to reach the light. Let’s take a closer look at the layers of ‘Stay High,’ uncovering the hidden meanings and parsing through the lyricism of Juice WRLD’s cryptic messages.
Surfing Through Chaos: Unraveling the Hook
The recurring hook in ‘Stay High’ where Juice WRLD expresses the need to ‘gotta stay high’ is a powerful cry for escapism. It’s not simply about the act of drug use; it’s the metaphorical rising above one’s internal turmoil. The ‘high’ serves as a temporary reprieve from the ‘low’ of life’s hardships that threaten to engulf him.
When he mentions hating when ‘they play both sides,’ it is an expression of betrayal and an illusion to the instability in his relationships. The need for loyalty is crucial for Juice, and the duplicity he encounters only seems to add weight to the ‘low’ he’s trying to escape.
The Haunting Elegy of Loss and Loneliness
An undeniable poignancy is found in the lines, ‘Sometimes I wish I could hit your phone / I don’t really wanna walk through life alone,’ encapsulating the heart-wrenching experience of losing someone close. Juice WRLD is publicly contending with his grief, showcasing a vulnerability that connects deeply with listeners who have experienced similar losses.
This feeling of loss translates into a haunting solitude—a motif that is less spoken about in mainstream rap. By ‘walk[ing] through life alone,’ he’s refusing to let his departed loved ones go, even as he navigates his solitude in the fast-paced, often isolating world of fame.
Addiction’s Grip: A Descent Into the Abyss
Juice WRLD’s open discussion of his drug usage, specifically the mention of ‘Wockhardt in my body,’ is an allusion to lean, a concoction that’s been glamorized in hip-hop culture, yet remains a deadly addiction. His struggle to ‘feel’ himself amidst this high alludes to an underlying sense of numbness, a disconnection with reality that the artist uses substances to try and reconcile.
The line ‘sorry, baby, I’m just really tryna feel myself’ exposes the tension between seeking self-preservation and the concern it raises in loved ones. It’s a push-and-pull between Juice’s desire for self-medication and the impact it has on his relationships—particularly given the worry from his girlfriend about potential self-harm.
The Subtle Opulence of Combating Inner Demons
Even in the thick of his battle with personal demons, Juice WRLD doesn’t shy away from flaunting success. References to ‘VVS’ on his wrist and wearing ‘Rick Owen’ on his coat point to a superficial shield of material wealth. Such luxury serves as a stark contrast to his emotional turmoil, suggesting that success and fame might provide armor, but they do not grant immunity from suffering.
The deliberate mention of ‘drown[ing] in wealth’ creates a powerful imagery of being submerged underwater, unable to breathe. Regardless of his ascendancy to affluence, Juice uses this luxury to paint a picture of the continued struggle against being overwhelmed by a life that’s both gilded and asphyxiating.
Decoding the Cryptic: The Infamous Cheat Codes
Among the most memorable lines is the quip ‘Up, down, left, right, A, B, cheat codes.’ It’s a clever nod to classic video game cheat codes, but in the context of the song, it speaks to the shortcuts we’re often tempted to take in life. For Juice WRLD, the cheat codes offer an escape hatch from reality, much like drugs do.
The cheat code presents life as a game—one that’s often challenging and unfair. It’s a metaphor for the quick fixes people seek out in their darkest hours, be it through substance abuse or other vices. In Juice WRLD’s lyrical universe, cheat codes become another facet of the complex interplay between the desire for instant gratification and the consequences that follow.
