Grown up, with school behind us
We took the skeleton of my car
Jumped the highway no one ever could bind us
And like angels we were taking off

Heading on into the storm
On a trail to a guitar and a drum
To find the rhyme in our words
To stand up and rehearse

From the jungles into the cities
From the badlands to the coasts
To taste the bitter and swallow the sweet
And blow some fresh air through these skulls

To hear the sound, to get it loud
To play your part in the crowd
Bury your past in a hole
And watch something new grow

Wide awake and alive
Wide awake and alive
Everybody thought I wouldn't survive
Wide awake and alive

Saw a man with a saxophone
Filling every room with light
Saw a band playing all around the globe
Keeping him forever alive

To find their luck, to find their love
Deeply rooted in a brotherhood
Throwing a party on the graves
Of all who ever blurred their fate

Wide awake and alive
Wide awake and alive
Everybody thought I wouldn't survive
Wide awake and alive

Life’s too short to live all dreams
Maybe that’s the most bitter pill
But to build your own temple of peace
It first of all takes a wish and a will

Build it up by the river
Wash away your tears
Build it up by the river
And let it rock you straight into that spot

Build it up by the river
Wash away your fears
Build it up by the river
And let it rock you straight into that spot of being

Wide awake and alive
Wide awake and alive
Everybody thought I wouldn't survive
Wide awake and alive