Habits (Stay High)

The lyrics describe someone trying to cope with the absence of a loved person. At first, the speaker lists restless, risky, and excessive behavior, as if constant activity might keep painful thoughts away. The repeated wish to stay “high” reveals the reason beneath it: the speaker misses someone and is struggling to face that loss. The mood moves between energetic escape and loneliness, but the escape does not last.

Several images suggest a life that feels out of control. Eating, drinking, and getting sick in the bathtub turns an ordinary place into a setting for excess and self-neglect. Being “locked in a haze” suggests feeling mentally unclear, whether from intoxication or emotional distress. “Play pretend” implies that the speaker is acting as if life is endless fun, while knowing that this performance cannot remove the pain. The phrase “numb the pain” makes the emotional purpose of these habits explicit.

The lyrics can be read as a portrait of grief after a breakup, but they do not explain the relationship or what happened. The speaker’s behavior may be exaggerated for effect, yet the loneliness sounds genuine. “Stay high” may refer to literal substance use, or more broadly to any repeated escape from painful thoughts. Either way, the refrain suggests a temporary solution that risks becoming a lasting trap.