"Wake Up Dead" features lyrics which describe a man who has been cheating on his wife or girlfriend and is sneaking into his house, knowing that if his wife finds out about his other lover, she will kill him. Mustaine said that "Wake Up Dead" was written about him cheating on a girl with whom he was living.
The song "Wake Up Dead" tells the story of a man who is being unfaithful to his partner and is trying to avoid detection, fearing for his life if his partner discovers the infidelity. Mustaine wrote the song as a personal account of his own experiences with cheating on a girlfriend.