G-Eazy’s collaboration with Olivia O’Brien, “How Can You Sleep,” from his 2025 album Helium, is a raw and painful duet that explores the devastating fallout of infidelity. The song dives deep into the mutual anguish, sleepless nights, and lingering resentment experienced by both the betrayed and the betrayer.
It’s a candid conversation set to music, where accusations fly, regrets are confessed, and the haunting question of how one can find peace after causing so much pain hangs heavy in the air. The track captures the turbulent emotional landscape of a relationship shattered by broken trust, revealing the torment that keeps both parties awake long after the lights go out.
The song presents a narrative of heartbreak that is both specific in its lyrical detail and universal in its emotional resonance. The “story” is the dramatic interplay between two voices grappling with the aftermath of betrayal.
While not explicitly tied to a singular, publicly documented “real-life accident” involving the artists, the song powerfully channels the authentic emotions of such a common yet deeply personal crisis. The duet format is key, allowing listeners to witness the emotional tug-of-war and shared suffering from two distinct, yet equally tormented, perspectives.
If you’re curious about how G-Eazy channels that same emotional unraveling through the lens of fame and altered reality, check out our meaning breakdown of Kiss The Sky — a hypnotic dive into the surreal spaces between thrill, escapism, and spiritual longing.
Her Sleepless Scorn: Olivia O’Brien’s Cry of Betrayal
Olivia O’Brien opens the song and anchors its emotional core with a chorus full of hurt and disbelief. Her repeated question, “How can you sleep?” is not a genuine inquiry about G-Eazy’s rest; it’s an accusation, a cry of anguish challenging how he could possibly find peace after his actions. She lays out the betrayal plainly: “Made the game so easy, you still found a way to cheat,” and “Said I was the one, but you still pick the two and three.” These lines paint a clear picture of infidelity and broken promises.
Her pain is palpable as she describes feeling her heart “cut in half” and the piece stolen away. The line, “I can’t take you back again, I kept all the receipts,” signifies a resolve born from undeniable proof of his wrongdoing. Yet, despite this strength, vulnerability seeps through. She’s “Scared to go to bed ’cause I might see you in my dreams,” highlighting how the emotional trauma bleeds into every aspect of her life, making even sleep an unsafe refuge. Olivia’s verses are a powerful testament to the struggle of the betrayed: trying to heal (“Workin’ on myself and what you said I couldn’t be”) while still being haunted by the ghost of the relationship and the person who caused her pain. Her post-chorus wishes him reciprocal suffering – “I hope you can’t sleep, can’t eat, can’t remember how to breathe” – a raw expression of wanting him to understand the depth of her agony.
His Restless Regret: G-Eazy’s Admission of Guilt and Pain
G-Eazy’s verses provide the counterpoint, and surprisingly, an admission that directly answers Olivia’s central question: “Yeah, truth is I don’t [sleep].” This immediately shifts the dynamic from a simple accusation to a shared experience of suffering, albeit for different reasons. He is not resting easy; he’s tormented by his own actions. “Bloodshot eyes and dark circles don’t happen on their own,” he states, painting a picture of his own sleepless, guilt-ridden nights. He paces the house they might have shared, feeling “further and further” from her, and crucially admits, “‘Cause hurtin’ you is hurtin’ me too.”
He acknowledges his role in the downfall, lamenting the change in her: “The person I knew when we met’s not who I’m lookin’ at / I hate the fact I played a part, this ain’t the best version of you.” This introspection includes self-awareness of his flaws, later admitting, “I know I, I know I, I know I can be narcissistic / I know I can lose the plot sometimes and go ballistic / I know I can white lie.” While he acknowledges his faults, there’s also a hint of desperation and a desire for what’s been lost. He tells Olivia he wants her back, even though he recognizes it’s “unrealistic.” His final outro, “Sleepless nights just starin’ at the ceilin’ / I wish I could turn my brain off / Shame,” is a stark admission of his ongoing torment and deep-seated shame.
A Duet of Damage: When Both Sides Suffer After the Storm
The pre-chorus sections of “How Can You Sleep” are particularly compelling as they showcase the raw, unfiltered animosity mixed with a painful, lingering connection. Olivia’s lines, “I hope you cry, I hope it hurts / I hope the tears you bottled up, they burst,” are mirrored by G-Eazy’s pained acceptance, “Probably what I deserve.” It’s a moment where the depth of the hurt is laid bare, with Olivia wishing him pain and G-Eazy acknowledging its justification.
However, in the second pre-chorus, while Olivia reiterates her wish for him to “choke on all your empty words,” G-Eazy’s underlying desires surface more clearly. Amidst her hurt, his voice interjects with lines like, “But I keep holdin’ on,” and ultimately, “I need you back.” This juxtaposition reveals the messy reality of breakups where anger, hurt, regret, and a desperate longing for what was lost can coexist. It’s not a clean break; it’s a tangle of conflicting emotions. The duet structure brilliantly captures this push and pull, the shared yet separate suffering that defines their current state. They are united in their sleeplessness and pain, even as they are divided by the betrayal.
Beyond the Darkened Bedroom: The Lingering Scars of a Broken Trust
“How Can You Sleep” explores more than just the literal inability to sleep; it delves into the deeper, more lasting wounds inflicted by betrayal. Olivia O’Brien speaks of “Workin’ on myself and what you said I couldn’t be,” suggesting that the relationship may have been damaging to her self-esteem even before the final act of infidelity. Her efforts to rebuild herself are a testament to the profound impact of the broken trust. For G-Eazy, the sleeplessness is symptomatic of a deeper moral and emotional reckoning. His admission of his negative traits – narcissism, lying, going “ballistic” – points to a pattern of behavior that ultimately led to the relationship’s demise.
The song highlights the difficulty of moving on when memories are so potent they invade dreams. The trust, once shattered, seems almost impossible to repair, as G-Eazy himself concedes that wanting the relationship back is “unrealistic.” The “empty words” Olivia refers to suggest a history of broken promises that now make any attempt at reconciliation feel hollow. The shame G-Eazy expresses in the outro is a powerful indicator of the lasting scar on his own conscience. The song powerfully illustrates that the consequences of betrayal extend far beyond the initial act, seeping into one’s sense of self, peace of mind, and hope for the future.
In “How Can You Sleep,” G-Eazy and Olivia O’Brien have crafted a compellingly honest and emotionally charged duet. It’s a raw look at the wreckage left behind by infidelity, where sleep is a casualty, and both the person who was wronged and the one who caused the pain are trapped in a cycle of regret and sorrow. The track resonates because it doesn’t shy away from the ugliness of betrayal but instead lays bare the shared suffering that follows.