So open up your morning light
And say a little prayer for I
You know that if we are to stay alive
And see the peace in every eye

She had two babies
One was six months one was three
In the war of '44
Every telephone ring
Every heartbeat stinging
When she thought it was God calling her
Oh, would her son grow to know his father

I don't want to wait
For our lives to be over
I want to know right now
What will it be
I don't want to wait
For our lives to be over
Will it be yes or will it be sorry?

He showed up all wet
On the rainy front step
Wearing shrapnel in his skin
And the war he saw
Lives inside him still
It's so hard to be gentle and warm
The years passed by and now
He has a granddaughter

I don't want to wait
For our lives to be over
I want to know right now
What will it be
I don't want to wait
For our lives to be over
Will it be yes or will it be

Oh, so you look at me
From across the room
You're wearing your anguish again
Believe me I know the feeling
It sucks you into the jaws of anger
Oh, so breathe a little more deeply my love
All we have is this very moment
And I don't want to do what
His father and his father and his father did
I want to be here now

So open up your morning light
And say a little prayer for I
You know that if we are to stay alive
And see the peace in every eye

I don't want to wait
For our lives to be over
I want to know right now
What will it be
I don't want to wait
For our lives to be over
Will it be yes or will it be

I don't want to wait
For our lives to be over
I want to know right now
What will it be
I don't want to wait
For our lives to be over
Will it be yes or will it be sorry?

So open up your morning light
And say a little prayer for I
You know that if we are to stay alive
And see the love in every eye


Lyrics submitted by me109cito, edited by incendiary

I Don't Want to Wait Lyrics as written by Paula Cole

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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I Don't Want To Wait song meanings
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40 Comments

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  • +5
    General Comment

    This is a great song about how anger and violence works its way through families and puts their lives on hold. The singer is the grandaughter of a WW2 vet who is saying no, I am not going to participate in this, like previous generations. I want to 'be here now' - an old hippy phrase meaning live for the present - later used as an album title by Oasis. I don't know much about Paula Cole but I'd guess she is the right age to have a grandfather of that generation, so maybe it's autobiographical.

    pconlon March 24, 2008   Link
  • +4
    My Opinion

    This song to me is about letting go past experiences rule over your relationship. It is quite apparent that allowing the scar of memory to be infected in war contributes a broken life.The song echos the pain of the receiver in the so called dark star."I don't wanta wait" sez I want you to get therapy or help now and work to forget it. Be a truthseeker of reality as it exist today seek my needs I need the light of your love not the self dwelling of absorbed pity.I was wounded in the war but I survived by the light of encouraging others there is a greater purpose to mask memories that blanket or cover over selfish needs. I didn't wait "vietenam is over my life continues my marriage radiates life.

    love1on September 07, 2009   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    Whoa! I just recently joined. I looked over my favorite songs, and everyone posted their opinions before I did. Well, anyways, I hate people who post miscellaneous things. Okay, back to the song. The song sets in WWII. The man left the woman to go to war. The man miss seeing his children grow. Basically, the his passed generations of males went to war, just like what he did. It is about peace, family, war, hope, and love. That's pretty much.

    x1x60dx1xon July 06, 2005   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    this is sad that everyone associates this song with dawnson's creek now. nice commentary so far too -- i can see real deeping thinking what with all the "DAWSON'S CREEKS" and "PACEY IS SOO HAWT".

    anyway back to the song. pretty straightforward song about the effects of war and what it does to you. i see it as one of the descendants of this family looking back on how her ancestors' love was spoiled by war -- he left his wife to raise their daughters all alone, and when he came back he was a jaded bitter man who didn't offer the family any love, hence "it's so hard to be gentle and warm". so this descendent is looking back on all this and telling her significant other "let's not be like this, lets not let how our fathers lived affect our lives."

    brideonfireon July 25, 2005   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    In the song, she's taken the side of the wife, voiceing that she dosnt want to go unloved by a husband broken by a war - who obviously is now incapable of lovnig her like he once did. So she's saying she dosnt want to go through this over and over for the rest of her life. She needs him, but he wont help her.

    sazarella84on May 23, 2009   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    I am so happy that I have never seen Dawson's Creek. It is sad when a song gets all muddled up in errata. The song seems to describe a case of PTSD. Those suffering from PTSD often find it difficult to let their defenses down. They create emotional walls in an effort to shield themselves from further trauma.

    MNDaveWon June 25, 2010   Link
  • +3
    My Interpretation

    To me this song is all about a girl and a guy who are married or maybe even just talking about the guy. The guy has an angry attitude and disappointing looks on his face with Paula saying, "You're wearing your anguish again" meaning after war all men go through that stage of what their history was like at war. Killing people, people being killed, being yelled at etc. his history makes his emotions not live for what is in the moment, it's extremely hard for people after war to cope into average people's lives because of that negative history they went through. He keeps living in the past, when all things, people, places have only this vary moment, then after.. it becomes history. This is a very positive song especially for angry men trying to regain their happiness and live back in the moment rather than what's seen in the past.

    gurton February 18, 2014   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    Wow you guys. Way to scream "Dawson's Creek". I really like this song, and did long before I ever saw an episode of the show. It's very good in and of itself.

    butterboyon April 27, 2006   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    Genetic memory or shared experience down the generations. I think that this is about how nothing really changes, the colors just sharpen and the sound is better on the DVD

    risajojoon November 29, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    ajjaja i see veryone watched dawson's creek, but nobody said anything about this song... relly simple meaning you can see just reading the chorus...

    Leandroon April 16, 2005   Link

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