Wait For Me

I have been listening to this song all day (and the album the past two days), and this one is probably my favorite.

I'm not expert in instruments, but the chords in the beginning certainly have a way of absorbing and captivating me. It's definitely got the tone of desperation. I'm actually going to take the relationship approach to this, but that's the beauty of Rise Against: their songs can be looked at from so many different perspectives, and I know someone will come up with their own fascinating interpretation.

He's asking the person, "Do you see the world in different colors, or is everything black and white?" I once told someone that not everything is black and white, there is a grey area, and she responded, "no, the world is colored." I'll never forget it; we are all a consequence of circumstance. So he's asking this person, maybe for another chance, to look at his situation and realize that it is unique and should be looked at differently. Maybe he wronged someone. Maybe he fought with his girl? Maybe his life is going as great as he'd like. This question sets up the tone of the song, and keep this question in mind, it will come up again!

"Alone in your thoughts. I've stood where you stand today." There was a time when he was in her position, and now the tables have turned and he needs help. He's crying out for help, and he's turned to the person whom he helped once. But maybe this person is fed up with his mistakes, and so he asks,

"Can you wait for me now?" Just like I waited for you before, now I'm asking you, not because you owe me, but because I need you, so, "[will] you wait for me now?"

And so the girl asks why should I wait for you? The response: "A promise of safe return I delivered..." Her life was on the brink of destruction, and he promised that if she stuck with him, she'd be safe; a promise he delivered. But maybe now being with her is too much? Maybe he realizes this burden on his shoulder is heavier than he first thought, hence the verse:

"But the ocean is wider than I first guessed." Maybe dealing with her problems and dealing with his problems on his own was harder than he'd expected. The ocean being a metaphor for his problems: wide, vast, seemingly endless. It wasn't always an ocean of problems, however; in fact, there were roads. He had a clear path, which is why he says,

"When roads disappeared, I followed the rivers." Indeed, those roads disappeared he followed the rivers, meaning things were getting messy, but to some degree manageable, nevertheless. But somewhere in this mess, "I got in over my head," and it became too much. And so the rivers ran to the ocean,

"And so a deep breath I'll take in," meaning he's out of options. He needs help, but he sees his life getting worse and worse until he finally decides there is no turning back. His life is messed up, and he is drowning. Will she save him, like he saved her? Will she "wait for me now. Air is running out."

I agree with the last verse being purely metaphorical. Dreams shattered, the house on fire (once something's burned it can never be perfect again), a tangled web (so intricately designed, so easily destroyed), the key turning to see the locks changed (what worked before isn't working now), in time to hear the backdoor slam (he came to her, and she slammed the door in his face. she was his last hope, and it's gone), a sound to this day he'll never forget. He'll never forget the day she said she won't wait for him

And all of this answers the question posed in the beginning, "Do you see the world in colors, or is it black and gray?"

"The colors turned to black and gray." Not only does she see things that way, but his life is now that way. The irony here however, is that her life actually is no different. Both of their lives are black and grey. The end's robbed me now!

Well, thanks for reading =D

Do you see the world in different colors? Do you see the world in black and gray? Alone in your thoughts How many others have stood where you stand, Where you stand today? I've stood where you stand But all, can you...

Wait for me now? To take off this crown To break all these vows Don't you know? Wait for me now The airs running out Wait for me, wait for me Wait for me, wait for me now

A promise of safe return I delivered But the oceans were Wider than I first guessed When roads disappeared, I followed the rivers But somehow got in over my head So a deep breath I'm taking

Wait for me now To take off this crown To break all these vows Don't you know? Wait for me now The airs running out Wait for me, wait for me Wait for me, wait for me now

A lost dream of what could have been A house on fire, a tangled web The key turns To find the locks have changed In time to hear the back door slam A sound that to this day I can't forget The colors drain to black and gray Oh...

Wait for me now To take off this crown To break all these vows Don't you know? Wait for me now The airs running out Wait for me, wait for me Wait for me, wait for me now.

The chorus is:

wait for me now? to take off this crown to break all these vows don't you know?

not sure about the rest.

I think it's just a soldier either coming back from a tour in a warzone or a soldier who has deserted. He promised to come home safely but is finding that it's taking much longer than he had hoped. The locks having changed when he has returned meaning that he is too late and who he was returning to has moved on because of the time he has taken to get back there.

in the album sleeve in the bottom corner of this song's lyrics, it reads "READ: Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer, The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein. WATCH: Collapse, Countdown to Zero, Capitalism: A Love Story, The Cove." I don't know much about these books and films, but thought this might help someone else interpret the song

Also, I'd make an addendum but I'm not sure how to edit comments: Dolphins' sonar vision is always depicted in black and grey, and so is cloudy water, like the areas they're herded in to. The whole song doesn't make sense in this context though.

This seems to me, that they're painting the picture of a soldier who's left home expecting to return at some point, but he keeps getting strung along to longer and longer tours of duty. So much so, that he no longer feels at home in the US anymore and he loses connection with his SO.

I am fully aware of Rise Against's stand on the cruelty of animals and their effort to bring awareness to the general public but this entire album has a very obvious theme to it. From start to finish it’s about ‘Big Brother’ America and the way every day citizens are used as pawns due to our own ignorance. Also they aim to provide a source of encouragement to the youth to not accept it through awareness (ENDGAME). This album is a complete master piece under this theme and shouldn’t be overlooked. But everyone is entitled to their own interpretations.
Here is mine: The song has something to do with a fallen soldier and how at first friends / family have trust in the American cause. When the soldier falls some lose trust while others retain trust with pride causing a divide. To see the world in colors is to view all people as equal humans and it’s not a right restricted to just American citizens. To see black and grey would be to blindly trust the American cause and those against it as enemies, terrorist, or traders.

The Cove is a movie made by Ric O'Barry in Japan out of footage he took there of them illegally catching dolphins, cutting them up, chasing them down and selling them. Not only was it interesting to see this attached to that movie but then I remembered something--dolphins are extremely sensitive to sound, and to herd them the fishermen use poles with wide hollow ends which they partially submerge and pound on... the sound I remember is a sort of strident hollow clanging... and Ric O'Barry's line is, I think exactly, "It's a sound I'll never forget..." Makes me wonder. Do with that what you will, the lines being so similar could be coincidence. But dolphins have always saved people, and no one is saving them now. Could be reading in to it far too much, which is why I'm not posting this as a meaning.

For me, this song is about someone (person A) grieving someone who killed themselves (person B). It makes sense, as the 5 stages of grieve are in order.

"Do you see the world in different colors? Do you see the world in black and gray? Alone in your thoughts How many others have stood where you stand Where you stand today? I've stood where you stand But all, can you"

Person B is going through a depression, and Person A is telling them to hold on, that they are not alone.

"Wait for me now? Take off this crown To break all your vows Don't you know? Wait for me now The end's robbed me now Wait for me, wait for me Wait for me, wait for me now"

This first chorus for me is Person A begging Person B not to kill themselves. I believe that "take of this crown" perhaps refers to a noose (?) and "to break all your vows" is asking Person B not to forget everything they promised (ex: they are going better")

"The promise of safe return undelivered The ocean is wider than I first guessed When roads disappeared, I followed the rivers But somehow got in over my head So deep I felt taken"

Person B committed suicide. At first, Person A couldn't believe it, and the shock is even worst ("The promise of safe return undelivered, The ocean is wider than I first guessed"= First stage, denial) The second part is about how he came, when he was overwhelmed with the evidence, that his loved one is dead, and that trying to hide it (following the rivers) was useless.

"Wait for me now Take off this crown To break all your vows Don't you know? Wait for me now The end's robbed me now Wait for me, wait for me Wait for me, wait for me now"

I just feel so much anger aimed at person B in this chorus, even when Tim sings it. Anger is the second stage of loss. "the end's robbed me now" seems powerful. "wait for me" also is asking the person to stay alive longer, which is bargaining, the third stage.

"A lost dream of what could have been A house on fire, a tangled web The key turns to find the locks have changed In time to hear the back door slam A sound that to this day I can't forget The colors drained to black and gray Oh"

The first part of the bridge is confusing, I am still not sure of what it means. Perhaps Person A is saying that their mind is in chaos. "A sound that to this day I can't forget, The colors drained to black and gray" is sadness, the fourth stage.

In my interpretation, there is no fifth stage (acceptance) because the grief is not over.

The song ends with a chorus because of the power it had in this song.

"Wait for me now Take off this crown To break all your vows Don't you know? Wait for me now The end's robbed me now Wait for me, wait for me Wait for me, wait for me now"

Anyways that's my interpretation :P