Wasting Love Lyrics

Lyric discussion by UnholyAssault 

Cover art for Wasting Love lyrics by Iron Maiden

It really seems to me like this song is about depression that comes from a failed relationship, romantic rejection, chronic failure, or the loss of a loved one. My evidence is as follows:

Verse 1: "Maybe one day I'll be an honest man / Up till now I've done the best i can"

  • The narrator is lamenting his inability to live up to society's (or a certain lady or personal influence) standards of a 'decent person'.

"Long roads, long days of sunrise to sunset / Sunrise to sunset"

  • He feels like life is passing him by and he has no chance to live life the way he wants to.

"Dream on brothers while you can / Dream on sisters, I hope you find the one"

  • He wishes his family will have better lives than he has had.

"All of our lives covered up quickly / By the tides of time" He believes that life is insignificant and he will just be forgotten and meaningless.

Verse 2: "Dream on brothers while you can / Dream on sisters, I hope you find the one"

  • The narrator reiterates his desire to see his family members live their dreams and find love and happiness. 

"All of our lives covered up quickly / By the tides of time"

  • He still feels insignificant and mortal.

"Sands are flowing, and the lines are in your hands"

  • He feels time passing him by and he feels like his misery is predestined.

"In your eyes I see the hunger, / And the desperate cry that tears the night"

  • He is desperate to have a life of happiness and meaning.

Chorus: "Spend your days full of emptiness / Spend your years full of loneliness"

  • The narrator feels like it's his lot in life to suffer and be unloved.

"Wasting love in a desperate caress / Rolling shadows of night"

  • He feels like his love is being wasted because he's trying to cling onto someone/something that is leaving him, and all he's left with is coldness, pain, and fear.

This song is beautiful. It was my favourite IM song for a while and it's just amazing. Helps me get through the hard times..

My Interpretation