Lyric discussion by Relating 

Cover art for Waiting... lyrics by City and Colour

The song is about a breakup.

A coma might feel better than this attempting to discover where to begin

^^ He's saying that the breakup is so painful for him, it would be easier just to sleep though it, as if you were in a coma. Although you have to go through some serious physical trauma to reach the state of a coma, at least you'd be asleep, and even something as traumatic as being in a coma would still feel better because then he'd be unaware of his own sadness.

You're weighed down you're full of something of sickness and desertion

^^ Basically, you just feel so bad. You feel like you were left and rejected and deserted, and it makes you so sad that it just takes over your whole body. You're filled with pain.

You're weighed down you're full of something you're underneath it all

^^ I think "underneath it all" is another way of him saying, "you're going through the worst of it, you're under the dark cloud of pain and sadness, you're in the thick of the hurt, etc"

So say goodbye to love and hold your head up high There's no need to rush we're all just waiting, waiting to die

^^ This part was very clear to me actually. It's about not committing suicide no matter how much you want to die. Don't rush death by killing yourself, in the end, we're all going to be gone anyway. Don't let the sadness push you out the door, so to speak. Hold your head up high, say bye to love, and don't let it push you to giving up on life completely. (Easier said than done, BTW)

Hope in better place is all I need with moments of innocence and mystery oh it's the little things you miss like waking up all alone oh it's the little things you miss when you're underneath it all

^^ He's remembering the good times, remembering all the things about the relationship that he wants to have again and is hurting so much without. When you're in the deep sadness of a breakup, you don't think of the fights... you think of all the little things that person did, the little things are usually unique to each person / relationship and it's impossible to replicate them in a new relationship. That's why you miss the little things the most.

So say goodbye to love and hold your head up high there's no need to rush we're all just waiting, waiting to die

All your friends seem like enemies when you're broken down and empty ooh ooh all your friends seem like enemies when you're broken down and empty

^^ This is about shutting down in the darkness of depression. When you're going through a breakup that hard, you shut yourself out from the rest of the world. Your friends seem like enemies because they don't understand. And it's like they are enemies because you avoid them and retreat into your own mind and don't want to have to explain how you feel to them.

So say goodbye to love and hold your head up high there's no need to rush we're all just waiting, waiting to die


The song is about the most painful kind of breakup. It's not about a breakup of a casual couple or a teenage lust or a fling or anything like that. It's about the breakup of a very serious relationship. That's the only thing that can make people feel the way that's described in the song.

My Interpretation

Absolutely spot on. I am feeling exactly what you described right now.