The wife/girlfriend is talking in the song about her husband/boyfriend that she can't wait for her husband to be home. He keeps dwelling on the past with anger because of the war he fought. She wants to enjoy the moment with him, but he's so broke down from the war it's hard for him to move on.
![Cover art for I Don't Want to Wait [*] lyrics by Paula Cole](https://images.songmeanings.com/7ac861b0-2c2b-4220-be95-4f0f85d82fdc.webp)
The wife/girlfriend is talking in the song about her husband/boyfriend that she can't wait for her husband to be home. He keeps dwelling on the past with anger because of the war he fought. She wants to enjoy the moment with him, but he's so broke down from the war it's hard for him to move on.