Waiting on the World to Change Lyrics
One, two
One, two, three
[Verse 1]
Me and all my friends
We're all misunderstood
They say we stand for nothing and
There's no way we ever could
Now we see everything that's going wrong
With the world and those who lead it
We just feel like we don't have the means
To rise above and beat it
[Chorus]
So we keep waiting (Waiting)
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on waiting (Waiting)
Waiting on the world to change
It's hard to beat the system
When we're standing at a distance
So we keep waiting (Waiting)
Waiting on the world to change
[Verse 2]
Now if we had the power
To bring our neighbors home from war
They would have never missed a Christmas
No more ribbons on their door
And when you trust your television
What you get is what you got
'Cause when they own the information, oh
They can bend it all they want
That's why we're waiting (Waiting)
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on waiting (Waiting)
Waiting on the world to change
It's not that we don't care
We just know that the fight ain't fair
So we keep on waiting (Waiting)
Waiting on the world to change
[Guitar Solo]
[Chorus]
And we're still waiting (Waiting)
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on waiting (Waiting)
Waiting on the world to change
One day our generation
Is gonna rule the population
So we keep on waiting (Waiting)
Waiting on the world to change
[Outro]
Now we keep on waiting (Waiting)
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on waiting (Waiting)
Waiting on the world to change
Waiting on the world to change
Waiting on the world to change
Waiting on the world to change
About
“Waiting on the World to Change” centers John and his generation’s inaction in regard to current world conditions as the youth feel powerless in this situation. They feel as though they don’t have the means to fight because they are young and to some degree ignorant and scared.
He also laments the corruption among leaders,
John confirmed this feeling of discontent between the leaders and during an interview with The Advocate, explains:
“It’s saying, ‘Well, I’ll just watch American Idol because I know that if I were engaged in changing anything for the better, or the better as I see it, it would go unnoticed or be completely ineffective.’ A lot of people have that feeling.”
The song is the first single released from John Mayer’s 2006 studio album, Continuum. It won the Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 49th Grammy Awards.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
On the Bobby Bones show in 2017, John was asked which song he was tired of playing and candidly answered “Waiting on the World to Change”:
It’s just a tactile thing… It’s right outside of my range. When I had a vocal surgery, it cost me like two or three notes, and I needed those notes for Waiting on the World to Change, so I kind of have to sneak around it. It never really was the most comfortable thing to sing. Weirdly enough, all the songs that became very popular are difficult to sing for me.