When was the last time you patiently waited for something or someone?
Waiting can be quite frustrating, and instant gratification seems to be the new normal.
For example, movies, books, and music are now available on demand. Meanwhile, material possessions can be obtained at the swipe of a plastic card and delivered within the day, right to our doorsteps.
We have become an impatient nation, and are often unwilling to wait patiently for something or someone. In fact, in a culture where success is gauged by how busy a person is, keeping someone waiting can be considered disrespectful.
But contrary to popular opinion, waiting can actually be good for us.
The Benefits of Waiting
Here are some reasons waiting is good for us.
Here is a collection of songs about waiting to remind you that good things will come if you’re willing to wait for something or someone important.
1. The Waiting, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
via Tom Petty
“The waiting is the hardest part. Every day you get one more yard. You take it on faith, you take it to the heart. The waiting is the hardest part. Yeah, the waiting is the hardest part.”
This song describes the agony of waiting for something or someone important. It also reminds listeners to never let go and to have faith that what you’re waiting for will manifest.
While waiting, you can make a vision board to speed up the realization of your dreams.
2. Show Yourself (Frozen 2 OST), Idina Menzel & Evan Rachel Wood
via DisneyMusicVEVO
“Show yourself. Step into your power. Grow yourself into something new. You are the one you've been waiting for all of my life (all of your life).”
Have you ever wondered when you’ll reach your fullest potential? This song from the animated film Frozen 2 is a reminder that you already have the capacity for greatness within you.
If you’ve been waiting for so long, now is the time to step into your destiny and grow.
3. Waiting for the Sun, The Doors
via The Doors
“Waiting… Waiting for you to come along. Waiting for you to hear my song. Waiting for you to come along. Waiting for you to tell me what went wrong.”
Many music critics think that this song is about the unattainable nature of the American dream. Others think that it’s about someone waiting to be free. Finally, some people think this song is about waiting and hoping for new beginnings.
Which interpretation appeals most to you?
4. Crying, Waiting, Hoping, Buddy Holly
“Crying, waiting, hoping that you'll come back. I just can't seem to get you off my mind. Crying, waiting, hoping that you'll come back. You're the one I love, and I think about you all the time.”
This song describes the despair people often feel in the aftermath of a breakup. Some people can’t seem to move on. They are willing to wait to be reconciled with the one they love, even if their ex considers the relationship to be completely over.
5. Car on a Hill, Joni Mitchell
via Joni Mitchell
“I've been sitting up waiting for my sugar to show. I've been listening to the sirens and the radio. He said he'd be over three hours ago. I've been waiting for his car on the hill.”
Here is a song that describes the agony of waiting for someone who doesn’t show up.
A woman waits for her sweetheart, but her lover seems to have stood her up.
She sits there for hours, recalling her lover’s positive attributes. Will he finally show up?
6. Wait by the River, Lord Huron
via Lord Huron
“I will wait by the river, in the light of the moon. At the edge of the city, I will wait for you.”
In this song, someone is arranging for a rendezvous. They assure the other person that they’ll wait at the appointed place.
7. Waiting in the Weeds, Eagles
via Eagles
“I've been waiting in the weeds, waiting for my time to come around again. (And) hope is floating on the breeze, carrying my soul high up above the ground. (And) I've been keeping to myself, knowing that the seasons are slowly changing. Even though you're with somebody else, he'll never love you like I do.”
Sometimes our dreams are not realized. Nevertheless, we still hold on to hope that we will one see them come true.
It takes a long time before we can finally let go of this broken dream.
In this song, we meet someone who is in this situation. He waits, hoping that the woman he’s in love with will eventually realize how much he loves her.
8. Waitin' on a Woman, Brad Paisley
via BRADPAISLEY
“Honey, take your time 'cause I don't mind waitin' on a woman.”
In this song, a guy impatiently waits for his girlfriend. He repeatedly calls her on the phone to let her know he’s waiting.
Then the guy meets an old man who shares his story of waiting for the woman he loves. The old man convinces the guy that the wait is worth it to have a wonderful person to share his life with.
9. Time After Time, Cindy Lauper
via Cindy Lauper
“If you're lost you can look and you will find me, time after time. If you fall I will catch you. I'll be waiting time after time.”
In this song, a couple has grown apart, so they decide to go their separate ways.
Nevertheless, the mutual affection is still there between them. One vows to always be available whenever the other needs them. They’ll wait, time after time, to make sure that the other is okay.
[One way to strengthen a relationship is to have shared relationship goals. Check out 31 Relationship Goals That Couples Use to Grow Their Love.]
10. Sitting, Waiting, Wishing, Jack Johnson
via jackjohnsonmusic
“Must I always be waiting, waiting on you? Must I always be playing, playing your fool?”
In this song by Jack Johnson, a guy realizes that there’s no point in waiting for his love to be reciprocated. He realizes that he’s been playing the fool for someone who has never appreciated him.
11. It Don't Matter to Me, Bread
via Bread – Topic
“Cause there will always be an empty room waiting for you. An open heart waiting for you. Time is on my side 'cause it don't matter to me.”
Sometimes you have to be willing to let somebody go, even though you still love them very much. You still make space for them in your heart and try to convince yourself that their absence does not matter. However, you never give up hope that they’ll eventually come back and love you again.
12. I Knew You Were Waiting (for Me), Aretha Franklin and George Michael
via Aretha Franklin
“When the river was deep, I didn't falter. When the mountain was high, I still believed. When the valley was low, it didn't stop me. I knew you were waiting, I knew you were waiting for me.”
This song is about resilience as much as it is about waiting. In it, we witness someone who never gave up on their dreams, no matter what obstacles got in their way.
The main thing that kept them going was the knowledge that someone was waiting and rooting for them on the other side.
13. Waiting for Superman, Daughtry
via Daughtry
“She's talking to angels. She's counting the stars, making a wish on a passing car. She's dancing with strangers. She's falling apart, waiting for Superman to pick her up in his arms.”
Sometimes, people unknowingly depend too much on others to rescue them from hardships, to fulfill their dreams, or to affirm them as worthy of love.
This song is about someone who waits for Superman to come pick her up. However, the task is insurmountable, even for someone with superpowers. The person falls apart when her hero does not arrive.
This song is a reminder that we often don’t realize that the power to change our lives for the better is already within us. We don’t need to wait for a hero.
14. Love Is Waiting, Brooke Fraser
via BrookeFraserNZ
“I'll be waiting for you, baby. I'll be holding back the darkest night. Love is waiting 'til we're ready. ‘Til it's right.”
True love cannot be rushed, as this song wisely reminds us.
It assures us that the right person will be there waiting until we’re truly ready to share our life with someone else.
15. You Belong, Rachel Platten
via Rachel Platten
“I'm patiently waiting for you to arrive. I wanna meet you so much I could cry. I wonder whose hands and whose eyes you will have. I wonder if you're gonna smile like your dad. And nothing you ever do will be so wrong. You belong, you belong.”
This emotional song is about the anticipation of waiting for a baby to be born.
The parents wonder what the baby will look like, what life is going to be like when the baby grows up, and if they will be good parents.
It is a sweet song to remind us all that the arrival of someone who can change a person’s life for the better is definitely worth the wait.
Final Thoughts on Songs About Waiting
That concludes today’s collection of songs about the importance of waiting.
Our busy, modern lives have made us impatient. As a result, we miss out on many of the benefits of waiting patiently for something important or for someone we care about.
Waiting helps us become better people, developing our resilience for when things don’t go the way we want them to.
Hopefully the songs featured in this list will encourage you to have more patience for everything that goes happens in life. In the end, it’s worth it.
If you can’t get enough of songs about a specific topic, here are more resources to check out:
Finally, if you want to use these songs to make a lasting change to your life, then check out these 100 LIFE GOALS that can help you wake up each morning with a sense of enthusiasm about making progress toward what's important..
