What does Waiting on the World to Change mean?

John Mayer: Waiting on the World to Change Meaning

Album cover for Waiting on the World to Change album cover

Song Released: 2006


Waiting on the World to Change Lyrics

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...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    Brazeel
    click a star to vote
    Dec 29th 2008 !⃝

    This is a song about our generation. WE are waiting on the world to change, because at the present time, we don't have quite enough influence to really change things. But we will, as is eluded to in the song when he says "one day our generation will rule the population". It speaks of the war in iraq, bringing our neighbors home from war. He is against the war in principle, however, he is warning us not to always be so fast to accept what the media says about it and all the negativity in it. When they own the information they can bend it all they want.

  2. 2TOP RATED

    #2 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
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    Jun 14th 2014 !⃝

    I think the point he's trying to get across it that we are the one's who will decide the future, and we need to act. We keep on waiting for the world to change by itself instead of actual facing the problems and speaking up. He's telling us to realize that the world won't change on its own and that we need to wake up and act because that's the only way we can change the world.

  3. 3TOP RATED

    #3 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Nov 7th 2007 !⃝

    It's about people who know that the government is wrong, and the war is wrong, and want to help people, but feel helpless because we can't talk as loud as the media and all the money. We want to help change the world but we don't know how, so "we keep on waiting on the world to change". IMHO it's also about being young and wanting to change the world, "one day our generation will rule the population."

  4. anonymous
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    May 19th 2022 !⃝

    So to interpret the song it is talked about politics. He wanted to relay the message that we as a citizens of our country we don’t have a power to act because only the government has the position to rule us. Therefore, we just kept waiting when to change the world.

  5. anonymous
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    Jan 23rd 2021 !⃝

    I believe this song as it ages could most definitely be applied to today's politics, specifically the Republican Party vs. the Democratic Party. He sings "When you trust your television, what you get is what you got. Cause when they own the information, they can bend it all they want". This as we all know is a huge argument that the Republican Party has against the media. The song almost is signifying lost hope.

  6. anonymous
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    Dec 29th 2020 !⃝

    I think that to me this song is talking about the people out there who are different and believe differently because they aren’t gonna give all their trust to people who they’ve never even met. I think that by him saying me and all my friends we are all misunderstood it means like people see the people who think differently as bad bad people who just don’t care but they do and I think that’s the point because people think so bad about different people

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  7. anonymous
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    Apr 15th 2020 !⃝

    I think this song is about how people just sit around doing nothing, waiting for the world to change, because they think they cant act. John Mayer is trying to encourage us to act.

  8. anonymous
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    Nov 29th 2018 !⃝

    This song has stuck with me since when I first heard it on the radio when I was 5. I am now a senior and its going to be my senior song its stuck with me that much. I think this song talks about how we literally wait on the world to change. We just sit here and talk about how the world is corrupt and getting worse but no one wants to actually make a difference. So,we just evolve, all of us as one. We wait for someone to make a difference because we are not going to do it ourselves. The world is changing just like it always has and we're just going to go with what the next big thing the world is obsessed with like for instance block eyebrows or penciled skirts and move on.

  9. anonymous
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    Nov 18th 2018 !⃝

    this song on my view is maybe about...
    this generation where no one really cares what other wants and need.
    nobody wanna help nobody and everyone work their ass off just to get what they want not to change the world

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  10. anonymous
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    Oct 19th 2016 !⃝

    Ben was wrong. I was right. Eternalized proof.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  11. anonymous
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    Sep 25th 2014 !⃝

    My interpretation is that the current generation is just lazy. Get out there and make the changes you want. Protest, get people involved. Don't just sit and listen to a song about how you have to wait because you can't do anything. If you ask my generation will help !!

  12. anonymous
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    Feb 20th 2008 !⃝

    IMHO these people do have a choice to try and change the world, but because they don't believe they can, they're just too lazy, and the cycle of no action continues.

    Also they think when they get older they will be able to change the world, but not now.

  13. anonymous
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    May 20th 2007 !⃝

    Since this song was written in the 21st century, I have a feeling that it's about the wars going on in Iraq and where ever around there. Also it's about who is ruling the country right now. It is a great song.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  14. anonymous
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    Feb 26th 2007 !⃝

    This great song is simply about the world changing and no one being bothered or knowing what to do anything about it..... just listen and you'll hear it.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  15. anonymous
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    Nov 16th 2006 !⃝

    This song is about our generation of kids and how the world is really bad but no one is doing anything about it and that someday were going to rule the population but still were waiting on the world to change hence the name waiting on the world to change.


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