"Waiting on the World to Change" by John Mayer
(2006), Continuum
Written and produced by John Mayer
On his decision to include a politically tinged song, Mayer commented, "You cannot avoid war in life, you cannot avoid the fear of terrorism, you cannot avoid those things now, they are a part of everyday demeanor. So in that sense it's become more of an acceptable thing to comment on because it's just so much of a white elephant."
Matt Collar with All Music Guide wrote that "Nobody — not a single one of Mayer's contemporaries — has come up with anything resembling a worthwhile anti-war anthem that is as good and speaks for their generation as much as his "Waiting on the World to Change"
(2006), Continuum
Written and produced by John Mayer
On his decision to include a politically tinged song, Mayer commented, "You cannot avoid war in life, you cannot avoid the fear of terrorism, you cannot avoid those things now, they are a part of everyday demeanor. So in that sense it's become more of an acceptable thing to comment on because it's just so much of a white elephant."
Matt Collar with All Music Guide wrote that "Nobody — not a single one of Mayer's contemporaries — has come up with anything resembling a worthwhile anti-war anthem that is as good and speaks for their generation as much as his "Waiting on the World to Change"
"Waiting on the World to Change"-John Mayer
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
So we keep waiting
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on 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 on the world to change
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 on the world to change
We keep on 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 on the world to change
And we're still waiting
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on waiting waiting on the world to change
One day our generation
Is gonna rule the population
So we keep on waiting
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on waiting
Waiting on the world to change
Guiding Questions:
How does this song present the war? Pro-war or anti-war and how do you know?
What language of the song stands out to you, catches your attention, etc?
Is this song in support of or critical of the stated foreign policy?
How does the song answer one of the driving questions?
Do you agree with the message of the song or not? Why
Analysis:
The song, “Waiting on the World to Change” by John Mayer, was written as a way to criticize the desensitization of politics in youths. The song lyrics indirectly state many anti-war suggestions as heard in the phrase “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.” What stands out in this song is its display against the politics of war and the misguided coverage of media. John Mayer points out that a lot of the new we see on television is skewed by those who benefit from the war. Iraq’s conflicts created many negative effects on the American people. This song illuminates how this war affected society in a negative manner and yet we stand and do nothing in hope that things would change. The songs message is to encourage young Americans to understand what is really going on and by doing so, affect the turnout of the war.
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
So we keep waiting
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on 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 on the world to change
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 on the world to change
We keep on 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 on the world to change
And we're still waiting
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on waiting waiting on the world to change
One day our generation
Is gonna rule the population
So we keep on waiting
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on waiting
Waiting on the world to change
Guiding Questions:
How does this song present the war? Pro-war or anti-war and how do you know?
What language of the song stands out to you, catches your attention, etc?
Is this song in support of or critical of the stated foreign policy?
How does the song answer one of the driving questions?
Do you agree with the message of the song or not? Why
Analysis:
The song, “Waiting on the World to Change” by John Mayer, was written as a way to criticize the desensitization of politics in youths. The song lyrics indirectly state many anti-war suggestions as heard in the phrase “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.” What stands out in this song is its display against the politics of war and the misguided coverage of media. John Mayer points out that a lot of the new we see on television is skewed by those who benefit from the war. Iraq’s conflicts created many negative effects on the American people. This song illuminates how this war affected society in a negative manner and yet we stand and do nothing in hope that things would change. The songs message is to encourage young Americans to understand what is really going on and by doing so, affect the turnout of the war.