Waiting Games - Song analysis
Introduction
This is probably the single song that has most shifted my music preferences. Before hearing this song, my favourite artist was Imagine Dragons. But then someone in a Discord server posted the YouTube link to this song, with that thumbnail, and I saved it out of curiosity. Something about it, the yellow theme, the clock, the name, it intrigued me enough to come back to listen to it.
I fell in love with the atmosphere of the song, and with lyrics I didn't quite comprehend. I wanted more. It took me a while to go from here to listening to more Aviators music, the discography was overwhelming at first, but I did so bit by bit. Now I'm in the top 100 Aviator's listeners on Apple Music.
Waiting Games is part of the album "A Song That Never Ends". An album about lost love, an emotional tale hitting different marks, like carnal lust, hope, betrayal. Waiting Games slots right in, and goes right for the depressing side
The chorus has the lyric "No one's going to miss me when I'm gone", it can't get more depressing than that. But there is also something about revolution, about fighting back. "I'm not a pawn, of men on the hill".
Waiting Games isn't just a song about lost love and being depressed, it's a song about love being twisted by those with power, used against us, and fighting back. A classic theme for Aviators
Verse 1
It can be difficult to feel hope in our world now (Wishing for faith, when faith isn't real). We're always so aware, so many things being shown to us. On the news, on our feeds, in conversations with friends. And so much now is absurd, unbelievable. (Nothing is sound, And no lips are sealed)
So for a lot of people, it's easier to feel apathy or to ignore it all, to block out the sound of everything happening all at once, more information than we were ever meant to process. It's more convenient that way (Spiralling down, The end that I crave).
But not everyone. Because for every person who doesn't care, who ignores reality because it's inconvenient, there is still work to be done. Information that must be shared. Money that must be raised. Legal battles that must be won. Most people won't do it, but some will. (The holes left behind, Are filled by the brave)
Verse 2
A world so filled with hate perpetrated by men such as Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Andrew Tate. Men who have done vile things, but who through the wielding of their power, police what their followers, and society at large, must be. (Language of hate, Love is for sale, State controlled thought, We're too scared to fail)
For many minorities, the need to hide feels more real than it used to in the 2010's. For trans people especially, frequently the target of the right wing. (Bricks laid by fear, Walls holding me in).
Meanwhile, most of the population can ignore it all. So long as it's far away. People stopped caring about Gaza after the ceasefire, despite how many times Israel has violated it. AI affirms everyone's biases. The biggest fandom debates are about stupid shit. Popufurs, for example, can get away with vile stuff. (Expenses of truth, Affordable sin)
Bridge
On the internet, grifting and making money has become priority. Blue checkmarks on Twitter post engagement bait, not caring about the truth. Bots take over our feeds, AI music floods Spotify, you can now bet on the outcomes of wars or even individual battles. (Mutual greed, Is all that we know, Justice is ignorance, And life is for show).
But we are reminded to fight back. There are people who, like me, refuse to rely on LLM's for anything. People, like Greta Thunberg, who defy imperialism to help others. The folks to maintain Wikipedia, keeping it as a bastion of knowledge. Everyone who resists. (I'm not a pawn, Of men on the hill, Nobody knows, The strength of my will)
Is it enough? When the leader of the most powerful and terrifying state on Earth makes shit up constantly, or is being fed lies to by his advisers? Can we really resist? Is there any way out of this dystopia? (Nothing is real, Nothing is safe, I'm reaching for emptiness now, I know an escape, I see what's beneath, Belong to the whispers, the only way out)
On the internet, grifting and making money has become priority. Blue checkmarks on Twitter post engagement bait, not caring about the truth. Bots take over our feeds, AI music floods Spotify, you can now bet on the outcomes of wars or even individual battles. (Mutual greed, Is all that we know, Justice is ignorance, And life is for show).
But we are reminded to fight back. There are people who, like me, refuse to rely on LLM's for anything. People, like Greta Thunberg, who defy imperialism to help others. The folks to maintain Wikipedia, keeping it as a bastion of knowledge. Everyone who resists. (I'm not a pawn, Of men on the hill, Nobody knows, The strength of my will)
Is it enough? When the leader of the most powerful and terrifying state on Earth makes shit up constantly, or is being fed lies to by his advisers? Can we really resist? Is there any way out of this dystopia? (Nothing is real, Nothing is safe, I'm reaching for emptiness now, I know an escape, I see what's beneath, Belong to the whispers, the only way out)
Chorus
Throughout the song, the chorus has been playing between verses. Each time, getting stronger. It hammers the themes of sorrow and nihilism, carrying a suicidal tone. Until at last, it hits at the end, more powerful than before, repeating twice. It almost feels defiant the second time. Or sadder. Take your pick.
I don't want to play these waiting games
Are we going to just lie around, waiting for the world to end? That shouldn't be the case. Will you wait for the gestapo to come and take you away? Will you live life in the closet, waiting for the perfect opportunity that may never come?
All I need's a chance to clear my name
That's what we all want, a chance to show who we really are, to push aside all this hate and darkness.
Giving up is part of how we move along
In the true meaning of the song, giving up means suicide. Giving up on life. But in this analysis, it can mean something else. If you think that by just showing how a bigot's logic is flawed, you will win, then you're fighting a losing battle. Give up on it. There is no logic to hate, aside from the hate itself. Pointing out that terf's a flip-flopping on the Cass Review does nothing. Helping the trans community meaningfully does something.
No one's going to miss me when I'm gone
Again, suicide. The thought of who will care when you die. But it means something more sinister when you consider what I've been writing. A world filled with hate, and with apathetic people. The bigots will be happy to see you in the grave (and then defile the grave), saying good riddance. They won't miss you. And those with apathy? They'll never have noticed. The ones who will care, and miss you, well, they're probably next on the chopping block.
The chorus repeats in the end. The first times around, it's defeatist. I won't want to wait to be killed, so I'll do it myself. I just need to show I'm good, but it seems impossible. I suppose then, I should give up. Not like anybody will care.
But then, say it again in a different way.
I don't want to play these Waiting Games, waiting for something impossible. I just need a chance. If that chance won't come, then I'll give up (on waiting for it), and take my own path. For those I leave behind, well, they won't miss me anyway.
That nihilism can become defiance. At least, that's what I personally think. What I want.
Conclusion
It's a song about nihilism, giving up, committing suicide. No doubt about it, and my personal analysis does not change that fact. But the fun thing about media interpretation is that more things can be taken out of it than initially intended.
Over time, I've begun to view Waiting Games through a different lens, the one I shared here. That it's not a wholly depressing song, but has some defiance to it. That isn't just present in Waiting Games, but in the album it's in as well, if not in Aviator's entire discography.
The instrumentals still hit hard, and invoke a cinematic feel. The lyrics are well written, and can carry multiple meanings. The singing is dark and done with the usual echoing that seems common with Aviators. And I'm so thankful to this song for introducing me to such a wonderful musician.
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