The Waiting

written by: Sarah McLachlan

Lyrics

As I watched
In the shiftless sky
I’m waiting
The clouds begin to gather
For the coming storm
I saw you not for who you are
Unsheltered and tainted
By the bitter winds
That blew you away

But I
Like a lonely child who found a friend
Oh I wanted to trust you
‘Cause you were all I had
So I thought and so it seemed

You walked away with my heart
It hung heavy on your sleeve
You drained the very part of me
That hides my deepest feares
I was lost inside myself
You dragged me out into the night

Into the cold
I wondered
What you meant when you said
Don’t be afraid
I won’t let anything harm you
I won’t let anything touch you

So where do I go now
That there’s nowhere left to turn to
And what do I do now
That there’s no one left to talk to
I’m building these walls around me
No one’s going to break through

So with nothing left to feel
I close my eyes and close my heart

I watched in the shiftless sky
I’m waiting
As the clouds begin to gather
For the coming storm

 

Appears on

 

Versions

Early Version
from ???
Track length: 3:36

Live: Harpos, Victoria BC 06 August 1990
from “Harpos 1990” (bootleg)
Track length: 4:33

Live: Radio Performance
from ???
Track length: 3:32

 

Compilations

Album Name
Track length
Version

 

Credits

 

Collaborations

 

Trivia/Notes

– This song was recorded for Solace, but it never made it on the record. Sarah performed this song live on various venues, and is featured on the Harpos 1990 bootleg. She also played it at the 1990 Maritime Music Awards, where she introduced the song as “an upcoming one from her next album”.
– The song carries also a second name, “Won’t Let Anything (Shelter)”.

 

Sarah says

 

Video