The Meaning of Future’s “WAIT FOR U” ft. Drake & Tems
Future’s newest album, I NEVER LIKED YOU, dropped April 29th and is packed with bangers that we’ll be hearing all summer long. The album boasts a heavy-hitting cast of features including Drake, Kanye West, Kodak Black, Lil Baby, Young Thug, and more.
The most immaculate vibe on the entire 22-track album is “WAIT FOR U”, which features Drake and Tems, and samples her track “Higher”. One of two Drake appearances on this album, this song has a laid-back beat and heartfelt lyrics that explore how a relationship can be tinted by fame, drugs, and alcohol.
“WAIT FOR U” is a song about looking for an understanding type of love, one that can endure the trials of a life in the spotlight like the ones lived by Future and Drake. The idea is that the lovers will wait for each other, whether that means physically waiting, or just having patience during the more difficult emotional moments.
Future is up first, with some clever wordplay and even a subtle reference:
You pray for my demons, girl, I got you
Future’s verse in “WAIT FOR U”.
Every time I sip on codeine, I get vulnerable
I’m knowin’ the sounds of the storm when it come
She understand I can’t take her everywhere a nigga going
I been in the field like the childrеn of the corn
With this verse, Future expresses appreciation for the girl who prays for his demons, saying “I got you” to mean that he has her back. He may also be saying that knowing she is looking out for him gives him strength in facing those demons, and she certainly respects his lifestyle.
Future casually drops a reference to the 1984 slasher film Children of the Corn when he raps about being in the field. This means that he has been working hard, and dealing with some dangerous people.
Then, Future drops into a chorus, with Tems also dropping lines that is later repeated by Drake (also with Tems):
I can hear your tears whеn they drop over the phone
Chorus to “WAIT FOR U” by Future and Drake.
Get mad at yourself ’cause you can’t leave me alone
Gossip, bein’ messy, that ain’t what we doing (World was ending)
Travel around the world (Would you cry or would you try to get me?)
Over the phone, dropping tears (Tell me now, I want you to be clear, yeah)
I get more vulnerable when I do pills (Tell me now, I need you to be clear, yeah)
When you drunk, you tell me exactly how you feel (I will wait for you, for you)
When I’m loaded, I keep it real (I will wait for you, I will wait for you)
Please tell a real one exactly what it is (I will wait, will wait, for you, for you)
Don’t say it ’cause you know that’s what I wanna hear (I will wait for you, I will wait for you)
The chorus details a difficult moment between the couple, with the rapper traveling around performing and his lady at home missing him. There’s drama and tears, but then the pills and alcohol bring out the tenderness and allow them to connect, and in the end they reassure one another that they will wait for them.
Drake’s verse is a bit longer, and appears to be about a relationship gone south, rather than one that has hope like Future’s verse. It also offers some details that anchor it in real life:
Yeah, I been trappin’ ’round the world
Drake’s verse in “WAIT FOR U”, with Tems.
I sit on my balcony and wonder how you feelin’
I got a career that takes my time away from women
I cannot convince you that I love you for a livin’ (Will wait for you, for you)
I be on your line, feelings flowin’ like a river
You be textin’ back you at Kiki on the river (I will wait for you)
Message say delivered (I will wait for you), but I know that you don’t get it
Why you introduce us if you knew that you was with him? (I will wait for you, for you, for you)
Made me shake his hand when y’all been fuckin’ for a minute (I will wait for you, for you)
Walk me off the plank because you know that I’m a swimmer (I will wait for you)
Supposed to be your dog, but you done put me in a kennel
Girl, put a muzzle on it, all that barkin’ over dinner
I was fuckin’ with you when you had the tiny Presidential
You got better when you met me and that ain’t coincidental
Tried to bring the best out you, guess I’m not that influential
Guess I’m not the one that’s meant for you
Drake raps about being away from his woman, but thinking of her and wondering how she’s doing. He’s trying to get in contact with her, but she is busy, texting back that she’s at “Kiki on the River”, which is a fancy restaurant in Miami.
Then, Drake sends a message that he knows she won’t get, and he reaches a point of frustration. He revisits a memory of her introducing him to another man, whom she was already sleeping with. This is presumably the person who she’s with at Kiki on the River.
Finally, Drake recalls arguing with her over dinner, and being by her side before she was successful. He says that she got better when she met him, and she took it for granted.
With one final diss, he mentions wanting to bring out the best in her, but failing. This means that she isn’t acting in a way that makes him think highly of her, and though he tried his best, it’s over.
Just to show us that they’ve stitched this song together perfectly, Future hops back in here to join Drake and Tems in reciting the chorus one more time, straight out of Drake’s verse.
This song is a certified hit — yet another to come from the Future and Drake combo. Listen below.