Brad Paisley, “Waitin’ on a Woman”

This song finds a man sitting on a bench, minding his own business, when an old man comes along and automatically assumes that the younger man is “waitin’ on a woman.” So, when this is confirmed, the older man launches into a monologue about all of the times he has had to wait on his woman. This speech, however, is not without a point. He isn’t complaining, because he doesn’t mind. In fact, he concludes: “I’ve read somewhere statistics show/The man’s always the first to go/And that makes sense ’cause I know she won’t be ready/So when it finally comes my time/And I get to the other side/I’ll find myself a bench, if they’ve got any/I hope she takes her time, ’cause I don’t mind/Waitin’ on a woman.”

While this song, with its admittedly sluggish melody, is built on the stereotype that a woman is always late, there is a sweetness about the sentiment’s presentation that rescues it. Since the older man’s first date with his wife was presumably in 1952, one can assume that this man is in his 70s. Therefore, the wry stories told by the man aptly capture the way that men of my grandfather’s generation, though somewhat patronizing, affectionately talked of their wives.

Written by Don Sampson & Wynn Varble

Grade: B

Listen: Waitin’ on a Woman

Buy: Waitin’ on a Woman

14 Comments

  1. Not to be sexist, but it is painfully obvious that a woman wrote this review. No offense, LeeAnn, but I had to say it, as I feel that it biased the review. So, here is another prospective. I’m a married man in my late twenties, and though not of your grandfather’s generation, I share a lot of the core to this song. And, yes, I got it from my grandfather.

    I hate it when people get offended by harmless stereotypes, because many are based in large part on truth. Now some stereotypes are better left alone, and are based in an attitude of hate, but this one is really in jest, and, for most of us, true. As a man, I get through things fast, and am occassionally amazed by how long my wife can spend on a task I fly through. But, as the old man in the song says, to paraphrase, it’s well worth it.

    Now I agree that there is a sweetness in this song, just as there is a sweetness to the point it makes. I gladly wait for my wife whenever she’d like. She’s worth it. If there is one thing I learned from my own grandfather that helps me daily in maintaining a healthy marriage, its patience. I suppose that Brad might well have been trying, and succeeded none the less, to point out that one of the joys of love and life is, well, waitin’ on a woman.

  2. this has always been one of my favorites from him. i hope more artists start following the trend of releasing songs from old cds.

  3. Hey Mike,

    I’m not personally offended by this song. In fact, I fit the stereotype. My husband always has to wait for me. We joke that he needs to tell me it’s time to go at least five minutes before it’s even time to get ready to go and I might still be late. If you read my review again, I hope you’ll notice that I did not express offense to the song. I simply stated that it is “built upon a stereotype that a woman is always late”, which it is. While I fit the stereotype, not all women do. Therefore, it is, in fact, a stereotype rather than a fact about women. It’s not the lyric that made me give it a B; it was the melody.

  4. Fair enough. Brad is my favorite of the younger generation of male singers (actually my favorite of the current Nashville generation of either sex, although there are some young Texas based singers whom I regard more highly), but this isn’t one of his stronger efforts.

    I’d give it a B+ myself but it’s borderline between B and B+ , not between B+ and A-

    P.S. My wife of 33 years is always late, too. I accept that it is probably too late to expect that change. Oh well

  5. Paul, I’m with you. While a lot of people give Brad a hard time, I’m a very big fan of his. I don’t know what it is, but his humor, voice, many of his songs and guitar prowess work for me. I think this song is okay, but not something that I would have chosen for him to go back to a previous album and release.

  6. Try wearing your hair almost high & tight forever, shaving in the shower as habit, and being able to SS&S in under five minutes. Drives my Lovely Bride to distraction. I can literally be ready and out of the house in under ten minutes. Always have – always will. Formal or casual – it simply doesn’t matter.

    She on the other hand? HA! I tried that whole “telling her a time a full hour before the actual time” and I spent a month in celibacy. Won’t do that again! :-o

    Some stereotypes are simply worth keeping. Not all of them are bad and Brad has a way of making them fun. I always get a chuckle out of his songs and isn’t that what music is supposed to do? Put you in an emotional place? Be it happy, sad, thoughtful, whatever?

    Brad Paisley is one of my top two.

  7. “I tried that whole “telling her a time a full hour before the actual time” and I spent a month in celibacy. Won’t do that again!”
    Jarheaddad, Bill knows that he walks a thin line in warning me too far in advance. I catch on pretty quickly, especially since I’m the one who usually remembers when we’re supposed to be somewhere on any given day.:)

  8. Once again, Brad has a pretty good song on his hands, but I’ve actually found that his last three singles have been unsatisfying in terms of melody. None of them have been terrible, and this follows the same line, but none have been particularly exciting since “Ticks”.

  9. I completely back everything Kent just said. This song is fine – I’m probably too young to fully appreciate the sentiment – but for me, everything since “Ticks” has been either offensive (“Online” and “I’m Still a Guy”) or boring (“Letter to Me” and this one, both of which are well-written but lost their sting rather quickly for me after the first listen). A lot of people dislike “Ticks” because it’s creepy and/or frivolous; I love it because it’s both of those things and also clever melodically.

  10. Not sure why but I have been less than impressed with the last few Paisley singles. Yeah, the guy has the niche to write country songs and fits right in, blah.. blah…. blah.
    With that, and maybe it’s because radio OVERPLAYS his stuff, I just find it all boring and predictable. He definitely has fallen into a rut with his lyrics. Good thing his next album is going to be all instrumental.

  11. Brad Paisley has become the most reliable country singer out there with consistently good songs. I am delighted he went back to this gem off his last album because I was a little dissapointed it was never released as a single.

  12. This song kinda reminds me of Kenny Chesney’s “The Good Stuff”. I love the line about him going to heaven and finding a bench, because she won’t be ready. The video is so sweet and just adds to this song and enhances the experience. I like the fact that it’s a song about a younger generation taking advice from their elders. We need more of that in our generation today.

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