Motives changing, day to day
The fire increases, masks decay
I look at the river, white foam floats down
The body's poisoned, gotta sit tight [ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/m/metallica/the_wait.html ]
The wait
The wait
The wait
The wait
After wakening, silence grows
The screams subside, distortion shows
Mutant thoughts, of bad mouthed news
It's just another birth, of distorted views
It seems to be about the wait for society to kill itself. There is so much war and destruction, that society is getting twisted up, and the destruction currently happening is covering up the damage from prior destruction.