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Much of the material from the first three Doors albums (of which this was the third) were culled from Jim Morrison's notebooks, filled with poetry and songs he had written mostly before joining the band. Lyrically, they reflect his heavy use of LSD, as well as his obsessions with the elements, death, crime, excess, conflict, shamanism, theater, and cinema. The images conjured by his words are highly visual, and also disturbing. Morrison reveled in the youth culture rebellion of the late 1960s, but he did not see innocence, peace, and love as idyllically as most of his hippie contemporaries. Led primarily by his visions, the music of the Doors between 1967 and 1968 explored the primitivism, hedonism, and violence inherent in American's cultural struggles of the period.

It is arguable that Waiting For the Sun perfects the band's unique image even more so than it's two predecessors, which are generally more revered by critics and fans. Morrison-penned songs like "Not to Touch the Earth," "The Unknown Solider," and "Five to One" each reflect a sense of anger and dread, conveying the sense that some unknown cataclysm awaits everything society holds dear. References to the Kennedy assassination, the Vietnam War, and increasing civil unrest abound. These songs are punctuated by less confrontational love songs like "Hello, I Love You," and "Love Street," and groovy interludes like "Spanish Caravan" and "We Could Be So Good Together," but it is the more disturbing material that feels the most inspired and ultimately leaves the greatest impression.