Hamilton came to the US with nothing. No parents, no property, nothing... So, he is willing to risk everything because he isn't actually risking anything. If you have nothing you have nothing to lose.

In this song, Burr talks about the pressure he is under (or perhaps he puts himself under) to live up to the legacy of his family name. His grandfather, the preacher, his mom, a genius and his dad who commanded respect. All of them are gone. If he doesn't do well, in his mind he lets all of them down. So, in contrast to Hamilton, Burr feels like he has everything to lose.

Waiting for it is about moving cautiously but also about control. He says that he is the only thing in life he can control. He is not willing to give up that control.

I feel like this song is about grief. What is interesting is that they have more in common than you would think. They are both orphans, both ambitious and brilliant. Both work hard. However, they greet their grief very differently.

Hamilton pours himself into everything, almost as if if he stops he will remember what he has lost, so he spends his whole life running full out. Sometimes that makes him successful. Sometimes it ends up hurting him.

Burr deals with his grief through self control. He knows, intellectually, that a lot of things are outside of his control, but feels if he plans each of his moves carefully, timing things just right he will have the chance live up to his family's expectations of him, to live up to what they left behind. Waiting for it is about self-restraint and timing, but also about loss.