<P> `` I Do n't Want to Wait '' is a song written , performed and produced by Paula Cole . It was Cole 's second single from her album This Fire and later served as the opening theme for the TV series Dawson 's Creek . Cole wrote the song and recorded a demo in April 1991 but did not record it for release until 1996 . The song is in common time with a moderate beat rate of 87 beats per minute . `` I Do n't Want to Wait '' is written in the key of F - sharp major . and Cole 's vocal range spans from the note of F ♯ 3 to the note of D ♯ 5 . The single ranked at No. 10 on the 1998 Billboard Hot 100 singles chart year - end summary . The single spent the most consecutive weeks in the top 50 without cracking the top 10 , just missing out at No. 11 . The single , with a 56 - week - long run , is among the list of the 32 songs in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 to have had a chart run longer than 50 weeks . </P>
who sings i do n 't wan na wait for our lives to be over
Paula Cole