Vienna Waits For You...

When my youngest daughter Kaden told us she wanted to name her (future) daughter Vienna, everyone laughed.


"Like the sausages?" everyone roared.


Her big sister jumped to her defense. "No, like the country."


It's a city, Kelsey, but you were always a good sister.


"Like the song?" I asked.


"YES!" she exclaimed. "You know that song?"


Know it? I love it. That Billy Joel song was the reason I bought the 13 Going on 30 soundtrack. Well, that and the fact that it was basically an 80's soundtrack.


I'd listen to that song over and over in my car. I was past the intended age for his message, yet no-one had ever insisted that I "slow down" back then, or that I was "so ambitious for a juvenile."


My inner 13-year old needed to hear it.


A couple of years later I met another 13-year old who reminded me of my younger self. She was in Kaden's carpool, but also in my English class, so I had to tread carefully.


"I want you to hear this song," I told her one night on the way home from a play rehearsal.


I didn't say much else, just let the words speak for themselves. I'm not sure if she received them, or if she understood that I was trying desperately to shield her from the path I'd unknowingly started down at her age. She nodded her head as she got out of the car.


Over the next few years, I'd hear the song from time to time. It never again had such an impact on me.


Until now.


Today at the soup kitchen, I saw five girls, all under twenty, and all acting like experienced women of the world. They breezed in, chatted up the men, and sauntered out in clothes that barely covered their bodies. They can't wait to be grown, to be in the midst of all of the action, and their loud voices are a certain sign of overcompensating their fear.


I wanted to play the song for all of them.

Vienna

By Billy Joel

Slow down, you crazy child
You're so ambitious for a juvenile
But then if you're so smart, then tell me
Why are you still so afraid?

Where's the fire, what's the hurry about?
You'd better cool it off before you burn it out
You've got so much to do
And only so many hours in a day

But you know that when the truth is told
That you can get what you want or you can just get old
You're gonna kick off before you even
Get halfway through
When will you realize, Vienna waits for you

Slow down, you're doing fine
You can't be everything you want to be
Before your time
Although it's so romantic on the borderline tonight
Tonight,
Too bad but it's the life you lead
You're so ahead of yourself that you forgot what you need
Though you can see when you're wrong, you know
You can't always see when you're right. you're right

You've got your passion, you've got your pride
But don't you know that only fools are satisfied?
Dream on, but don't imagine they'll all come true
When will you realize, Vienna waits for you?

Slow down, you crazy child
And take the phone off the hook and disappear for awhile
It's all right, you can afford to lose a day or two
When will you realize, Vienna waits for you?
And you know that when the truth is told
That you can get what you want or you can just get old
You're gonna kick off before you even get halfway through
Why don't you realize, Vienna waits for you
When will you realize, Vienna waits for you?