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 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 half through
Why don't you realize, Vienna waits for you
When will you realize, Vienna waits for you?



Lyrics submitted by fletch699

Track duration: 03:34

"Vienna" as written by Billy Joel

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Vienna song meanings
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87 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:This would probably be in my top 50 favorite songs. The way he sings it is just magical. I think it's impossible to listen to it and not smile.
    Flag thrashgrunge4lifeon December 10, 2012   Link
  • +1
    My Interpretation:I love this song, every time I hear it it reminds me of myself. I'm in college pre-dental & I want so badly to take all the classes I can and finish as soon as possible... that sometimes I have sleepless nights but I never slow down. When I hear this I just think to myself slow down school is not going anywhere, just take your time... :-) idk lol i'm such a dork lol
    Flag cupcake12on November 11, 2012   Link
  • +1
    My Interpretation:One of my favorites by Billy Joel. To me, it's another way of saying "Rome wasn't built in a day", done as eloquently as only Billy Joel could. If you want to get somewhere in your life, if there's a place you really want to go, it will wait for you. It's not the end of the world if you aren't there yet. You just need to take a deep breath and relax. It's not going anywhere. It will wait for you.

    As a guitar-player, I enjoy the line "It's all right, you can afford to lose a day or two." When working towards a goal, sometimes you need to take a break. That way you can come back stronger than before.

    Don't go so fast you forget to enjoy the trip along the way. It's not about the destination, but the journey. If you take it too fast, you won't enjoy it as much when you get there.
    Flag LazyBastardGuyon August 31, 2012   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:I think it is not important who he is referring to i.e it could be a young lover, a son, daughter. The importance is why he is referring to them. When I first heard it on some movie I couldn't make out the lyrics, but I fell in love with the sound. The jazzy rock rhythm stayed in my head for days. When I tried to recall the lyrics a day later to find the song all I could come up with was "the inner waits for you" and even though I made that mistake I realized how amazing the message of the song really was. I would like to think of Vienna as a symbol for that moment in your life when everything is perfect. Because at first I thought it was just internal happiness, but I realized I could be internally happy even with a tornado outside. So it made me think "what am I working so hard for right now?" What is my vienna? And I realized it isn't just a place, person, or goal, it's a moment when everything is so perfect you could die and have no regrets. But then I had a conflicting thought because he also says only fools are satisfied and finding vienna or nirvana if you will would in fact be being satisfied. So it made me think of heaven and the afterlife. Maybe that is what vienna really means heaven waits for you to live your life and figure it all out. And life isn't meant to be rushed through and worried about. It is meant to be enjoyed and completely used up chasing ever thing you ever dreamed of doing.

    My favorite line is "You know when you're wrong, but you don't always know when you're right. You're right." To me it is so perfectly worded.
    Flag kevin1is7luckyon May 02, 2012   Link
  • +1
    My Opinion:For me the song is about making sure you achieve your dreams but not to worry if something doesn't go to plan. Life will never turn out the way you expect it and therefore you just gotta go at it. So enjoy while your young and remember that adulthood will still be there waiting for you and you won't miss out.
    Flag tjthedjdrummeron April 20, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song is amazing. I first heard it in a movie years ago and I found out the name and artist just today! Can't stop listening to it <3
    Flag AnotherSamieon January 22, 2012   Link
  • -1
    General Comment:Uhm I always thought he says 'The entire world waits for you' instead of 'Vienna waits for you' :)
    Flag Hedvigeon September 18, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I like to believe that the song was written to Marie Antoinette, telling her to slow down and enjoy life. She did live quite vicariously throughout her life and was born and raised in Vienna, Austria. Her marriage to Louis XVI was to make France and Austria allies. When America was in the Revolutionary War, France supplied aid. And Austria was an ally of Great Britain, therefore threatening to tear the alliance between Austria and France apart, with Marie Antoinette playing diplomat on both sides. "If you're so smart tell me why are you still so afraid?" Her ridiculous spending and promiscuity is rumored to have been the result of a standoffish and unromantic marriage. "You better cool it off before you burn it out" and "it's so romantic on the borderline tonight." <- (That last verse I took to mean that she only appeared to be happily married; i.e. it's so romantic seeing it from the outside). She was only 19 when she was crowned; still very much a child mentally. But her home was always in Austria. "Vienna waits for you." Although many people may argue that this is definitely not what the song is referring to, I like to imagine it so.
    Flag CECervanteson September 06, 2011   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:The song was written in Vienna. after meeting his father for the first time
    Flag blah52on August 04, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song completely speaks to me and my life situation.
    To me, its basically about the way that, as a 19 year old, I have tried to feel this sense of perfection/complete hapiness and balance within my life: having the career, the boyfriend, the best friends, independence, and feeling the pressure to have it all, right now. I throw myself in everything as if tomorrow I am going to die. And as a result, when things break or change or fall apart, its like the world is going to end. I way I see it is he is trying to say that you don't need this perfection as you have your entire life to find hapiness and purpose, and that you are fooling yourself for believing that everything in your life will work out.

    Now the question is how do I change so that I can follow his advice, and that is the hard part.
    Flag shazzababyon July 12, 2011   Link

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