Slow down, you crazy child
You’re so ambitious for a juvenile
But then if you’re so smart
Tell me why are you still so afraid?
Where’s the fire? What’s the hurry about?
You better cool it off before you burn it out
You 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 wanna 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 a while
It’s all right, you can afford to lose a day or two
When will you realize, Vienna waits for you?
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?
— Vienna (1977), sung by Billy Joel (1949)
One of the most beautiful songs ever written.
Lagu Vienna yang dipopulerkan oleh Billy Joel pada tahun 1977 ini memiliki kisah yang menarik di balik pembuatannya. Vienna sendiri merupakan metafora dari sisa kehidupan. Dilansir dari laman website berikut, Billy Joel bercerita bahwa ketika berusia awal 20-an, ia mengunjungi ayahnya di Vienna, Austria. Saat sedang berjalan-jalan, Billy melihat seorang wanita tua yang sedang menyapu jalanan. Billy sempat menanyakan kepada ayahnya mengapa wanita tua tersebut menyapu jalanan (baca: bukan orang yang berumur lebih muda). Lalu ayahnya menjawab, “dia memiliki pekerjaan, dia merasa berguna, dia senang, dia membuat jalanan bersih, dia tidak ‘terbuang’. Dia memiliki tempat di masyarakat”.
Sebagian masyarakat cenderung memberi perlakuan buruk kepada orang-orang yang sudah tua. Membawanya ke panti jompo, misalnya, atau cukup melayani segala kebutuhannya, lalu bersikap seolah-olah mereka tidak perlu lagi untuk mengambil peran dalam masyarakat. Di Vienna, masyarakat menghargai orang-orang yang lebih tua. Mereka membuat orang-orang tua ini merasa bahwa mereka tetap dapat menjadi bagian dari komunitas. Orang-orang tua masih berguna — dan masih dapat memberi manfaat untuk sekitarnya. Dengan demikian, kita, sebagai orang yang masih muda, tidak perlu merasa khawatir untuk tumbuh, untuk bertambah tua, lalu benar-benar menjadi tua karena kita masih memiliki kesempatan untuk tetap mengambil peran kendati pun sudah tidak berada di usia muda. Kita masih memiliki waktu untuk melanjutkan rajutan benang-benang mimpi kita serta berkontribusi di masyarakat. Seperti lirik dalam lagu Vienna, slow down, you’re doing fine, you can’t be everything you wanna be before your time.
“You don’t have to squeeze your whole life into your 20s and 30s trying to make it, trying to achieve that American dream, getting in the rat race, and killing yourself. You have a whole life to live. I kind of used ‘Vienna’ as a metaphor, there is a reason for being old, a purpose.” — Billy Joel
As said in this article, Vienna is an unusual carpe diem-styled song. Do you know what ‘carpe diem’ means? Well, if you ever watched Dead Poets Society, this term should be familiar. I ever mentioned about that movie twice, on my #33 and #38 article — although there is no relation why I mentioned those two articles other than for promotional purposes lol xD
Well, dear readers, carpe diem means seize the day.
That’s it. That’s all.
Let’s live our life to the fullest. Cheers! 🍻👋
Barru, September 13th, 2023.
14.30 — was going to read Bening Bulan chapter but was too stunned by its opening.
