Teng, Vienna - Grandmother Song Lyrics

I have this song in my head all the time. I love everything about it: Great beat, passion, lyrics, telling a compelling story, full of personality and a bit of cultural flavor. So. Good.

guys...you didn't finish listening to the song. The grandmother is AT FIRST warning her to look for something more stable as it will be more safe and secure a comfortable life, but in the middle of the song, the grandmother also starts saying that things have changed from her own harsh times, and now women have much more opportunities, and she's telling her to do what makes her happy, and a man that is okay with that (instead of one who is traditional).

See the lyrics: "But the one thing they can't take away from you/Is your mind and the education you've been through/And so you find a man who understands that too"
and then
"Because we never had your chances/The advantages that you've been handed/Girl, you'll never know how hard it was/So you got to do this for all of us"

Therefore, the lyric "Take it from your grandmother" changes meaning from the beginning of the song to the end. Have more faith in Vienna's songwriting! She's always got a plot twist up her sleeve :)

I would beg to differ but this has already gotten far too off topic and now, frankly, is boring. Do what you want. I was just trying to make the point that you shouldn't scorn your grandparents for whatever time tested advice they offer unto you.

It's a wonderful metaphor if you're talking about enjoying life through your eyes rather than succeeding at it through the eyes of others. And I'm not saying don't follow your education; I'm saying you don't need a marital partner to achieve anything other than being married.

"Better to live in a cave with a view of a palace then to live in a palace with a view of a cave." That's a really really bad metaphor. The song specifically states that you should follow your ambitions but in terms of making the most use of your education, not following a music career that may or may not bare fruit. Also, being different for the sake of being different is just a sign of insecurity.

For a lot of people, it is. "Choosing life", as it's called, is being rejected by a growing population. People like to stand on their own two feet now, see the world rather than slave away in a job only to come home to make dinner, an hour of TV, and then to bed ready to repeat the process. That's not a life; you don't see anything, don't do anything unorthodox, you're just...comfy. Better to live in a cave with a view of a palace then to live in a palace with a view of a cave.

Like having a stable job with a retirement plan and getting married? Real outdated.

Just as the priorities of fifty odd years ago mean nothing today.

Believe it or not, you dont know everything. Age tends to breed wisdom into people and the priorities of today will be as nothing to you 20 or even 10 years from now.

As an asexual, I can guarantee that in my case, yes, I think she is.

Its not like shes wrong.

Well said.

If my grandma told me that a music career is a stupid idea and that I needed to find myself a man, I would probably never speak to the woman again.

That says more about you and your grandmother's relationship than anything about Vienna or her song.

This is a really awesome song. I can just see the little granny giving this speech. Sincere and well meant on the grandmother's part I'm sure. It speaks to the generation gap and how stuff changes and yet stays the same. The granny gives good advice after all. The irony of her grandma telling her music isn't real life- and then she turns it into a song. And then the sadness of what her grandmother has been through. It's really freaking hard to leave your country and all you've known.

I remember reading some where that she said in an interview that this song is an almost word for word direct translation of a speech her Grandmother gave her.