Maria Viktoria Mena (born February 19, 1986) is a Norwegian singer-songwrit… Read Full Bio ↴Maria Viktoria Mena (born February 19, 1986) is a Norwegian singer-songwriter.

Mena was thirteen years old she moved to live with her musician father. She sang and wrote lyrics as a form of therapy for her feelings and frustrations. Not all the stories in her diary became songs, but "My Lullaby" was one of them, expressing her pain from her parents' divorce. After pleading with her father to make a demo, he contacted some industry experts to record Maria's songs in the studio. Then he presented his daughter's demo to the music industry. Sony Music signed Maria Mena to their label.

In March 2002, Mena's single "My Lullaby" reached number five in the Norwegian charts. The young singer quickly gained fans and soon earned her first platinum record. 2005 saw the release of Apparently Unaffected, including singles "Miss You Love" and "Just Hold Me". A significant success in Norway, the album gained three Spellemann nominations: best female artist, best hit, and best music video.

In September 2008 Mena's fifth studio album was released, Cause and Effect.

Money
Maria Mena Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I’m not scared of consequences
Don’t believe in god
I trust this moment
I am helping her, the rest of you are vultures

Where were you when our father passed away
I stayed and helped her pay her bills
She drank her pain away

She’s always been so helpless

The cause of aging is undecided
But she must be stored away
Our family’s always been divided
Why cooperate today?
Oh you smell money, money
She reeks of money

You’re my sister
But you never came around on Christmases
You travelled, kept great distances
Between you and your family

I’ve been the kind of son I always wanted for myself
My kids are flawed
Look at my ex-wives
I deserve some compensation

The cause of aging is undecided
But she must be stored away
Our family’s always been divided
Why cooperate today?

Oh you smell money, money
She reeks of money

Overall Meaning

The song "Money" by Maria Mena appears to be a critique of family dynamics and the way that money can drive people apart. The singer seems to be the only one who is actively helping their mother, while the rest of the family is deemed as "vultures" who only care about her money. The first verse establishes the singer's mindset: they're not afraid of consequences and don't believe in God, instead choosing to focus on the present moment.

The second verse goes into more detail about the family's history, specifically around the father's passing. The singer stayed and helped their mother pay the bills, while others presumably didn't do as much. The mother turned to drinking to cope, and has always been seen as helpless. As the family tries to decide what to do with her in old age, the singer sees everyone else as smelling money and only being interested in their potential inheritance.

Overall, the song seems to be a plea for families to come together and help each other, regardless of potential monetary gain. The singer takes pride in being a good son and father, even while acknowledging their own flaws. The repetition of the line "she reeks of money" emphasizes the idea that people's material desires can cloud their judgment and priorities.

Line by Line Meaning

I’m not scared of consequences
I am unafraid of the outcome of my actions

Don’t believe in god
I do not have faith in a higher power

I trust this moment
I have confidence in the present time

I am helping her, the rest of you are vultures
I am aiding her, while others are preying on her for personal gain

Where were you when our father passed away
You were not present when our father died

I stayed and helped her pay her bills
I remained to assist her with her finances

She drank her pain away
She used alcohol as a coping mechanism

She’s always been so helpless
She has always been in a vulnerable position

The cause of aging is undecided
The reason for aging is unclear

But she must be stored away
However, she should be put in a care facility

Our family’s always been divided
Our family has always had disagreements