Vienna Teng / 史逸欣 (born Cynthia Yih Shih on October 3, 1978) is a Taiwanese… Read Full Bio ↴Vienna Teng / 史逸欣 (born Cynthia Yih Shih on October 3, 1978) is a Taiwanese American pianist and singer-songwriter based in New York City. She began studying classical piano at the age of 5. She took her stage name “Vienna” from the Austrian city famous for its musical history, and “Teng” from the surname of famous Taiwanese singer Teresa Teng.

Teng’s musical style incorporates folk, pop, classical piano, and a cappella influences. She uses piano as her primary instrument and charges her lyrics with emotion, narrative, and personal history. Teng is a baseline alto but sings over a wide range.

Reaching the national spotlight at the end of 2002, pianist Vienna Teng had been an important part of the California singer/songwriter scene for a few years before then. A pianist since the age of five, Teng took piano lessons before moving on to improvisation. Writing feverishly throughout her youth, she eventually had a full album's worth of instrumentals by the age of 16.

Going to Stanford to further her education, she released an EP while going to school and recorded most of Waking Hour before she graduated. After releasing the record independently and taking it on the road with her, she scored an agreement with Virt Records and got national distribution in the fall of 2002. Comprised of many intimate songs that detailed the issues of a young adult, her music fell between the uptempo approach of Ben Folds and the theatrical chamber pop of Rufus Wainwright.

She followed up in early 2004 with the matured and critically acclaimed effort Warm Strangers, which charted on three separate Billboard charts. Touring with musicians like Joan Osborne, Shawn Colvin, and Patty Griffin over the years.

Teng next hooked up with producer Larry Klein (Joni Mitchell, Madeleine Peyroux) for her next album, Dreaming Through the Noise, issued in July 2006. That summer, she began to tour with Duncan Sheik and continued a heavy concert schedule throughout 2007.

After relocating from California to New York City in 2008, Teng began work on her fourth full-length album, Inland Territory, which was released on Zoë/Rounder in 2009.

Watershed
Vienna Teng Lyrics

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While you were building your empires
I was still sleeping
I was still sleeping
While you were setting your woods afire
I was still dreaming
I was still dreaming

Now I will unsettle the ground beneath you

Send my waters ashore
Creep into your bed
Find you in every corner

While you argue it over
I am not waiting
I am not waiting
While you retreat to your comforts
I am not fading
I am not fading

I've done this many times before you
Old Shanghai
New Orleans
Amsterdam and Mumbai
Strange new creatures
To scavenge your pores
Oh I've done this many times before you
Ashen sky
Lightning storms
Deltas to desert plains
Wartime on every border

I've done this many times before you
Watched the pattern take form

Children your time is done
If you say it's done together

Overall Meaning

Vienna Teng's "Watershed" is a poignant and thought-provoking song that speaks to the idea of change and the power of nature's forces. The opening lines of the song, "While you were building your empires, I was still sleeping," suggest a sense of missed opportunity and a different approach to life. While others may have been focused on power, possessions, and ambition, the singer was dreaming and potentially cultivating a different type of growth.

As the song progresses, Vienna Teng asserts her own power and agency, using the metaphor of water as a means of unsettlement and chaos. She sings, "Now I will unsettle the ground beneath you, Send my waters ashore, Creep into your bed, Find you in every corner." Here, Teng is highlighting the idea that change can be difficult and uncomfortable, but it is essential for growth and evolution. She is not waiting for others to make changes or to create a better world, but rather taking action herself.

The latter part of the song speaks to the cyclical nature of change and upheaval. Teng lists different cities and historical events, suggesting that these types of changes have happened before and will continue to happen regardless of who is in power or what is happening in the world. She sings, "I've done this many times before you, Watched the pattern take form, Children your time is done, If you say it's done together." Here, Teng is urging listeners to acknowledge the need for change and to work together to create a better future.

Overall, "Watershed" is a powerful and evocative song that calls attention to the need for change and the transformative power of nature. It encourages listeners to take action and to embrace discomfort and uncertainty as integral parts of growth and evolution.

Line by Line Meaning

While you were building your empires
While you were focused on expanding your power and influence

I was still sleeping
I was not yet aware of what was happening

While you were setting your woods afire
While you were destroying the natural world

I was still dreaming
I was still envisioning a better future

Now I will unsettle the ground beneath you
Now I will disrupt your plans and shake up your world

Send my waters ashore
Bring my ideas and influence to your doorstep

Creep into your bed
Invade your personal space and thoughts

Find you in every corner
Confront you everywhere you go

While you argue it over
While you waste time debating

I am not waiting
I am taking action now

While you retreat to your comforts
While you seek safety and luxury