Lyrics
Grandma's name was Maybellene
Grandma's given name was Maybellene
But everybody called her Queenie
Despite her name, everyone knew her as Queenie
She raised 3 boys all by herself
She raised three sons without a partner
So she smoked just like a chimney
She smoked excessively, resembling a chimney
She rolled her own and she laughed too loud
She hand-rolled her cigarettes and had a boisterous laugh
Drove a bright red station wagon
She drove a vibrant red station wagon
She cussed like a sailor so she was pretty much
She used profanity liberally, making her extremely cool in the narrator's eyes
The coolest thing I could imagine
The narrator admired her as the epitome of coolness
She played black music on the radio
She played African American music on the radio
Kind of slow danced while she was sweeping
She danced slowly while doing chores like sweeping
Sometimes when the daylight turned
Sometimes, at sunset, the narrator noticed her quietly crying
I'd catch her gently weeping
He observed her shedding tears occasionally
Said sometimes you just gotta cry
She expressed that crying is necessary at times as it comes with striving for a better life
That's the price you pay for a better life
It's a part of the sacrifice one makes for improving their life
Oh and this old world gets hard
Life becomes challenging when carrying the emotional burden of an orphan
When you're carrying an orphan's heart
Dealing with the difficulties of growing up without parents is tough
She lived alone for 15 years
She lived independently for fifteen years
Then one day she just got tired of the silence
Then, feeling lonely, she decided to move closer to the narrator's family
So 2 weeks later she packed it up
Two weeks later, she relocated to live nearby
And moved in right beside us
The narrator's parents were often occupied, and Queenie's presence provided an extra watchful eye
Mama and Daddy both worked so much
The narrator didn't mind the additional supervision
And if there was trouble I could find it
She bought the narrator baseball cards and allowed him to stay up late
Now they had an extra pair of eyes
She shared inappropriate jokes and taught the narrator many of them
Tell you the truth I didn't mind it
She encouraged the narrator's interest in playing the guitar at high volumes
She'd buy me baseball cards
The narrator had a deep affection for Queenie, likening it to his love for Coca Cola
And let me stay up late
Taught me every dirty joke I ever told you
The narrator had to face the emotional difficulty of bidding farewell to Queenie, leading to tears
She'd let me play guitar and turn it up too loud
He expressed affection by kissing her hand and saying a final goodbye
Aw man I loved her more than Coca Cola
The challenge of life becomes tougher while carrying the emotional scars of being an orphan
So I just had to sit and cry
Kissed her hand and said my last goodbye
-Oh and this old world gets hard
-When you're carrying an orphan's heart
-
Comment