The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
It's the little old lady from Pasadena
The little old lady from Pasadena
(Go granny, go granny, go granny, go)
Has a pretty little flowerbed of white gardenias
(Go granny, go granny, go granny, go)
But parked in a rickety old garage
There's a brand new shiny red super stock Dodge
And everybody's sayin' that there's nobody meaner than
The little old lady from Pasadena
She drives real fast and she drives real hard
She's the terror of Colorado boulevard
It's the little old lady from Pasadena
If you see her on the strip, don't try to choose her
(Go granny, go granny, go granny, go)
You might drive a go-er, but you'll never lose her
(Go granny, go granny, go granny, go)
Well, she's gonna get a ticket now, sooner or later
'Cause she can't keep her foot off the accelerator
And everybody's sayin' that there's nobody meaner than
The Little Old Lady From Pasadena
She drives real fast and she drives real hard
She's the terror of Colorado Boulevard
It's the little old lady from Pasadena
You can catch her all the time, just gettin' her kicks now
(Go granny, go granny, go granny, go)
With her four speed stick and a four-two-six now
(Go granny, go granny, go granny, go)
The guys come to race her from miles around
But she'll give 'em a length, then she'll shut 'em down
And everybody's sayin' that there's nobody meaner than
The little old lady from Pasadena
She drives real fast and she drives real hard
She's the terror of Colorado boulevard
It's the little old lady from Pasadena
Go granny, go granny, go granny, go (come on granny, go)
Go granny, go granny, go granny, go (come on granny, go)
Go granny, go granny, go granny, go (come on granny, go)
Go granny, go granny, go granny, go (come on granny, go)
Go granny, go granny, go granny, go (come on granny, go)
Go granny, go granny, go granny, go (come on granny, go)
Go granny, go granny, go granny, go (come on granny, go)
Go granny, go granny, go granny, go (come on granny, go)
Go granny, go granny, go granny, go (come on granny, go)
Go granny, go granny, go granny, go (come on granny, go)
The little old lady from Pasadena
(Go granny, go granny, go granny, go)
Has a pretty little flowerbed of white gardenias
(Go granny, go granny, go granny, go)
But parked in a rickety old garage
There's a brand new shiny red super stock Dodge
And everybody's sayin' that there's nobody meaner than
The little old lady from Pasadena
She drives real fast and she drives real hard
She's the terror of Colorado boulevard
It's the little old lady from Pasadena
If you see her on the strip, don't try to choose her
(Go granny, go granny, go granny, go)
You might drive a go-er, but you'll never lose her
(Go granny, go granny, go granny, go)
Well, she's gonna get a ticket now, sooner or later
'Cause she can't keep her foot off the accelerator
And everybody's sayin' that there's nobody meaner than
The Little Old Lady From Pasadena
She drives real fast and she drives real hard
She's the terror of Colorado Boulevard
It's the little old lady from Pasadena
You can catch her all the time, just gettin' her kicks now
(Go granny, go granny, go granny, go)
With her four speed stick and a four-two-six now
(Go granny, go granny, go granny, go)
The guys come to race her from miles around
But she'll give 'em a length, then she'll shut 'em down
And everybody's sayin' that there's nobody meaner than
The little old lady from Pasadena
She drives real fast and she drives real hard
She's the terror of Colorado boulevard
It's the little old lady from Pasadena
Go granny, go granny, go granny, go (come on granny, go)
Go granny, go granny, go granny, go (come on granny, go)
Go granny, go granny, go granny, go (come on granny, go)
Go granny, go granny, go granny, go (come on granny, go)
Go granny, go granny, go granny, go (come on granny, go)
Go granny, go granny, go granny, go (come on granny, go)
Go granny, go granny, go granny, go (come on granny, go)
Go granny, go granny, go granny, go (come on granny, go)
Go granny, go granny, go granny, go (come on granny, go)
Go granny, go granny, go granny, go (come on granny, go)
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
The Little Old Lady (From Pasadena) Lyrics as written by Roger Val Christian Donald J. Altfeld
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.