The song is a reflection of a young man's grandmother - the family matriarch and title character, Zone Villines (aka "Grandma Harp"), who was born in Newton County, Arkansas and lived for 90 years. The protagonist (who sings the song in first person) says that her life story can be told in only a few short lines, but reflects on how Grandma Harp (along with Grandpa, whom she married in 1901) was a rock that held the family together.
The song is a reflection of a young man's grandmother - the family matriarch and title character, Zone Villines (aka "Grandma Harp"), who was born in Newton County, Arkansas and lived for 90 years. The protagonist (who sings the song in first person) says that her life story can be told in only a few short lines, but reflects on how Grandma Harp (along with Grandpa, whom she married in 1901) was a rock that held the family together.