I really enjoy the version Tony Bennett did with Lady Gaga, but it’s got me thinking about the lyrics, and I’m a little confused.
In what sense does the song mean “tramp?”
I’m assuming it’s not in the sense of “hobo.”
Does it mean “tramp” like when other women called a woman a tramp in the old days? Like, not so much “slut”, which connotation I would say it has acquired by now; but more just “hussy” or something?
Thanks!
I’m sure there was a thread on this old standard fairly recently. But I’ll bite.
In those days, “tramp” could mean “hobo”–basically, a homeless man. When applied to a non-homeless woman, it meant that she was sexually loose. Remember, in those days one did* not* have sex outside of marriage; living together was always followed by “in sin.” Of course, people did–but they lied a lot…
Generally, women would use “tramp” to describe other women of whom they disapproved–to avoid using more risque, unladylike words. But the subject of the song is not really immoral. She is just not a stuck-up society bitch. She’s free & natural–not always gussied up in the required layers of undergarments & overgarments–all topped with matching hat & gloves. She does not follow all the conventions of speech & behavior. And she’s not just looking for a rich husband–or a sugar daddy. (Next subect: “My Heart Belongs To Daddy.”)
Yikes! How embarrassing! I did look it up on Wikipedia, and I read through the whole page; I was surprised that they didn’t cover this salient point.
Okay, that’s pretty much what I thought it meant.
Kinda reminds me of a joke:
"You know the difference between a whore and a slut, right?
A whore is someone who’ll sleep with anyone.
A slut is someone who’ll sleep with… anyone but you."
I decided we need a Bay Area version. (What’s with a New York person calling California “crowded,” anyway? Isn’t it a lot more crowded there?)
I actually live in Alameda now; but I lived in Oakland for years, and I work there still. Anyway, Alameda isn’t quite cosmopolitan enough to make for good lyrics.
So, here ya go --"Lady Is A Tramp (Bay Area version):
She’s never eaten at Chez Panisse (can’t afford it)
She likes Lake Merritt, and feeding the geese
I try to never get noticed by police
That’s why this girl is a tramp
She likes “Squib Cakes,” by Tower of Power
I look at art on First Fridays for hours
I have been known to pick other people’s flowers
That’s why the lady is a tramp!
I love to ride my bike with the wind in my hair
Life without care
Oh, I’m so poor
We all are!
I love West Oakland, it’s crowded and damp
That’s why the lady is a tramp
Sometimes I go to Alameda
Oh, the beach is big fun
And I love the Giants
cause they’re number one
I’m never scared
Being out at night alone
That’s why the lady is a tramp
I love a protest
that gets on the news (film at eleven)
I love to drink red wine
But I’m not big on booze
I can be seen sometimes walking without shoes
That’s why this lady is a tramp
She likes the green grass under her toes
Where can we go? Cause I got no cash
Fk that!
I’m all alone when I lower my lamp
That’s why the lady is a tramp!**
Notice that the only line I didn’t change is the last one. Some things are universal. <sigh>
It almost sound ironic. The woman they are describing sounds like she is not pretentious or being trendy. Quite bohemian, not doing as the upper crust does.
It’s a great tune, but I can’t see women liking being called a tramp. That must be why Frank changed it to Champ when he sung it to Nancy.
No, Frank changed it because “tramp” had turned into too much of a pejorative.
The point of the song is that the singer is looked down upon and called a tramp for not doing things the Right Way in society. Remember, too, in this era, “tramp” referred to a male who had no job and traveled around begging and stealing*; it definitely had a lower class connotations.
“Tramp” meaning “slut” was still a relatively new meaning when the song was written.
*As opposed to a hobo, who earned money by doing small jobs.
I pretty much only like this song sung by a woman. I don’t really like it sung by a man . . . not even Sinatra’s version. I do like the Tony Bennett / Lady Gaga duet, and my all-time favorite version was also a duet: Anthony Kiedis and Madonna turned in a ridiculously fun performance of this song as a duet on Arsenio’s 1000th Show.