Tramp
Richie Kotzen Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

I tried hard not to notice when she walked through the room
the vibe was heavy my heart stopped
but somehow I knew I knew better.....
we broke the ice with a cigarete
light I tried to get to the truth
but the talk was so sweet that I found myself buyin' her blues
well I know that by now I should
see the sings but its hard when you feel like time is
wearin' you down...

maybe one day he'll shine a light
no more life as a tramp
every lines is a catch twenty-two
somebody give me a chance

I broke down when she questioned
"are you lookin' for someone"
told her the answer was too far
lost in my head I can't see it
she told me love was easy if
I could just take a chance
but when I looked in her eyes they
told me the girl was a tramp

we went back to the hotel to try
and make it a night
now I could swear to myself that
this time I was losin' the fight
I gave in
we stayed up thru the morning
it didn't work how I planned but now




I made my conclusion the truth is
I'm still a tramp

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Richie Kotzen's song Tramp seem to be about a man who is looking for love, but keeps finding himself attracted to women who he knows are not right for him. The song starts with the man trying to resist a woman's allure, but eventually giving in. Despite knowing he shouldn't get too involved with her, he finds himself drawn to her and ends up staying with her all night. However, in the end, he realizes that he is still just a tramp and hasn't really found what he was looking for.


The lyrics are very introspective and seem to be addressing the struggle to find true love and happiness. Even though the man in the song wants to change and find the right person, he keeps falling back into old patterns and getting involved with women who aren't good for him. The line "every line is a catch twenty-two" seems to refer to the difficult choices he has to make when it comes to love.


Overall, this song seems to be a commentary on the difficulties of finding love and the mistakes that people make along the way. It's a very honest and raw song that touches on some universal themes.


Line by Line Meaning

I tried hard not to notice when she walked through the room
I made an attempt not to look when she entered the room


the vibe was heavy my heart stopped
I felt an intense sensation that stopped my heart


but somehow I knew I knew better.....
However, I had the intuitive feeling that I knew better


we broke the ice with a cigarete
We started the conversation with a cigarette


light I tried to get to the truth
I attempted to discover the truth with lightness


but the talk was so sweet that I found myself buyin' her blues
However, the conversation was so pleasing that I empathized with her struggles


well I know that by now I should see the sings but its hard when you feel like time is wearin' you down...
I recognize that I should notice the signals by now, but it's difficult to do so when you feel drained


maybe one day he'll shine a light no more life as a tramp every lines is a catch twenty-two somebody give me a chance
Perhaps someday, someone will show me a way out of the life of a vagrant, where every decision presents a problem, and I'll be given an opportunity


I broke down when she questioned "are you lookin' for someone"
I lost my composure when she inquired, "Are you searching for someone?"


told her the answer was too far lost in my head I can't see it
I explained to her that the answer was beyond my reach, and I couldn't see it due to my confusion


she told me love was easy if I could just take a chance
She stated that love was simple if I would only take a risk


but when I looked in her eyes they told me the girl was a tramp
However, when I gazed into her eyes, I sensed that the woman was a promiscuous person


we went back to the hotel to try and make it a night
We returned to the hotel to attempt to have a one-night stand


now I could swear to myself that this time I was losin' the fight
At that moment, I was almost certain that I was losing the battle


I gave in
I yielded to temptation


we stayed up thru the morning
We remained awake through the morning


it didn't work how I planned but now I made my conclusion the truth is I'm still a tramp
Despite my plans not working out, I came to the realization that the truth is I'm still a vagrant




Contributed by Adam S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

Angelo Rossi

Kotzen killed it here. All instruments played by him!

Roberto Placencia Garrido

Jeff Berlin - Bass Gregg Bisonette - Drums 1995

AJB1980

My favourite album of all time!!!!!! PHENOMENAL!!!!!

Clayton139

This is some good Richie Kotzen music ~!!

Satch's Jam Room

this album is dope !! musically great and good stuff for guitar players !

Joe Brodski

Love this song, after all these years. The guitar solo is far out...

JoshMetal316

 can´t find this album on iTunes :(