Rosemary Clooney (born 23 May 1928 in Maysville, Kentucky, USA – 29 June 20… Read Full Bio ↴Rosemary Clooney (born 23 May 1928 in Maysville, Kentucky, USA – 29 June 2002) was an American singer and actress.

Clooney's first recordings, in May 1946, were for Columbia Records. She sang with Tony Pastor's big band. Clooney continued working with the Pastor band until 1949, making her last recording with the band in May of that year and her first as a solo artist a month later, still for Columbia.

She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the novelty hit Come On-a My House written by William Saroyan and his cousin Ross Bagdasarian (better known as David Seville, the father figure of Alvin and the Chipmunks), which was followed by other pop numbers such as "Botch-a-Me" (a cover version of the Italian song Ba-Ba-Baciami Piccina by Alberto Rabagliati), "Mambo Italiano", "Tenderly", "Half as Much", "Hey There" and "This Ole House", although she had success as a jazz vocalist. Clooney's career languished in the 1960s, partly due to problems related to depression and drug addiction, but revived in 1977, when her White Christmas co-star Bing Crosby asked her to appear with him at a show marking his 50th anniversary in show business. She continued recording until her death in 2002. She was the aunt of Academy Award winning actor George Clooney; mother-in-law of singer Debby Boone; and sister to former television personality Nick Clooney. She was the ex-wife of Jose Ferrer; mother of actor Miguel Ferrer

Clooney was diagnosed with lung cancer at the end of 2001. Around this time, she gave her last concert, in Hawaii, backed by the Honolulu Symphony Pops; her last song was "God Bless America".

The Lady Is A Tramp
Rosemary Clooney Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I've wined and dined on Mulligan Stew
And never wished for Turkey
As I hitched and hiked and grifted too
From Maine to Albuquerque

Alas, I missed the 'Beaux Arts Ball'
And what is twice as sad
I was never at a party where

They honored Noel Coward

But social circles spin too fast for me
My hobohemia is the place to be

I get too hungry, for dinner at eight
I like the theater, but never come late
I never bother, with people I hate
That's why the lady is a tramp

I don't like crap games, with barons and earls
Won't go to Harlem, in ermine and pearls
Won't dish the dirt, with the rest of the girls
That's why the lady is a tramp

I like the free, fresh wind in her hair
Life without care, I'm broke, it's okay
Hate California, it's cold and it's damp
That's why the lady is a tramp

I go to Coney, the beach is divine
I go to ballgames, the bleachers are fine
I follow Winchell, and read every line
That's why the lady is a tramp

I like a prizefight, that isn't a fake
I love the rowing, on Central Park lake
I go to Opera and stay wide awake
That's why the lady is a tramp

I like the green grass under my shoes
What can I lose, I'm flat, that's that

I'm alone when I lower my lamp
That's why the lady is a tramp

Overall Meaning

Rosemary Clooney's "The Lady Is a Tramp" is a song about being yourself and celebrating the life you make outside of societal norms. The singer speaks about their unconventional lifestyle of hitchhiking and "grifting" their way across the country from Maine to Albuquerque, avoiding fancy dinner parties and balls to attend "hobohemia" instead. The lyrics express a distaste for formal social circles and their fast-moving pace while acknowledging the freedom that comes with their bohemian way of life.

The singer also expresses their disdain for the pretentiousness of high society and their lack of interest in indulging in the same activities as the wealthy elite. They prefer to attend ballgames, follow gossip columnists like Walter Winchell, and stay in touch with real life instead of seeking out the trappings of wealth and status. The singer is content with their simple pleasures like walking on grass, going to the beach, and staying up through an opera - embracing their own identity and refusing to conform to expectations of others.

Overall, the song is a celebration of self-acceptance and the value of being true to oneself despite societal pressures. Its upbeat tempo and clever lyrics have become a classic in jazz standards and have been covered by many artists over the years.

Line by Line Meaning

I've wined and dined on Mulligan Stew
I've enjoyed the simple things in life

And never wished for Turkey
And never wished for anything more than that

As I hitched and hiked and grifted too
As I roamed and traveled aimlessly

From Maine to Albuquerque
From the northernmost US state to the southwestern state

Alas, I missed the 'Beaux Arts Ball'
Unfortunately, I missed a fancy social event

And what is twice as sad
And what's even sadder

I was never at a party where
I have never attended a gathering where

They honored Noel Coward
They celebrated the famous playwright, actor and composer Noel Coward

But social circles spin too fast for me
But fancy social events and people move too quickly for me

My hobohemia is the place to be
My lifestyle of traveling and living simply is where I feel most comfortable

I get too hungry, for dinner at eight
I get hungry earlier than most people who eat dinner at eight

I like the theater, but never come late
I enjoy the theater but I never arrive late to a show

I never bother, with people I hate
I never associate myself with people I dislike