I've never been able to make any sense of this song. Who is the lady being referred to? And how do any of those attributes in the first three lines contribute to making one a tramp?

The song and story is about a man who has gone through some depressing and difficult times and how he has buried those feelings. And although a great amount of time has passed, those feelings are nearer to your present state of mind than you might think. However, there are two problems with using these lines to describe this. One, the quote the way it is given in the song, although makes no sense to the story. If things appear closer than they are, it means that you are aware of how close the pain is but it, in reality, isn't really that close. And two, if you read the outside mirror of your car the correct phrase is 'objects in the rearview mirror may be closer than they appear' which would actually have made the song make sense.

He's lamenting the death of someone close to him.

The tune is very upbeat and kind of anthem-like, but in the story (this is from the rock opera Tommy) this is the part where the people decide they're sick of Tommy's rules and they burn down his camp and kill his parents.

Wayne's World