After appearing in Vaudeville theater with her sisters, Judy was signed to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer as a teenager. There she made more than two dozen films, including nine with Mickey Rooney, and the film with which she would be most identified, "The Wizard of Oz" (1939). After 15 years, Judy was released from the studio but gained renewed success through record-breaking concert appearances, including a critically acclaimed Carnegie Hall concert, a well-regarded but short-lived television series, and a return to film acting beginning with "A Star Is Born" (1954).
Despite her professional triumphs, Judy battled personal problems throughout her life. Insecure about her appearance, her feelings were compounded by film executives who told her she was unattractive and overweight. Plied with drugs to control her weight and increase her productivity, Garland endured a decades-long struggle with addiction. Garland was plagued by financial instability, often owing hundreds of thousands of dollars in back taxes, and her first four of five marriages ended in divorce. She attempted suicide on a number of occasions. Garland died of an accidental drug overdose at the age of 47, leaving children Liza Minnelli, Lorna Luft, and Joey Luft.
Legacy
Judy Garland's legacy as a performer and a personality has endured long after her death. The American Film Institute named Garland eighth among the "Greatest Female Stars of All Time". She has been the subject of over two dozen biographies since her death, including the well-received "Me and My Shadows: A Family Memoir" by her daughter, Lorna Luft. Luft's memoir was later adapted into the multiple award-winning television mini-series, "Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows", which won Emmy Awards for two actresses portraying Garland (Tammy Blanchard and Judy Davis).
Garland was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997. Several of her recordings have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. These include "Over the Rainbow," which was ranked as the number one movie song of all time in the American Film Institute's "100 Years...100 Songs" list. Four more Garland songs are featured on the list: "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (#76), "Get Happy" (#61), "The Trolley Song" (#26), and "The Man That Got Away" (#11).
Judy Garland has twice been honored on U.S. postage stamps, in 1989 (as Dorothy) and again in 2006 (as Vicki Lester from A Star Is Born).
A Pretty Girl Milking Her Cow
Judy Garland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When I first heard his voice speakin' low
As he said to a colleen beside him
"Who's that pretty girl milking her cow?"
Och many times often ye met me
And told me that I should be
Your darling, Acushla
Purty girl, purty girl
With no one there to show her how
The purt, purt, purty girl is now
Milking her cow
I have not the manners or graces
Of the girls in the world where ye move
And I have not their beautiful faces
But oh, I've a heart that can love
And if it please ye, I'll dress me in satin
With jewels, jewels in me brow
But och, don't be after forgettin'
Your purty girl milking her cow
Purty girl, purty cow
I'm sure this song would have never been wrote
If the pretty girl hadda been milking her goat
But the goat wasn't feeling well anyhow
So the pretty girl was milking her cow
Her cow, her cow
La, la, la, la, la, la.
La, la, la la, la, la, la la, la, la, la
A purty girl milking her cow
Judy Garland's "A Pretty Girl Milking Her Cow" is a traditional Irish ballad that tells the tale of a country girl being admired by a man passing by. The song begins on a bright morning in summer when the singer hears the voice of a man speaking low, inquiring about the pretty girl milking her cow. At first, she is hesitant due to her lack of manners and graces that the women in the man's world possess. However, she assures him that she has a heart that can love unconditionally. She also expresses her willingness to dress up in satin with jewels in her brow, but she pleads the man not to forget her despite her humble beginnings. The song breaks into a minor key bridge where it expresses the irony that the song may have never been composed if the girl had been milking a goat instead of a cow. Finally, the song ends with a repetition of the chorus that emphasizes the pretty girl milking her cow.
Line by Line Meaning
Twas on a bright morning in summer
It was a sunny summer morning when the singer heard that special voice.
When I first heard his voice speakin' low
The singer heard the voice of someone speaking softly for the first time.
As he said to a colleen beside him
The voice addressed a young woman right next to them.
"Who's that pretty girl milking her cow?"
The voice asked about a lovely lady who was busy milking her cow.
Och many times often ye met me
The artist and the voice seem to have met many times before.
And told me that I should be
The voice said the singer ought to be something specific.
Your darling, Acushla
The voice called the singer their dear Acushla.
A Lana Mavourneen, Asuilish machree
The voice then used different phrases of endearment to address the artist.
Purty girl, purty girl
The artist is being called a pretty girl.
With no one there to show her how
The artist was alone and had to figure things out on her own.
The purt, purt, purty girl is now
The singer, once again, is being called a pretty girl.
Milking her cow
The artist was milking her cow, as previously mentioned.
I have not the manners or graces
The singer admits to not having the same manners and characteristics as other girls.
Of the girls in the world where ye move
The voice seems to come from a different world where girls have better qualities.
And I have not their beautiful faces
The singer claims to not look as pretty as the other girls the voice knows.
But oh, I've a heart that can love
The artist boasts of having a heart capable of loving deeply.
And if it please ye, I'll dress me in satin
The artist tells the voice that they can dress up in fancy clothing if it pleases them.
With jewels, jewels in me brow
The singer mentions adding jewelry to their attire.
But och, don't be after forgettin'
The singer cautions the voice to not forget something important.
Your purty girl milking her cow
The artist reminds the voice that they are the pretty girl milking her cow.
Purty girl, purty cow
The artist is once again being called a pretty girl, this time with reference to the cow.
I'm sure this song would have never been wrote
The artist imagines the song might not have existed if something specific didn't happen.
If the pretty girl hadda been milking her goat
The singer ponders how the song might not have been written if they had been milking a goat instead of a cow.
But the goat wasn't feeling well anyhow
The artist notes that the goat was sick and that's why they were milking the cow instead.
So the pretty girl was milking her cow
The singer restates that they were indeed the pretty girl milking her cow.
Her cow, her cow
The singer repeats that the cow belongs to them.
La, la, la, la, la, la.
The singer sings out some random syllables to fill the song.
La, la, la la, la, la, la la, la, la, la
Yet another random singing of nonsensical syllables.
A purty girl milking her cow
The song concludes with the artist being called once again the pretty girl milking her cow.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ROGER EDENS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kayla Sanchez
Twas on a bright morning in summer
When I first heard his voice speakin' low
As he said to a colleen beside him
"Who's that pretty girl milking her cow?"
Och many times often ye met me
And told me that I should be
Your darling, Acushla
A Lana Mavourneen, Asuilish machree
Purty girl, purty girl
With no one there to show her how
The purt, purt, purty girl is now
Milking her cow
I have not the manners or graces
Of the girls in the world where ye move
And I have not their beautiful faces
But oh, I've a heart that can love
And if it please ye, I'll dress me in satin
With jewels, jewels in me brow
But och, don't be after forgettin'
Your purty girl milking her cow
Purty girl, purty cow
I'm sure this song would have never been wrote
If the pretty girl hadda been milking her goat
But the goat wasn't feeling well anyhow
So the pretty girl was milking her cow
Her cow, her cow
La, la, la, la, la, la.
La, la, la la, la, la, la la, la, la, la
A purty girl milking her cow
Cyrano
Funny to realize this served as inspiration to a Japanese folk singer (Suzuki) whose song (Omoide) became super famous for being the title screen of a pretty good and popular TV show (Midnight Diner, Shinya Shokudou)
Walter The Musician
I love this! I can't hear this too many times! It combines two of my favorites, Judy and Irish music (I know it was Hollywood Irish, but it's lovely anyway). Judy was one of the giants of popular music, along with Sinatra, Doris Day, Bob Dylan, and The Beatles. She could sing (Oh how she could sing!), she could act... and oh how she could act! She sure changed the world in the little time she was here!
Una Hunt
Actually this is a pure Irish tune and not just Hollywood Irish given this upbeat version by Judy Garland - there are versions of the tune published in collections of Irish music 200 years ago and longer.
Walter The Musician
I meant a Hollywood arrangement of an Irish song. I love this arrangement and vocal as much as any Irish song by the Irish. I have it and many, many true Irish songs in my Youtube Irish playlist. I've just found out that 15% of my Irish playlist's viewers are in Ireland. I would love to hear your version of the original Irish song. I couldn't find it on your channel.
Princess Of the Past79
Love Little Nellie Kelly. Judy is so funny and sweet in it, and adore this song ❤️❤️❤️❤️
look@theflowers
This has always been my fave!
Kayla Sanchez
Twas on a bright morning in summer
When I first heard his voice speakin' low
As he said to a colleen beside him
"Who's that pretty girl milking her cow?"
Och many times often ye met me
And told me that I should be
Your darling, Acushla
A Lana Mavourneen, Asuilish machree
Purty girl, purty girl
With no one there to show her how
The purt, purt, purty girl is now
Milking her cow
I have not the manners or graces
Of the girls in the world where ye move
And I have not their beautiful faces
But oh, I've a heart that can love
And if it please ye, I'll dress me in satin
With jewels, jewels in me brow
But och, don't be after forgettin'
Your purty girl milking her cow
Purty girl, purty cow
I'm sure this song would have never been wrote
If the pretty girl hadda been milking her goat
But the goat wasn't feeling well anyhow
So the pretty girl was milking her cow
Her cow, her cow
La, la, la, la, la, la.
La, la, la la, la, la, la la, la, la, la
A purty girl milking her cow
犬吠埼銚子
深夜食堂だ……
犬吠埼銚子
はいよ
Gyentov
こんばんはマスター。たまごサンドお願いします。