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).
Anything You Can Do
Judy Garland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can do anything better than you.
No you can't.
Yes, I can.
No, you can't.
Yes, I can.
No, you can't.
Anything you can be, I can be greater.
Sooner or later I'm greater than you.
No, you're not.
Yes, I am.
No, you're not.
Yes, I am.
No, you're not!.
Yes, I am, Yes, I am!
I can shoot a partridge, with a single cartridge.
I can get a sparrow, with a bow and arrow.
I can live on bread and cheese.
And only on that?
Yes.
So can a rat!
Any note you can reach, I can go higher.
I can sing anything higher than you.
No, you can't.
Yes, I can.
No, you can't.
Yes, I can.
No, you can't.
Yes, I can.
No, you can't.
Yes, I can.
No, you can't.
Yes, I CAN!
Anything you can buy, I can buy cheaper.
I can buy anything cheaper than you.
Fifty cents?
Forty cents!
Thirty cents?
Twenty cents!
No, you can't!
Yes, I can,
Yes, I can!
Anything you can say, I can say softer.
I can say anything softer than you.
No, you can't.
Yes, I can.
No, you can't.
Yes, I can.
No, you can't.
Yes, I can.
YES, I CAN!
I can drink my liquor faster than a flicker.
I can drink it quicker and get even sicker!
I can open any safe.
Without bein' caught?
Yes.
That's what I thought you crook!
Any note you can hold, I can hold longer.
I can hold any note longer than you.
No, you can't.
Yes, I can
No, you can't.
Yes, I can
No, you can't.
Yes, I can.
Yes, I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I CA-A-A-A-N!
Yes, you ca-a-a-an!
Anything you can wear, I can wear better.
In what you wear I'd look better than you.
In my coat?
In your vest!
In my shoes?
In your hat!
No, you can't!
Yes, I can.
Yes, I can!
Anything you can say, I can say faster.
I can say anything faster than you.
No, you can't.
Yes, I can.
No, you can't.
Yes, I can.
No,you can't.
Yes I can!
I can jump a hurdle.
I can wear a girdle.
I can knit a sweater.
I can fill it better!
I can do most anything!
Can you bake a pie?
No.
Neither can I.
Anything you can sing, I can sing sweeter.
I can sing anything sweeter than you.
No, you can't.
Yes, I can.
No, you can't.
Yes, I can.
No, you can't.
Yes, I can.
No, you can't, can't, can't.
Yes, I can, can, can.
Yes, I can!
No, you can't!
Judy Garland's Anything You Can Do is a playful duet between two characters, with each trying to outdo the other. The song revolves around each person thinking that they are better than the other in every aspect of life. From shooting a partridge to buying anything cheaper, from holding any note longer to singing anything sweeter, the competitive spirit is ingrained in the characters. The humor is in the one-upmanship of the pair as they try and outdo each other.
The song, with its famous lyrics 'Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better', has been adapted into several films, television shows, and stage productions. The song was part of the Broadway musical Annie Get Your Gun, which premiered in 1946. The show was a huge success, with the song becoming the theme for the show.
The song's humor comes from the characters' inability to stop themselves from trying to outdo each other. The two characters are arguing about the most innocuous of things, but their competitive spirits always come to the surface. The song's lyrics are tongue-in-cheek, with the two characters going back and forth, trying to prove their superiority in every imaginable way. The song's fast-paced melody adds to the comic value of the lyrics, making it a perfect song for musical comedies.
Line by Line Meaning
Anything you can do, I can do better.
I can do anything better than you.
No you can't.
Yes, I can.
Yes, I can.
No, you can't.
No, you can't.
Yes, I can.
Yes, I can.
No, you can't.
No, you can't.
Yes, I can, Yes, I can!
Anything you can be, I can be greater.
Sooner or later I'm greater than you.
No, you're not.
Yes, I am.
Yes, I am.
No, you're not.
No, you're not!.
Yes, I am, Yes, I am!
I can shoot a partridge, with a single cartridge.
I can get a sparrow, with a bow and arrow.
I can live on bread and cheese.
And only on that? Yes. So can a rat!
Any note you can reach, I can go higher.
I can sing anything higher than you.
Fifty cents?
Forty cents!
Thirty cents?
Twenty cents! No, you can't! Yes, I can, Yes, I can!
Anything you can say, I can say softer.
I can say anything softer than you.
I can drink my liquor faster than a flicker.
I can drink it quicker and get even sicker!
I can open any safe.
Without bein' caught? Yes. That's what I thought you crook!
Any note you can hold, I can hold longer.
I can hold any note longer than you.
Yes, you ca-a-a-an!
Yes, I can!
Anything you can wear, I can wear better.
In what you wear I'd look better than you.
No, you can't!
Yes, I can. Yes, I can!
Anything you can say, I can say faster.
I can say anything faster than you.
I can jump a hurdle.
I can wear a girdle. I can knit a sweater. I can fill it better! I can do most anything! Can you bake a pie? No. Neither can I.
Anything you can sing, I can sing sweeter.
I can sing anything sweeter than you.
No, you can't, can't, can't.
Yes, I can, can, can.
Yes, I can!
No, you can't!
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: IRVING BERLIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind