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).
Buds Won T Bud
Judy Garland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One and one ain't even two
When the love you love won't love you.
Buds won't bud, chicks won't chick and micks won't mack,
Blue is white and white is black
When the love you love won't love back.
When you can't have the one you like,
All your troubles keep on mountin'
and the world is on a sit-down strike,
'Cause;
Buds won't bud, breeze won't breeze and dew won't dew,
One and one ain't even two
When the love you love won't love you.
Buds won't bud, breeze won't breeze and crows won't crow,
Eeny meeny's minus mo
When the love you love says, "Hi ho".
Buds won't bud, notes won't note and knots won't knot,
T's won't cross and I's won't dot
When the hope you hope goes to pot.
On account there's no accountin'
When you can't bring your dream about,
All your troubles keep on mountin'
And the world is just a big blackout,
'Cause;
Buds won't bud, breeze won't breeze and dew won't dew,
C-O-D is I-O-U
When the love you love won't love you.
The lyrics of "Buds Won't Bud" by Judy Garland depict the frustration and despair that one feels when their love is unrequited. The opening lines, "Buds won't bud, breeze won't breeze and dew won't dew, One and one ain't even two," paint a picture of nature failing to fulfill its expected functions. This is a metaphor for how the world seems to lose its natural order and logic when love is not reciprocated.
The song continues to use playful and rhyming words to convey the sense of disillusionment. "Chicks won't chick and micks won't mack, Blue is white and white is black," suggests a topsy-turvy world where everything is out of sync. The repetition of "When the love you love won't love you" emphasizes the central theme of unrequited love and the pain it brings.
The lyrics also touch upon the feeling of helplessness and frustration that arises from not being able to have the person one desires. The line "On account there's no accountin', When you can't have the one you like" captures this sentiment. It further symbolizes the mounting troubles and the sense of being on strike from the world, as "the world is on a sit-down strike."
In the second verse, the song delves deeper into the disappointment and despair. "Buds won't bud, notes won't note and knots won't knot, T's won't cross and I's won't dot, When the hope you hope goes to pot" continues the theme of things not functioning as they should. The lyrics play with words to express the frustration and hopelessness of the situation.
Line by Line Meaning
Buds won't bud, breeze won't breeze and dew won't dew
Nothing is flourishing, the air isn't refreshing, and the moisture isn't forming
One and one ain't even two
Even basic mathematics fail to make sense, as the expected sum doesn't add up
When the love you love won't love you
When the affection you hold dear refuses to reciprocate, leaving you in despair
Buds won't bud, chicks won't chick and micks won't mack
Flowers fail to bloom, young birds don't chirp, and lovers don't embrace
Blue is white and white is black
The world seems upside down, with colors and their meanings reversed
When the love you love won't love back
When the love you cherish doesn't return, leaving you feeling rejected and unloved
On account there's no accountin'
Because there is no rational explanation or justification
When you can't have the one you like
When the person you desire is unattainable
All your troubles keep on mountin'
All your woes and problems continue to accumulate and intensify
And the world is on a sit-down strike
The world itself seems to rebel and refuse to cooperate or function properly
'Cause;
Because of the aforementioned reasons
Buds won't bud, breeze won't breeze and dew won't dew
Once again emphasizing the lack of growth, movement, and natural phenomena
One and one ain't even two
Reiterating the concept of things not making logical sense or conforming to expectations
When the love you love won't love you
Conveying the heartache experienced when the love that holds your affection doesn't reciprocate
Buds won't bud, breeze won't breeze and crows won't crow
Continuing to highlight the stagnancy and absence of vitality in nature and the animal kingdom
Eeny meeny's minus mo
Even simple decision-making becomes confusing and unpredictable
When the love you love says, "Hi ho"
When the love you adore casually dismisses you or displays indifference
Buds won't bud, notes won't note and knots won't knot
The patterns and functionalities in music, written words, and tied objects cease to exist
T's won't cross and I's won't dot
Even basic grammar and attention to detail become flawed and nonsensical
When the hope you hope goes to pot
When the optimism you hold dear is shattered and everything goes downhill
On account there's no accountin'
Once again emphasizing the lack of logical explanation or understanding
When you can't bring your dream about
When you are unable to fulfill or realize your cherished aspiration
All your troubles keep on mountin'
Emphasizing the continuous increase and accumulation of problems and adversities
And the world is just a big blackout
The entire world appears as a state of darkness, devoid of light and hope
'Cause;
Due to the aforementioned reasons
Buds won't bud, breeze won't breeze and dew won't dew
Repeating the theme of stagnation and lack of natural occurrences
C-O-D is I-O-U
The world has become chaotic and debts remain unpaid, creating further confusion
When the love you love won't love you
Tying it all together, expressing the agony of unrequited love and longing
Lyrics © S.A. MUSIC
Written by: E.Y. YIP HARBURG, HAROLD ARLEN, TED KOEHLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind