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).
Can This Be the End of the Rainbow
Judy Garland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I know I've been here before
The one I love forever
Doesn't love me anymore
So here I am, heartache
My only friend
Wrong end of the rainbow again
I was looking for true love
Before I tied all my heartstrings
To some falling star
Now, here I am, heartache
My only friend
Wrong end of the rainbow again
Between the winning and losing
There's a very fine line
This time I felt like a winner
When I was losing all the time
I get this rainy day feeling
That I'm gonna be blue
I thought the day that I found him
I'd seen the last of you
But here I am, heartache
My only friend
Wrong end of the rainbow again
Wrong end of the rainbow again
The lyrics to Judy Garland's song "Can This Be the End of the Rainbow?" depict a familiar feeling of heartbreak and disappointment in love. The singer acknowledges that they have experienced this feeling before, indicating a recurring pattern of unrequited love. The person they once loved, whom they believed would be their forever, no longer feels the same way about them.
The singer finds themselves at the wrong end of the rainbow once again, referring to their inability to find happiness and fulfillment in love. They had been searching for true love, but their journey was cut short when they became infatuated with someone who turned out to be fleeting, like a falling star. Now they are left with heartache as their only companion.
Line by Line Meaning
I know this feeling from somewhere
I am familiar with the emotional pain and longing expressed in this song.
I know I've been here before
I have experienced this heartache and disappointment in the past.
The one I love forever
The person I believed I would love forever.
Doesn't love me anymore
No longer has feelings of affection for me.
So here I am, heartache
I find myself in a state of deep emotional pain.
My only friend
The only constant companion I have in this difficult time.
Wrong end of the rainbow again
Once again, I find myself at the unfortunate and disappointing end of a journey towards happiness and fulfillment.
I was looking for true love
I had hopes of finding genuine and lasting love.
But I didn't get far
However, my search for love did not progress or succeed.
Before I tied all my heartstrings
Before I became emotionally attached and invested.
To some falling star
To someone who turned out to be unattainable or disappointing.
Between the winning and losing
In the realm of love and relationships, there is a narrow line that separates success and failure.
There's a very fine line
It is easy to blur the boundaries between triumph and defeat in matters of the heart.
This time I felt like a winner
On this occasion, I had a sense of victory and achievement.
When I was losing all the time
Even though I was consistently experiencing disappointment and loss.
I get this rainy day feeling
I experience a sense of sadness and melancholy.
That I'm gonna be blue
That I will be overtaken by feelings of sadness and depression.
I thought the day that I found him
I believed that the day I met him would mark the end of my heartache.
I'd seen the last of you
I thought I had overcome this state of emotional pain and suffering.
But here I am, heartache
However, I once again find myself in the throes of emotional turmoil.
My only friend
The only companion who remains with me through this difficult time.
Wrong end of the rainbow again
Once more, I find myself at the unfortunate and disappointing end of seeking happiness and fulfillment.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Saul Chaplin, Sammy Cahn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Heather Allingham
one of my all time favourite Judy songs💖
sarakat76
Great Judy! wonderful voice!
redmustang55
I have never heard of this song. It is wonderful Judy singing to us all. She always seemed to be just speaking to you when she sung.
Russell Candy
Absolutely red, I always felt that way. I saw her in concert and I thought she was singing just to me. Simply love Judy!!!!!
Jeff Freeman
This song was actually written by Mickey Rooney
Patricia Morris
I feel so bad for Judy why couldn't she had lived longer 😥
borden1957
First view - first comment. Again great relaxing song and music from yesteryears. Keep up the good work.
CatsPjamas1
@ThePeaceableKingdom Yes, it has a melancholy sweetness to it considering Judy's life. Beautiful song though.
donn409
This must be the sequel to "SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW".
Taylor Maddux
I was just thinking the same thing! :)