Judy Garland (June 10, 1922 – June 22, 1969) was an American actress and si… Read Full Bio ↴Judy Garland (June 10, 1922 – June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer from Grand Rapids, Minnesota, USA. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years, Garland attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist, and on the concert stage. Respected for her versatility, she received a Juvenile Academy Award, won a Golden Globe Award, received the Cecil B. DeMille Award for her work in films, as well as Grammy Awards and a Special Tony Award. She had a contralto singing range.

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).

Here's What I'm Here For
Judy Garland Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

What am I here for?
It's time you knew
Here's what I'm here for
I'm here for you

Can you forgive me?
Am I too late?
All the years that I've wandered

And pondered were squandered

My heart insisted
I seek you out
That you existed
My heart had no doubt

To share a journey
That leads to heaven's door
You'll find is what I’m here for

What am I here for?
It's time you knew
Here's what I'm here for
I'm here for you

Can you forgive me?
Am I too late?
All the years that I've wandered
And pondered were squandered

My heart insisted
I seek you out
That you existed
My heart had no doubt

To share a journey
That leads to heaven's door
You'll find is what I’m here for

To share a journey

That leads to heaven's door
You'll find is what I’m here for, I’m here for

Overall Meaning

"Here's What I'm Here For" is a love song that expresses the singer's desire to share their life's purpose with their loved one. The first two lines of the chorus are introspective, suggesting that the singer is being reflective about their own purpose in life. The following two lines, however, are focused on the person they are singing to. This juxtaposition is interesting because it illustrates that the singer's introspection leads them to the conclusion that their purpose is intertwined with their partner's life.

The second verse is a plea for forgiveness, which suggests that the singer may have made some mistakes in the past. However, they hope it is not too late to reconcile their relationship and embark on a journey together. The lyrics "all the years that I've wandered and pondered were squandered" express regret for the time that may have been wasted in not being close to their loved one. The singer's heart insisted on seeking out their loved one because they had no doubt that they existed. This may suggest that the singer had always believed that their loved one was the one they were meant to share their life's purpose with.

The recurring line, "To share a journey that leads to heaven's door," suggests that the singer's purpose in life is to be with the person they love and make memories with them. The song's overall message is that the singer's purpose in life is intrinsically connected to their loved one, and that they hope to make up for lost time by sharing a journey towards a brighter future together.

Line by Line Meaning

What am I here for?
I am seeking clarity on my purpose

It's time you knew
It is important to me that you understand

Here's what I'm here for
Let me explain my purpose to you

I'm here for you
My purpose is to serve and support you

Can you forgive me?
I acknowledge that I may have wronged you and I seek your forgiveness

Am I too late?
I fear that my actions may have had irreversible consequences

All the years that I've wandered and pondered were squandered
I regret the time that I wasted and the opportunities that I missed

My heart insisted I seek you out
My innermost feelings urged me to find you

That you existed my heart had no doubt
I always knew that you were real and important to me

To share a journey that leads to heaven's door
My aspiration is to embark on a meaningful journey with you that leads to the ultimate destination

You'll find is what I’m here for
You will discover that this is what I am truly here for, to accompany you on this journey