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).
How Ya Gonna Keep 'Em Down On The Farm?
Judy Garland Lyrics
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Said his wifey dear
Now that all is peaceful and calm
The boys will soon be back on the farm
Mister Reuben started winking and slowly rubbed his chin
He pulled his chair up close to mother
And he asked her with a grin
After they've seen Paree'
How ya gonna keep 'em away from Broadway
Jazzin around and paintin' the town
How ya gonna keep 'em away from harm, that's a mystery
They'll never want to see a rake or plow
And who the deuce can parleyvous a cow?
How ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm
After they've seen Paree'
Rueben, Rueben, you're mistaken
Said his wifey dear
Once a farmer, always a jay
And farmers always stick to the hay
Mother Reuben, I'm not fakin
Tho you may think it strange
But wine and women play the mischief
With a boy who's loose with change
How ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm
After they've seen Paree'
How ya gonna keep 'em away from Broadway
Jazzin around and paintin' the town
How ya gonna keep 'em away from harm, that's a mystery
Imagine Reuben when he meets his Pa
He'll kiss his cheek and holler "OO-LA-LA!
How ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm
After they've seen Paree'?
"How Ya Gonna Keep 'Em Down On The Farm" is a song from the perspective of a husband, wife, and mother-in-law discussing how to keep the returning soldiers on the farm after they have seen the world. The song, written by Walter Donaldson, is a commentary on the challenges of readjusting to civilian life after World War I. The song was popularized by performer Nora Bayes in 1919, but it remains a classic American song to this day.
In the song, the husband, Reuben, and his mother discuss how to keep Reuben's two sons on the farm after they return home from World War I. His wife argues that once they have seen Paris and experienced the excitement of life beyond the farm, it will be hard to keep them there. The husband agrees but suggests that they will be more likely to stay if they are tied down with the responsibilities of farm work. Ultimately, the wife concedes, remarking that farmers are “always stick to the hay.
Line by Line Meaning
Reuben, Reuben, I've been thinking
Wifey dear is informing Reuben that she has been thinking.
Said his wifey dear
Reiterates that it is Wifey speaking.
Now that all is peaceful and calm
Since there is peace and calmness, the boys will soon be back on the farm.
The boys will soon be back on the farm
The boys will soon be back to farm work.
Mister Reuben started winking and slowly rubbed his chin
Reuben started thinking and winked.
He pulled his chair up close to mother
Reuben positioned himself closely to his wife.
And he asked her with a grin
He asked her with a smile.
How ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm
Reuben is questioning how they will keep the boys on the farm.
After they've seen Paree'
After they've seen Paris, France.
How ya gonna keep 'em away from Broadway
How will they keep the boys from Broadway shows.
Jazzin around and paintin' the town
The boys will be out having fun, dancing and painting the town.
How ya gonna keep 'em away from harm, that's a mystery
It is unknown how to keep them away from harm.
They'll never want to see a rake or plow
They will not want to see or use farm equipment.
And who the deuce can parleyvous a cow?
And who can communicate with a cow?
Rueben, Rueben, you're mistaken
Wifey is alerting Reuben that he is incorrect.
Once a farmer, always a jay
Farmers will always be farmers, carefree and lively.
And farmers always stick to the hay
Farmers remain loyal to the farm.
Mother Reuben, I'm not fakin
Reuben's wife affirms that she is not lying.
Tho you may think it strange
Even though you find it odd.
But wine and women play the mischief
Drinking and women tempt men.
With a boy who's loose with change
Boys who waste their money on luxuries.
Imagine Reuben when he meets his Pa
When Reuben reunites with his father.
He'll kiss his cheek and holler "OO-LA-LA!
He will express excitement upon meeting his father.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: WALTER DONALDSON, SAM M. LEWIS, JOE YOUNG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind