I Could Go On Singing
Judy Garland Lyrics


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When a dove is in love with a doll of a dove
He is out all night, coo, cooing
When the owl's on a prowl or a feminine fowl
He goes out all night, woo, wooing

Every bird and bee has it's lunacy
In the way he works his dream off
But when I feel high, here's the way
That I like to get my kind of steam off

Owls hoo, hoo, others sigh
Doves coo, coo, ah, how I

I could go on singing till the cows come home
And the rooster starts to crow, crow, crow
When I see your eyes, I go all out
I must vocalize till you shout, "Enough already"

I could go on singing till the moon turns pink
Anything from Faust to Ink-a-dink-a-dink
Love does funny things
When it hits you this way

I could go on singing till the cows come home
And the rooster starts to crow, crow, crow
When I see your eyes, I go all out
I must vocalize till you shout, "Enough already"

I could go on singing till the moon turns pink
Anything from Faust to Ink-a-dink-a-dink
Love does funny things
When it hits you this way





I must keep on singing, like a lark, going strong
With my heart on the wings of a song, singing day

Overall Meaning

and night


The lyrics of Judy Garland's song "I Could Go On Singing" speaks about how love affects different creatures and how it affects the singer as well. The song employs the metaphor of birds to describe how each creature expresses their love differently. The song highlights the different ways birds exhibit love, the dove coos all night, the owl hoots, while others sigh. The song also speaks about how love affects the singer; her love for someone inspires her to keep singing until her lover begs her to stop.


There is also the underlying theme of the unbridled passion that comes with loving someone, something that gets amplified when the singer's feelings for her lover grip her. The lyrics, "When I see your eyes, I go all out, I must vocalize till you shout, 'Enough already'" demonstrates this. The singer expresses how she cannot contain her passion, and how it manifests through her singing.


Overall, the song is a love song that explores the different ways love manifests, the passion it brings out, and the tenacity one can exhibit when in love.


Line by Line Meaning

When a dove is in love with a doll of a dove
If a male dove loves a stuffed toy dove, he stays out all night making cooing sounds.


When the owl's on a prowl or a feminine fowl
If an owl or a female bird is looking for a mate, they stay out all night hooting or making other sounds to attract a mate.


Every bird and bee has its lunacy
All birds and insects behave strangely and obsessively when they are trying to attract a mate.


In the way he works his dream off
They have their own way of working out their desires.


But when I feel high, here's the way
However, when I feel happy and content, this is how I express it.


That I like to get my kind of steam off
Through singing, I feel refreshed and energetic.


Owls hoo, hoo, others sigh
While owls hoot, other birds sigh to convey their feelings.


Doves coo, coo, ah, how I
I also express my joy and love by cooing like a dove.


I could go on singing till the cows come home
I could sing for as long as I want.


And the rooster starts to crow, crow, crow
Until morning comes and the rooster starts to crow.


When I see your eyes, I go all out
When I see you, I feel compelled to express my love with all I've got.


I must vocalize till you shout, "Enough already"
I will keep singing until you tell me to stop.


I could go on singing till the moon turns pink
I could sing for an impossibly long time.


Anything from Faust to Ink-a-dink-a-dink
I could sing any song on any topic.


Love does funny things
Love can make you do strange things.


When it hits you this way
When love affects you in this manner.


I must keep on singing, like a lark, going strong
I will continue to sing energetically, like a bird, without stopping.


With my heart on the wings of a song, singing day
I will sing all day with my heart lifted by the melody and lyrics of the song.




Lyrics © SHAPIRO BERNSTEIN & CO. INC., Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: E.Y. HARBURG, HAROLD ARLEN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Twillhead

The film "I Could Go On Singing" by itself is nothing more than an articulated soap opera, but this scene... THIS SCENE is one of the most thrilling and provocative pieces of acting that Judy Garland ever gave. It is raw and frightening and heartbreaking. She was a supremely gifted and most devastatingly damaged woman. Judy Garland died over 40 years ago and yet her brilliance still remarkably radiates over us all.

laura lafleur

It's true. Judy did indeed help write this scene, and it is autobiographical in nature. It was done in one take which shows the brilliance of both Judy and Dirk. Judy was playing Jenny playing Judy. The emotions were all Judy's, the anger, sorrow , and regret. But in true Garland style, she picks herself up and gets out on that stage and brings the house down. It's life imitating art, imitating life. Go Judy, go!!! Nobody is ever going to come close to doing it better than you.

Alex Bryan Pogue

If she could have said this, out loud to everyone you missed used her, she should have won an Oscar for this performance

Pibly

I was thinking the same thing watching this

PeaceFan1

I am reduced to tears by yet another Oscar worthy performance, again unrecognized by a Lame Oscar Academy ..Judy was so very underrated as an actor ..an absolute Natural ...she is right up there with Streep as far as I am concerned..don't care what anyone else thinks .. " I'm ALWAYS a sell out !! " AMEN Sister ...Go Judy Go ...World's Greatest Entertainer ..period ...xo

melisa GALVALIZI

she was too god for this world

dpohunter

..."I've hung on to every bit of rubbish there is to hang on to in life...and I've thrown all the good bits away!! Now can you tell me why I do that?" THAT was real Judy. I've also heard mention that at least some of the dialog here was ad-libbed. Whether or not that's accurate, in any case it's fantastic!...my favorite scene in this film. She was GREAT!

huascar66

The pressure was always tremendous on Judy. The debts, the back taxes, the stage fright, the fears, the doubts. This scene is raw to the bone Judy. An amazing piece of acting. Dirk Bogarde is also wonderful and really helps Judy shine here.

ozfan

So heartbreaking. Judy's acting was ahead of it's time.

Dawn Evans

I don't think Judy realized, just how talented she really was! This scene just made me sob. She was an extraordinary  actress, and this film, proved that! Such a tragic end to her life, and so young!

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