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).

If Only I Had A Heart
Judy Garland Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When a man's an empty kettle
He should be on his mettle
And yet I'm torn apart
Just because I'm presumin'
That I could be a human
If I only had a heart

I'd be tender, I'd be gentle

And awful sentimental
Regarding love and art
I'd be friends with the sparrows
And the boy that shoots the arrows
If I only had a heart

Picture me a balcony
Above a voice sings low

Wherefore art thou, Romeo?

I hear a beat, how sweet!

Just to register emotion, jealousy, devotion
And really feel the part
I could stay young and chipper

And I'd lock it with a zipper
If I only had a heart

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of the famous song "If Only I Had A Heart" from the soundtrack of the classic movie "The Wizard of Oz" are a reflection of the world of the character who sings it, the Tin Man. The song describes the yearning of the Tin Man to have a heart, indicating that he has been suffering much from being emotionless. The opening line, "When a man's an empty kettle, he should be on his mettle," shows that the Tin Man is aware of the fact that he is lacking something vital, and he should be doing something to correct it.

The next line, "And yet I'm torn apart just because I'm presuming that I could be a human if I only had a heart," emphasizes the Tin Man's wish to find humanity in himself, and that he believes that having a heart is the only way to achieve it. The rest of the lyrics imagine what he would be like if he had a heart - he would be tender, gentle, sentimental, and loving towards others, including animals (sparrows) and loved ones (the boy that shoots arrows). The song ends with the Tin Man dreaming of being young and chipper, oblivious to the hardships of life.

Overall, "If Only I Had A Heart" uses powerful metaphors to explore the concept of what it means to be human and to have emotions. It highlights the importance of love and compassion in our lives, and how without them, we may feel empty and incomplete.

Line by Line Meaning

When a man's an empty kettle
When one is devoid of emotions and feelings

He should be on his mettle
He should strive to become better

And yet I'm torn apart
Despite the above, I am still unhappy

Just because I'm presumin'
Because I assume

That I could be a human
That I could have human-like emotions and feelings

If I only had a heart
If I only had the capacity to truly feel

I'd be tender, I'd be gentle
I would be kind and gentle in my actions

And awful sentimental
And have deep emotional connections

Regarding love and art
When it comes to love and creative expression

I'd be friends with the sparrows
I would want to befriend even the smallest of creatures

And the boy that shoots the arrows
And even the one who hunts and causes harm