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).
The Man That Got Away
Judy Garland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The stars have lost their glitter
The winds grow colder
Suddenly you're older
And all because of the man that got away
No more his eager call
The writings on the wall
Gone astray
The man that won you
Has run off and undone you
That great beginning
Has seen the final inning
Don't know what happened
It's all a crazy game
No more that all-time thrill
For you've been through the mill
And never a new love will
Be the same
Good riddance, goodbye
Every trick of his you're on to
But, fools will be fools
And where's he gone to?
The road gets rougher
It's lonelier and tougher
With hope you burn up
Tomorrow he will turn up
There's just no letup the live-long night and day
Ever since this world began
There is nothing sadder than
A one-man woman looking for
The man that got away
The man that got away
Judy Garland's The Man That Got Away tells of a heartbroken woman whose lover has left her, and she is left struggling with the pain of it. The lyrics paint a bleak picture of a woman whose life has suddenly turned cold and bitter, as if the stars that had shone in her eyes have lost their glitter. She has grown older, and the man who had once been eager to be with her is no longer calling. The dreams she had cherished of being with him have all gone astray, leaving her feeling undone.
The man who had won her over has now left her. The great beginning they had has now seen its final inning, and she is left wondering what went wrong. It feels like a crazy game, with no clear explanation for how it all fell apart. She has been through the mill, and though she might find new love, it won't be the same.
As the song progresses, she seems to grow angrier, dismissing her lover as a fool and saying good riddance to him. But even as she tries to move on, she cannot stop thinking about him. The road ahead seems lonelier and tougher, and the hope that he might return someday is a small flame that burns brightly in her heart. She is just one of many women who have lost the men they loved, and she knows that there is nothing sadder than being a one-man woman, endlessly looking for the one who got away.
Overall, The Man That Got Away is a powerful and poignant commentary on the pain of loss and heartbreak. It paints a picture of a woman who is struggling to come to terms with the fact that the man she loved is gone and that she might never find love like that again. It is a testament to the power of Garland's voice and her ability to capture the emotions of her audience.
Line by Line Meaning
The night is bitter
The start of the song is melancholic and mournful.
The stars have lost their glitter
Things that used to bring joy and beauty have lost their shine and meaning.
The winds grow colder
The world seems to be getting harsher and more difficult.
Suddenly you're older
Time is passing by, and aging exacerbates the pain of losing someone dear.
And all because of the man that got away
The cause of the pain and melancholy is the person who left.
No more his eager call
The sound of his voice is no longer present, and he won't be calling anymore.
The writings on the wall
The signs were there, but they were ignored or went unnoticed.
The dreams you dreamed have all
The future that was once so clear and promising is now gone.
Gone astray
Everything is now confused and out of order.
The man that won you
The person who used to make life a paradise.
Has run off and undone you
His departure has brought chaos and ruined life.
That great beginning
The relationship started well, and it was perfect.
Has seen the final inning
It ended in disaster and pain.
Don't know what happened
It is impossible to know what went wrong or where things fell apart.
It's all a crazy game
Relationships are unpredictable because of human nature—an endless and inexplicable game.
No more that all-time thrill
The feeling of excitement and anticipation once felt is gone forever.
For you've been through the mill
Many life lessons were learned the hard way.
And never a new love will
A new relationship could never compare to the original one.
Be the same
The loss and the subsequent pain changed everything, and life will never return to the way it was.
Good riddance, goodbye
Now that you are past the mourning stage, you can ignore him and forget him.
Every trick of his you're on to
You are now familiar with his tactics and manipulations.
But, fools will be fools
Unfortunately, humans are prone to making the same mistakes over and over again.
And where's he gone to?
It is unknown what he is doing or where he went.
The road gets rougher
The journey gets harder, with no end in sight.
It's lonelier and tougher
Every day gets more unbearable as time goes on.
With hope you burn up
However, there is always the hope that things will get better.
Tomorrow he will turn up
Hope is embodied by waiting for that one person to return, even if that is unlikely.
There's just no letup the live-long night and day
The pain never diminishes or gets better—It is always there, surrounding you, 24/7.
Ever since this world began
This kind of heartbreak and pain have existed since the beginning of time.
There is nothing sadder than
This experience—losing someone who used to bring such joy to life.
A one-man woman looking for
Someone devoted exclusively to one person.
The man that got away
The person who left and caused the pain, and who was never found again.
Lyrics © TuneCore Inc., Kanjian Music, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Harold Arlen, Ira Gershwin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Maya Hay-Nicholls
The night is bitter
The stars have lost their glitter
The winds grow colder
Suddenly you're older
And all because of the man that got away
No more his eager call
The writings on the wall
The dreams you dreamed have all
Gone astray
The man that won you
Has run off and undone you
That great beginning
Has seen the final inning
Don't know what happened
It's all a crazy game
No more that all-time thrill
For you've been through the mill
And never a new love will
Be the same
Good riddance, goodbye
Every trick of his you're on to
But, fools will be fools
And where's he gone to?
The road gets rougher
It's lonelier and tougher
With hope you burn up
Tomorrow he will turn up
There's just no letup the live-long night and day
Ever since this world began
There is nothing sadder than
A one-man woman looking for
The man that got away
The man that got away
Anne Hajdu
Best quote about Judy Garland: "She didn't sing a song, she inhabited it." She was only 23 in 1945 !! Her voice carried a hundred years of emotion, pain, passion, and perfection. She was in a league by herself. And still is.
Yolie C
Preach!
Macho Voce
This is 1954, not '45. Despite that, one could make a strong case that she was the greatest non-classical singer of the 20th century.
Joyce Richens
Anne Hajdu ss
Song ssong that's for me
Bing Crosby
Phoebe Dinsmore
She was 32 not 23, she was born in 1922 and the movie was 1954. Still a staggering voice though.
termar
I wholeheartedly agree!!! People laugh when I tell them Judy is 1 of my 2 favorite vocalists of all time! Her range, pitch, power- unmatched and unrivaled.. yes, she was in a class of her own back in her day, and the mark she left behind will never fade. She didn't just sing a song.. she took it, threw it up, threw it down, flipped it, and turnt it inside out! Ability and talent of her caliber is rare indeed..
Alex Linhardt
She should have won the Oscar for this performance alone. Before watching this, I have never experienced being truly blown away by someone singing. Judy Garland did that for me.
melisa GALVALIZI
she was a great actress and singer, no ust a great singer, don't forget that
Karli Woods
While I love Grace Kelly, who beat Judy out of the Oscars, I think Judy should have won it.
Tony From Coney
Her time to shine and she was ripped off at Oscar time.