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).
Wearing Of The Green
Judy Garland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The news that's going round?
The shamrock is forbid by law
To grow on Irish ground!
St. Patrick's Day no more we'll keep,
His color can't be seen,
For there's a bloomin' law agin'
I met with Napper Tandy
And he took me by the hand,
And he said, "How's poor old Ireland
And how does she stand?"
"She's the most distressful country
That ever yet was seen;
They're hanging men and women there
For wearing of the green."
Then since the color we must wear
Is England's cruel red,
Sure Ireland's songs will ne'er forget
The blood that they have shed.
You may take the shamrock from your hat now,
Cast it on the sod,
But 'twill take root and flourish still,
Tho' under foot it's trod.
When the law can stop the blades of green
From growing as they grow,
And when the leaves in summertime
Their verdue dare not show,
Then I will change the color that I
Wear in my canteen;
But 'till that day, please God, I'll stick
To wearing of the green.
The lyrics of the classic Judy Garland song "Wearing of the Green" speak to the political and cultural oppression experienced by the Irish people in the 19th century by the British colonial government. The song describes how the shamrock, a symbol of Irish culture and identity, has been forbidden to grow in Ireland, and how the wearing of green, a sign of Irish allegiance, has been outlawed. The song mentions the most infamous Irish rebel Napper Tandy, who fought against the British colonizers, and his question about the state of Ireland depicts the grim reality of the country at that time. Women and men were hanged for merely wearing the color green, and the singer's defiance to this unjust law is expressed in the final lines, saying that until the day the blades of green are allowed to grow again, the singer will continue to "wear the green."
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, Paddy dear, and did you hear
Have you heard the news, my dear fellow Paddy?
The news that's going round?
The word that's circulating.
The shamrock is forbid by law
It's illegal to grow shamrock in Irish soil.
To grow on Irish ground!
To flourish and grow on the soil of Ireland!
St. Patrick's Day no more we'll keep,
We'll no longer celebrate St Patrick's Day.
His color can't be seen,
The traditional green color of the day is forbidden.
For there's a bloomin' law agin'
There's a damn law against it!
The wearing of the green.
We can't wear green!
I met with Napper Tandy
I came across Napper Tandy.
And he took me by the hand,
He held my hand as we talked.
And he said, "How's poor old Ireland
And he asked me about the state of Ireland.
And how does she stand?"
How is she doing?
"She's the most distressful country
"Ireland is the most miserable country.
That ever yet was seen;
And this is the worst it has ever been.
They're hanging men and women there
They're executing men and women there.
For wearing of the green."
For the simple act of wearing green.
Then since the color we must wear
Since we're forced to wear a certain color.
Is England's cruel red,
That color being England's red, which is associated with oppression.
Sure Ireland's songs will ne'er forget
Our songs about Ireland won't forget.
The blood that they have shed.
The blood that's been shed for the country.
You may take the shamrock from your hat now,
You might as well remove the shamrock from your hat.
Cast it on the sod,
Throw it down onto the ground.
But 'twill take root and flourish still,
But it will still take root and grow.
Tho' under foot it's trod.
Even if it's being stepped on.
When the law can stop the blades of green
If the law can truly stop the growth of green plants.
From growing as they grow,
From growing freely and naturally.
And when the leaves in summertime
And when leaves can't even grow in summertime.
Their verdue dare not show,
Their beautiful green color can't even show.
Then I will change the color that I
Only then will I consider changing the color of my
Wear in my canteen;
The color I wear on my canteen.
But 'till that day, please God, I'll stick
But until then, with God's grace, I'm going to stick with
To wearing of the green.
Wearing green!
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LEROY ANDERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
JonnyRingo
Judy was so brilliant!!!
Carol Browning
Her voice is lovely, but it's a very sad song!
Bluejeans0701
Judy Garland was an angel sent from heaven. She remains a great jazz icon even after her death. This is one of my favorite songs of hers.
Witold Banasik
@Cat Jefferson "The joint is really jumping down at Carnegie Hall", "Stomping at the Savoy", this one version of "Wearing of the Green", "Blues in the night" are kinda blues and jazz songs by Judy my friend. She sang a lot swing in 1930's as well. "Swing Mr. Charlie". She could sing anything. Pure magic, she could act anything and she could dance anything. Divine !
Cat Jefferson
No offense but Judy was not a jazzer.
Chuck Singer
Thanks for the songs by Judy. Do you have any of her singing WWII patriotic songs?
22grena
Excellent
Kirk Barkley
simply elegant
Rithvik Muthyalapati
1:21 I like that jazz version of Garryowen
Cathryn Mcgregor
This presentation and arrangement seems entirely inappropriate to the lyrics and content of this song. Anyone would think it was about a silly little romance.