Think about this lyric: “And the dreams that you dare to dream / really do come true.” Dreams coming true is not exactly an unheard-of notion in art or song, but it’s that dependent clause that makes this whole phrase. It’s not just dreams coming true; it’s the dreams that you dare to dream that come true. There are dreams we have, the ones we tell people about, and then there are the ones beneath those, the ones we keep buried, because if we mentioned them, it might tear apart our lives or hurt someone we know…
“Over The Rainbow” is filled with bright, sunshiny imagery—bluebirds flying and blue skies and the like—but it’s also a song that, in the movie, precedes the storm. Sometimes, making those dreams you can’t quite articulate into things you desperately want is necessary, even if they scoop you up and deposit you in Oz. Better to live honestly and openly. Better to live not hiding from what you know to be true about yourself…