Let Me Be

 Today I am not going to rant about anything. Instead I'm going to tell a story.

Once upon a time, in a fictional universe not too dissimilar to our own, there was a boy named Rory Llewellyn. Rory grew up on U.S. Army bases all over the world in a strict household with his mother and army officer father who tried to force his values onto him. Born with a love of music encouraged by his mother, who taught him to play the piano and bought him his first guitar, Rory was looked down upon by his father, who did not want any son of his to become a "sissy" musician.

In an attempt to please his father, Rory joined the army, but went AWOL in West Germany to play guitar in a rock band. After being dishonorably discharged, Rory returned to Los Angeles to visit his mother, and was disowned by his father. Working odd jobs to save enough money for the plane fare, Rory returned to Germany to rejoin the band he left behind. When he had a falling out with the band's leader, Rory, and keyboardist Ingrid Kruger, left the band and, with a guitarist named Phoebe Ashe, formed their own band.

In this fictional universe, Rory's band became a success and eventually came to the United States where they were not only signed to a major record label, but made half owners of it as well. Even with all his success, Rory's relationship with his father was deeply strained over the years. Age and the stress of being torn between husband and son, took its toll on Rory's mother and she fell terribly ill. Between Mrs. Llewellyn's illness and the efforts of a good friend to reconcile them, Rory and his father made amends and their relationship greatly improved. Mrs. Llewellyn recovered soon after.

Rory wrote a song that really exemplifies everything he wanted to tell his father:

Let me be
Let me be the man I'm meant to be
Let me be
Though I may not suit you perfectly
Set me free, to follow my own star
Let me be, can't you see
We are who we are

If there's room to grow
And love to show
We'll make it you and me
All I ask of you is
Let me be

Let me grow
Let me show you more of what I know
Let me fly
Let me touch your heart and make you cry

Set me free
To follow my own star
Set me free, can't you see
We are who we are