After learning to play the guitar, the fiddle, and the piano, as well as to sing, Rusby played at many local folk festivals as a child and adolescent. She came to wider attention through her duets with her friend and fellow Barnsley folk singer Kathryn Roberts on the 1995 album Kate Rusby & Kathryn Roberts.
At about this time she joined, and became the lead vocalist of, the all-female Celtic folk band The Poozies. This led to her becoming a founding member of the group Equation, which included Kathryn Roberts and Seth Lakeman. Rusby left Equation (being replaced by Cara Dillon) to follow a more traditional direction and, in 1997, released her debut solo album Hourglass produced by Scottish fiddler John McCusker (to whom Rusby was married for some time).
In 1999 Rusby recorded Sleepless which earned her a Mercury Music Prize nomination and the BBC Folk Award for Best Album and Best Folk Singer.
Rusby continues to release albums mixing traditional and self-penned songs on her own Pure Records, winning fans as diverse as Graham Coxon (who provided the illustration for her album The Girl Who Couldn't Fly) and collaborator Ronan Keating.
2008 saw the release of Sweet Bells, an album of traditional Christmas songs interpreted by Rusby.
In 2010, Rusby released the album Make the Light, a collection of self-penned songs, and in 2011 issued a second collection of Christmas songs titled While Mortals Sleep.
www.katerusby.com
Let Me Be
Kate Rusby Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And take a man to lay in my bed
But I would like to stay young and free,
And oh, I wish they would let me be
Oh, I wish they would let me be...
Let me be.
Robin the miller he's fond of brass,
Thinks he'll bargain like grain for me
But oh, I wish he would let me be
Oh, I wish he would let me be,
Robin, let me be.
There came a man names Bonnie Jim
He looks so fine in his holiday trim
Thinks he'll take me off to the sea,
But oh, I wish he would let me be
Oh, I wish he would let me be,
Jim, let me be,
Jim, let me be.
Cousin Dick he has gold and land,
He thinks all this will win my hand
My hand or lips he will never see
But oh, I wish he would let me be
Oh, I wish he would let me be,
Dick, let me be.
This young soldier boy is Ned
His gun's like his own, he can shoot me dead,
His eyes are blue but they don't see me,
Oh, why does he let me be?
Oh, why does he let me be?
Let me be,
Why, you let me be?
Kate Rusby's song "Let Me Be" is about a young girl who is being pursued by several men who are trying to court her. Society dictates that she should marry and settle down, but she desires the freedom to remain young and single. She wishes that these men would not try to possess her and understand her desire to be independent.
The first man mentioned in the song is Robin the miller. He is enamored by the girl, but she sees him as a fool and wishes he would leave her alone. Bonnie Jim is the next man mentioned in the song. He is dressed nicely and hopes to take the girl away on a trip to the sea. However, the girl desires to remain independent and tells him to leave her be. Cousin Dick is a wealthy man who thinks that his possessions will win the girl over. But once again, the girl wants to be left alone and have her freedom. In the final verse, a young soldier named Ned is mentioned. Although he could potentially take her life, the girl wonders why he doesn't leave her be.
The song is a commentary on societal expectations for women to settle down and get married, even if they desire independence. Kate Rusby’s angelic voice adds a certain wistfulness and melancholy to the song, bringing out the true feelings of the girl who wishes to be left alone.
Line by Line Meaning
They say a girl like me should wed,
People believe that because I am a girl, I should get married.
And take a man to lay in my bed
People think I should have a husband to share a bed with.
But I would like to stay young and free,
I want to remain young and lead a free life.
And oh, I wish they would let me be
I want people to leave me alone with my choices.
Oh, I wish they would let me be...
I desire people to stop bothering me.
Let me be.
I want to live my life without any interference.
Robin the miller he's fond of brass,
Robin the miller is attracted to materialistic things.
He sees a fool's face when he looks in glass,
He is foolish and vain.
Thinks he'll bargain like grain for me
He believes he can buy me like grain.
But oh, I wish he would let me be
I urge Robin to stop trying to pursue me.
Robin, let me be.
I implore Robin to leave me alone.
There came a man names Bonnie Jim
A man named Bonnie Jim came into my life.
He looks so fine in his holiday trim
He dresses up nicely when he is on vacation.
Thinks he'll take me off to the sea,
He is convinced he can take me on a romantic trip to the sea.
But oh, I wish he would let me be
I want Bonnie Jim to back off and let me live my life.
Jim, let me be,
I ask Jim to leave me in peace.
Cousin Dick he has gold and land,
My cousin, Dick, is wealthy and possesses land.
He thinks all this will win my hand
He believes his wealth will make me fall for him.
My hand or lips he will never see
I will never love Dick, no matter what he does.
But oh, I wish he would let me be
I want my cousin to stop trying to woo me.
Dick, let me be.
I implore Dick to leave me alone.
This young soldier boy is Ned
There is a young soldier boy named Ned.
His gun's like his own, he can shoot me dead,
Ned is a soldier, and he is capable of killing me with his gun.
His eyes are blue but they don't see me,
Ned may have blue eyes, but he does not understand my feelings.
Oh, why does he let me be?
I wonder why Ned does not pursue me.
Let me be,
I want to be left alone to live my life the way I want.
Why, you let me be?
I am surprised that Ned has not shown interest in me.
Contributed by Hudson M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
ZER0
Proper music, and lyrics. And with a great story too. Beautiful.
tshielsy
This song sums up my life in a nutshell.