golden boy - tary’s song

a song for taryon darrington, of the darrington brigade.

LYRICS:

golden boy
i’ve never been the golden boy
except for when i travel through the doorway of my bookcase
and into other lives
i try them on for size and find them to my liking
golden boy
i want to be the golden boy
instead i’m stuck with gold in coffers, empty rooms,
the weight of expectation
and the grip of desperation to fill anyone with pride
let me be the golden boy
i want to be your golden boy

learning me
between mechanics, lore, and chemistry
he gives the gift of been seen for who i am
and not ignored for who i could be
but love won’t pay the bills or feed the legacy
so you give up on learning me
and tell me that it’s good for me

you tell me what i’m worth, and i believe it
you tell me what my name is worth, my pride, and i believe it
you tell me i’m delusional, that i am soft and malleable,
but so is gold, and i can prove that i am just as valuable
i tell myself i’m gold and i believe it
he told me i am gold, and i have gold, so i believe it
i’ll paint myself the golden boy, the world will know the golden boy
and other boys in empty rooms will know they can be golden too

suddenly
i’m slammed into reality
i crash my shining comet down to earth and unexpectedly
collide with other lives
i try them on for size, and find them to my liking
learning me
apart from who you said i’d be
my pride is in my charity
i’m living now on scrap and spit and stories
but i understand the glory of a legacy of light
and i can be the golden boy
i can be the golden boy

(i am in no way affiliated with critical role. i just think it’s really great.)

[colinbentleywilliams]

“Doty, take this down: artists and dreamers from far away lands are once again inspired by the daring deeds of the incomparable Taryon Darrington. Even on other planes of existence, this hitherto unsung hero is tearfully celebrated in the lyrical melodies of a peerless and passionate young musician. Though she sings of many mighty heroes and noble feats, Taryon the redoubtable Darrington will undoubtedly be remembered as her greatest muse.”

[allisond]

It's a testament to Sam's RP skill that a character he played gleefully as a self-centered asshole still had so much heart under the surface. And it's a testament to your skill that you could capture that warm, gooey center in a beautiful song! :)

[vanguardbreaker]

"You tell me I’m delusional, that I am soft and malleable, but so is gold, and I can prove that I am just as valuable."

Oh fuck. That hits hard- on both an empathetic level and a personal one. I don't have anyone physical telling me that I'm worthless, for which I'm grateful, but I still wrestle with self-doubt and deprecation a lot. To anyone else fighting the same things; you don't need to measure up to invisible standards, or force yourself to get to your limits when in reality you've far surpassed them. When you're overwhelmed, take a second to breathe and know that somewhere, someone else is fighting demons alongside you, and that you can make it past to the warmth of acceptance.

[reathelemon]

“You tell me that I am soft and malleable but so is gold” “so that all other boys in empty rooms can know they can be golden to” love these lines! This tary song is perfect for his and his character!!! Good work! He really is the best golden boy!!

[taylormanton]

I actually cried at "and other boys in empty rooms will know they can be golden too". Tary is so important to me, and you delivered us an amazing song for him. Thank you Lilli

[danieltaber]

As an ex-Gifted Child, this hurts *so much*.

You have a gift, Lily.

[sms]

Tary was definitely a character many people didn't want to love. But we do. He's our golden boy. Thank you for bringing him to life with this song!

[kylajones]

Yet again, you've created a masterpiece. I absolutely love "but love won’t pay the bills or feed the legacy/so you give up on learning me" and "you tell me i’m delusional, that i am soft and malleable, /but so is gold, and i can prove that i am just as valuable." WOW. Your lyricism continues to impress. Amazingly done!!

[dm_ex_machina]

I'm astounded by the lines "you tell me I'm delusional/ that I am soft and malleable / but so is gold and I can prove that I am just as valuable" because not only does it just have a great rhythm its also an original way to characterize the nature of gold. It's all really impressive.

[SadTromboneNoise]

I was not prepared for the emotion of this song. You brought even more complex humanity to this seemingly simple character. You're so immensely talented 💛

[Jackie_Tikki_Tavi]

My god, if only Tary had you as a friend, there'd be nothing he wouldn't believe in

[CeaselessWatcher]

“Other boys in empty rooms will know they could be golden too” is such a beautiful lyric it’s literally gonna be one of my tattoos… Tarry means so much to me as a trans man who (while less… extravagant as Tarry) relates to his position and story a lot. Can’t wait to get it tattooed (:

[quackedegg]

"other boys in empty rooms will know they can be golden too" LILLI ahhhhghf this line is going to make me cry every single time... Sam just knows how to make a heart-breaking character and you know how to write a heart-breaking song :, ) <3

[meanyvizzini]

You really just rhymed “malleable” with “valuable” and got away with it. Love the way you spun gold

[Katie_OvO]

I swear to myself each time that I’m not gonna cry…


But damn, that hurt.
good job lilli you did it again❤️

[bethissleepy]

I've never wanted to give Tary a hug so much before, the way you managed to put so much emotion and meaning into a song for a character who was there for SUCH a short amount of time is amazing! Somehow just as detailed as all the others AND also sounding fantastic as always. I sometimes wonder if people who don't know the inspiration listen to these songs because they work so wonderfully on their own without the context and sound fantastic

[mothwizard]

God, that “other boys in empty rooms will know they can be golden too” -almost- made me cry. I really needed to hear that I can be golden even if I am just a boy in an empty room haha, thank you for all the wonderful songs but especially lines like that 💜

[kimd]

I don't know most of Campaign 1 outside of spoilers and TLOVM, but I watched the best of Tary in a compilation once and he's my beloved - and this is so gorgeous. Your lyrics always stun me, they're just brilliant. "You tell me I'm delusional, that I am soft and malleable, but so is gold and I can prove that I am just as valuable." "And other boys in empty rooms will know they can be golden too." Freaking amazing. You tell stories with words in a way that are both specific and universal, I'd love to see you write a musical.

[TimeturnerJ]

I wasn't even expecting a Tary song, but man, am I ever glad that you included him now! 🥺🧡 This was wonderful.

[acovo]

Wow, you just nailed Tary. Everything about this song is just as golden as he is