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I've heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason bringing something we must learn
In the space of five years, Kanan had gone from a failed padawan without anything to his name, to a Jedi Knight with a legacy left behind in the form of a teenage boy from the Outer Rim. He’d never expected to get the chance he was given, to be able to keep the Jedi alive and pass down his ways to a student of his own, but then Ezra had come tumbling into his life and flipped everything on his head. He took the boy under his wing and accepted him as a part of his new life, but he had never thought that he would learn just as much as he taught.
And we are led to those who help us most to grow if we let them and we help them in return
They trained, they fought, they laughed, they cried. Sometimes, they were distant, caught up in their own pasts and unable to reach out for help with their fear of being left behind. Other times, they were inseparable, found clinging to one another in the middle of the night after a meditation session ended up in one falling asleep and the other choosing to join them. They made memories, formed a bond, and opened themselves to the possibility of change. To the possibility that they don’t have to stay stuck in their pasts. That there was something else out there for them.
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true but I know I'm who I am today because I knew you
Like a comet pulled from orbit as it passes the sun
Like a stream that meets a boulder halfway through the wood
Kanan learnt many things from Ezra. He learnt that there was always another way to look at things, and that sometimes it took a different set of eyes to see the truth. He learnt that even in the midst of a rebellion, it was ok to have fun and let loose. He learnt that you have to stand up for those who cannot fight for themselves or else no one will. He learnt that people deserve second chances, even those who have been on the wrong side for so long. Most important of all, he learnt what it was like to love someone so much that you would go to the ends of the Galaxy to keep them safe. He learnt what it was like to be a father thanks to Ezra, to have a family, to be a parent. He learnt what it felt to feel pride swell up in his heart whenever the teenager perfected a new form, or completed a solo mission without any problems. He learnt that heart-wrenching feeling when someone you love is hurt and there is nothing you can do except be there, watching them fight for their life. He learnt that those nights when they are curled up on Kanan’s bunk under the warmest blanket they owned, reading - or learning to read - old flimsi books found in random back alley shops in the city were the moments to treasure most.
Who can say if I've been changed for the better
But because I knew you I have been changed for good
It well may be that we will never meet again in this lifetime, so let me say before we part
Ezra never thought he would live past twenty, so as his birthday came ever-closer the teenager found himself thinking back on how his world was flipped around in the space of a single day. He went from a street rat with no future to a Jedi and a legacy to follow left to him by his master. Ezra had expected to live on the streets of Lothal until the day he died, alone and afraid up in the old communications tower. Instead, he found himself being accepted into a crew of rag-tag rebels and welcomed into a family he thought he’d never know, because of Kanan.
So much of me is made of what I learned from you, you'll be with me like a handprint on my heart
Times were never perfect, and Ezra knew he held a lot of the blame, but the impact Kanan had on his life was something that would stay with him forever, even if they parted ways and never saw each other again. He learnt more than how to be a Jedi, more than how to wield a lightsaber or perform tricks with the Force. He was given a chance, one he thought was stolen from him the day the Empire took away his parents. Kanan gave him that chance, taking him under his wing and training him despite his childishness.
And now whatever way our stories end, I know you have rewritten mine by being my friend
Like a ship blown from its mooring by a wind off the sea
Like a seed dropped by a sky bird in a distant wood
Kanan taught Ezra to duel, to meditate, to connect with the world around him. He taught him that there was more to being a Jedi than magic and light swords, that sometimes they had to put their own fears aside and do the right thing, even if they were scared of the outcome. He taught him that being a leader was about being strong even when the world around you is crumbling into oblivion. Most importantly, Kanan taught Ezra what it was like to be loved. He taught him that someone would always be there for him whenever he was hurt or sick, and that he didn’t have to bear the weight on his own anymore. He taught him that someone would always share his excitement over the silliest of things, like a loth-cat curling up on his lap or winning a game of dejarik against a droid. He taught him that he would be there to help him through the tougher times, like nightmares, or learning to read Basic at the age of fourteen after seven years without any formal education, curled up under the warmest blanket they owned.
Who can say if I've been changed for the better
But because I knew you I have been changed for good.