Time to Say Goodbye

Time to Say Goodbye is the second opening theme of RWBY. It was released by Jeff Williams on iTunes on May 21st, 2014.

Composition
The song opens with Casey's vocals accompanied by strings and piano, shortly joined by drums and a standard rock ensemble as the song enters the chorus. After the first chorus, a guitar solo, doubled by strings, is played and leads into the next set of verses. The track continues to build in intensity, with a guitar playing lead lines under Casey's vocals.

After the second chorus, the song abruptly enters a slower, much more subdued section, with the vocals accompanied by distant-sounding drums and strings. This section is followed by an uptempo guitar solo that leads into one last, energetic chorus before the song ends.

The song contains some unusual compositional elements: The verses are in the key of G minor, the choruses are in the key of E minor and the quiet bridge section (as well as the first solo section) are in the key of G major (the parallel major to the verse and the relative major to the chorus). This gives the song a very unique sound.

The key changes between these sections are especially interesting in that they accentuate a certain emotional impact in relation to the lyrics; the line of the bridge "Pointed at the enemy / So someone else can claim a victory" transitions from the key of G major of previous lines to G minor, which, in conjunction with a gradual decrease in tempo, creates an especially unsettling mood to the line.

Trivia

 * The cover art is the Volume 2 Poster, drawn by Kristina Nguyen. The poster is also available in the Rooster Teeth store.