My Goodbye Lyrics – Epic: The Musical

Song Overview

The blistering duet My Goodbye doesn’t tip-toe; it kicks the door down. First teased on TikTok, the track officially dropped July 4 2024 as the ninth movement of EPIC: The Musical’s Cyclops Saga concept album, clocking in at roughly 3 minutes 22 seconds. Since release, it has racked up 33 million Spotify streams, enough to wedge itself inside Rivera-Herrans’ Top-40 most-played cuts, while an indie animatic upload has soared past eight million YouTube views, proof of the fandom’s obsessive appetite. Below, a roadmap to the tempest.

Song Meaning and Annotations

I still remember hearing that first snare-hit on release day—it felt like a war-drum announcing tension that had been simmering since Warrior of the Mind. Musically, My Goodbye braids pop-rock swagger with a propulsive 163-BPM march line; think Hamilton’s cabinet-raps colliding with a symphonic anime boss theme. Over that restless groove, Athena (Teagan Earley) and Odysseus (Jorge Rivera-Herrans) detonate years of unspoken resentments. Earley’s crystalline soprano pierces; Rivera-Herrans answers with grit. Each verse tightens the corkscrew until, finally, friendship shears off like rigging in a storm.

The emotional arc? A reverse lullaby. It starts with Athena’s clipped mentor scold, swells to Odysseus’ wounded roar, then both voices cascade into resigned, almost exhausted harmonies—two soldiers agreeing only on separation. Lyrically, Rivera-Herrans wields mythic imagery (“sever your own head,” “cut the line”) while slipping in modern-day side-eye: “That’s just like you… selfish and prideful and vain.” A thousand years collapse into one bitter text conversation.

[ATHENA] This way, you’ll know what your place is
[ODYSSEUS] This way, you won’t plague my life

Those mirrored lines form the song’s spinal cord. Every “This way” is a blade, carving territory. By song’s end, that mantra mutates into finality: “Consider this as my goodbye.” The phrase lands like molten iron—cooling into permanent distance.

Verse Highlights

Verse 1

Athena chastises reckless sentimentality, echoing Homer’s warning that heroes fall not by sword but by hubris.

Chorus

The call-and-response structure underscores their mirrored flaws—mentor and protégé stuck in an echo chamber of pride.

Bridge

Odysseus flips Athena’s critique back at her, exposing the goddess’ isolation. It’s the first time in the saga a mortal successfully lands an emotional blow.

Final Refrain

Ensemble voices swell—like Furies chanting judgement—before a hard cutoff that leaves silence ringing.

Annotations

Athena’s Opening Rebuke

You are reckless, sentimental at best.

She scolds Odysseus for blurting out his name to Polyphemus — an impulsive burst of grief that betrays the Warrior of the Mind training she drilled into him. By letting sorrow for Polites and the slain crew cloud judgment, he gifts the Cyclops his identity, a mistake that will echo darkly across the voyage.

[ODYSSEUS, spoken] Hey — a sharp protest. Being reminded of fallen friends in a condescending tone cuts deep.

Friend or Project?

To Athena, leadership means ruthlessness, never sentiment. In Warrior of the Mind she prized him as a personal masterpiece — “create the greatest warrior.” Now she laments, “I don’t know where I went wrong”, insisting the flaw lies in him, not her tutelage. She actually warned him mid-battle:

He’s still a threat, until he’s dead. Finish it.

By severing mentorship she declares,

This way, I'll close the door. Consider this as my goodbye.

Pride on Both Sides

Odysseus fires back, labeling her selfish and vain. Nylon guitar underscores his hurt; heavier strings swell when anger spikes. He reminds her that gods do not lose sleep over dead mortals, yet mortals like him carry every loss. Calling any honor she “lends” conditional, he refuses to be her puppet.

Myth loves Athena’s pride — think Arachne — and Odysseus flings that hypocrisy in her face. She condemns emotion, while jealousy often fuels her own actions.

Clashing Missions

At least I know what I'm fighting for, while you're fighting to be known.

He fights for Ithaca, Penelope, Telemachus; she fights for acclaim. Odysseus twists her boast of wisdom into a taunt about her solitary existence — a virgin goddess whose ambition leaves her isolated.

“Just a Man” — The Lowest Cut

Hurt silences her briefly before the ensemble joins, branding him just a man. She implies that until he embraces true ruthlessness, he will never grasp her lesson — a prophecy fulfilled later when he becomes a monster to survive.

Three Fatal Images

This day, you sever your own head nods to Perseus; cut the line evokes Bellerophon or even Atropos’s snip of life’s thread; you lost it all echoes Jason’s tragic homecoming. Whether coincidence or design, each myth warns what happens when Athena withdraws favor.

The Farewell Motif

Her last

This is my goodbye.

Stage direction: a long, painful silence as the goddess departs; Odysseus stands alone, the guitar fading into emptiness.

Song Credits

• Featured: Teagan Earley (Athena), Jorge Rivera-Herrans (Odysseus)
• Producer: Jorge Rivera-Herrans
• Composer & Lyricist: Jorge Rivera-Herrans
• Release Date: July 4 2024
• Genre: Pop-Rock ; Orchestral Musical Theatre
• Instruments: electric guitar, string ensemble, marching snare, synth brass, choir pads
• Label: Winion Entertainment LLC
• Mood: Combative ? Cathartic
• Length: 3 : 22
• Track #: 9 on EPIC: The Musical – Cyclops Saga
• Language: English
• Poetic Meter: mixed iambic / trochaic bursts
• Copyrights: ? & © 2024 Winion Entertainment LLC

Similar Songs Exploring Themes of Pride & Parting

1. “Satisfied” – Renée Elise Goldsberry (from Hamilton)
   Both tracks weaponize rapid-fire wordplay to dissect pride. But where My Goodbye ends relationships, “Satisfied” rewinds them, twisting regret into self-sacrifice.
2. “No Good Deed” – Idina Menzel (Wicked)
   Elphaba’s solo and Athena’s verses share orchestral thunder and moral frustration—pushing female leads to question mentorship, power, and isolation.
3. “Confrontation” – Jekyll & Hyde Cast
   Like Odysseus sparring with Athena, Jekyll’s dual-persona battle stages internal conflict as an external duet, fueled by rock-opera guitars and break-neck tempo.

Questions and Answers

Why does Athena abandon Odysseus here?

She views mercy toward Polyphemus as betrayal of her tactical doctrine—so she withdraws guidance to let consequences teach.

Is “My Goodbye” the final Athena-Odysseus duet?

In the current concept-album chronology, yes; they do not share a full duet again until planned later sagas.

What’s the song’s time signature?

A brisk 4/4 at 163 BPM, giving marching urgency.

Are there notable covers?

Fandom karaoke splits (Odysseus-only and Athena-only) and Beat Saber maps are popular, spreading the piece into gaming and vocal-training circles.

Has the song been performed live?

Rivera-Herrans hosted a streamed cast-listening party in March 2025, featuring a semi-staged rendition that drew 120 k concurrent viewers.

Awards and Chart Positions

While My Goodbye hasn’t cracked Billboard, it debuted inside Costa Rica’s iTunes Top 60 on release week and remains Rivera-Herrans’ 28th most-streamed track worldwide at 33.0 million plays. The number also secures its slot among the musical’s highest-performing Cyclops Saga entries.

Fan and Media Reactions

“This song is my favourite—I like the beat and Athena’s singing, shh…” @Ru Sleepy, SoundCloud

“It’s literally two friends breaking up with spears.” @Ambitious_Result7266, Reddit

“Odysseus finally tells a god off—chef’s kiss.” @CalypsoChronicles, Reddit

“The animatic gave me chills. Eight million views and counting!” @WolfyTheWitch, YouTube

“Beat Saber map at 163 BPM? My arms hate me, my heart loves it.” @RhythmJunkie, BeatSaver