Final Goodbye

Rihanna · A Girl Like Me [2006]

I never should have waited

So long to say

What I've always known

Since the very first day

Thought that you would stay

Forever with me

But the time has come to leave



Before we turn out the lights

And close our eyes

I'll tell you a secret

I've held all my life

It's you that I live for

And for you I die

So I lay here with you

'til the final goodbye



Holding you close

Close to my lips

Listen intently

As I tell you this

Outside the world

Wages its war

I'll rest in peace

As long as you know



Before we turn out the lights

And close our eyes

I'll tell you a secret

I've held all my life

It's you that I live for

And for you I die

So I lay here with you

'til the final goodbye



Promise you our love

Will carry on

Until time eternal

We belong



Before we turn out the lights

And close our eyes

I'll tell you a secret

I've held all my life

It's you that I live for

And for you I die

So I lay here with you

'til the final goodbye



As I taste your lips

For the last time

I spell out the lyrics

To love in the sky

It's you that I live for

And for you I die

So I lay here with you

'til the final goodbye



Goodbye...

Final Goodbye

Released in 2006 on the album A Girl Like Me, "Final Goodbye" stands as a defining track in Rihanna's early solo career. The song blends R&B sensibilities with a distinct pop-rock edge, featuring a signature guitar riff that became a staple of her discography during this transitional period. Lyrically, the track explores themes of heartbreak and the finality of parting ways, delivered with a vocal performance that showcased her growing range beyond her earlier dance-pop hits. As a key component of her 2006 catalog, the recording helped solidify her status as a major force in contemporary music, bridging the gap between her work with Usher and her subsequent solo breakthroughs in the late 2000s.