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Lea Michele’s Final Glee Song “This Time”: Listen, Weep, and Find Out Who Wrote It

Lea Michele as Rachel Berry
Lea Michele's final Glee solo song "This Time" has been released — listen to the audio and find out which costar wrote it!

One last gold star for Rachel Berry! Lea Michele’s final Glee solo song “This Time” has been released, and it’s just as emotional and poignant as her character’s journey at McKinley High School. What makes it even sweeter? The actress’ costar Darren Criss wrote it just for her!

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“These halls I’ve walked a thousand times / Heartbreaks and Valentines, friends of mine oh no / I look at everything I was and everything I’ve loved and see how much I’ve grown,” she sings. “Even if the mirror doesn’t see it, it’s clear to me I see it / I can make it on my own / I’m not afraid of moving on and letting go / It’s just so hard to say goodbye to what I know.”

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lea michele and darren criss
Lea Michele and Darren Criss perform onstage during the Family Equality Council’s 2015 Los Angeles Awards dinner

“This time no one is going to say goodbye / I keep you in this heart of mine,” she continues. “This time I know it’s never over.”

Criss, who joined the series as Blaine Anderson in 2010 during season two, opened up about penning the song during Glee’s PaleyFest Q&A at L.A.’s Dolby Theatre on Friday, Mar. 13. “Even if it wasn’t on the show, writing for Lea was a cool exercise. I basically wrote a love note to the entire experience,” he said.

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He added: “Rachel Berry goes off to her next chapter and this time she’s going to be strong and have that be her chariot, but it’s also this time that we [as a cast have] had together has been so special. Having Lea sing it to me is one of the most special moments of my career.”

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The same can be said for Michele. “It was the last song I recorded in the studio and there would be no other song that could have perfectly encapsulated the entire experience,” she explained at the event. “Darren gave me the greatest gift. Honestly, that was the day I fell to my knees and cried. I literally had to call my mother to come [get me],” she continued. “It was such a favor because I got to say everything to everyone here and everyone watching what I wanted to say. But [I couldn’t] think of the words and he wrote them. It’s so special. It was the most amazing memory.”

The FOX comedy premiered in 2009 and has ran for six seasons.

Glee’s two-hour series finale airs Friday, Mar. 20 at 8 p.m. EST.

Listen to “This Time” above!

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