Chatterbox by Casey Lee Williams and Martin Gonzalez with Lyrics

This duality of the Neo and the Cat talking to each other gives a lot of good insight into Neo’s mind. I dig it!
Thank you SO SO MUCH to my friend and artist Mikururun on Twitter for making this AMAZING art! This is definitely one of my favorite pieces ever! Please follow her for more amazing art! / mikururun

[@FlyntofRWBY]

Thank you SO SO MUCH to my friend and artist Mikururun on Twitter for making this AMAZING art! This is definitely one of my favorite pieces ever! Please follow her for more amazing art! twitter.com/Mikururun

[@meganintenbro]

That art fits this song so nicely, I'm a really big fan. Thank you both for your work on this video!

[@shadowldrago]

“Symphony of technicolor rage” is a fantastic lyric.

[@sablebranwen2539]

Casey has been _killing_ it! Music just flows through the Williams' veins like fine wine.

[@weirdmyst7963]

Just realized she was belting growls and we were both in 7th grade! I was like "she's been doing this forever" but I just realized she not even 21

[@someoneelse6490]

My theory: The cat begins with constating Neo's mental state before telling her she needs him: "So close to closure" -> Neo's state "The one thing you need" -> He tries to temp her "Underneath a monument with a dedicated plea" -> Goes back to her state "See through the smoke now" -> "Illusions are weak" -> Both lines he tries to give her 'advices' to show she really needs him "Intercept the messages that" -> "You left just for me" -> He justify himself, we can hear Casey taking the same tone of voices he uses when he speaks His speech is interrupted by narration, the music picking up the rythm as Neo probably starts fighting back "Then suddenly" -> narration Here the narration talk about what has happened to Neo during this season. It's BOTH Neo and the cat that speak "Scratched through the surface" -> can refer to both as Neo avoid her inside conflict by blaming Ruby and the cat wants to know everything "And you've found a key" -> Neo 'killing' Ruby and the cat having a way to take over "Unlocking what you thought was safe inside a box" -> "But it's somehow been set free" -> Both lines are Neo seeing that 'killing' Ruby didn't change anything, she doesn't feel better, her trauma 'is set free' as she can now stop blaming Ruby For the cat it might refer to him being locked in Ever After and trying to exit it but he realizes he cannot pass the portal Narration continue as Neo is starting to take her body back "Finally" "Say something real" -> Neo protests by saying the cat only tries to justify himself and his actions "Do you only speak in riddles, chatterbox?" -> Neo get tired of the cat presence, represented by him talking too much compared to Neo's inability to speak "I'm waiting for your ugly mouth to just spit it out" -> Neo taunt him by telling him to release her There is a break as their fight continue, can be also interpretated as team RWBY being fighting in front of the portal Then we heard a thought "Waiting for it" -> Neo waiting to be released "Sugar coated" -> She realizes her conflict wasn't with Ruby, she lied to herself "All you need is here" -> The truth is INSIDE her, she doesn't need the cat or blaming Ruby "Come and find what" -> "Redefines you" -> Neo has been focused so much on revenge, she needs to know herself now that's revenge time is over "Make it crystal clear" -> she needs to make sure she won't redo the same mistake They both speak up as Neo starts to regain control: "Give me anything" -> Cat wanting to find something to manipulate her and Neo needing any form of help now "But this symphony of technicolor rage" -> Neo doesn't want revenge anymore "You call it righteous" "meaningful" "It's anything but love" With those lines, Neo calls the cat out on this manipulation and herself on having justified her vengeance with Torchwick "Don't take me for a fool" "I know this all too well so" Those lines are Neo reminding herself and the cat of having chosen vengeance over something else "Leave your tears to someone else cuz" "It's not just you who lost it all" Neo tells herself she's not the only one that has lost everything, can also be seen as the cat calling her out for justifying her vengeance but this long in the song it's neo for me Then the chorus pick up until the end as Neo has won and the cat stopped talking It would make sense for this song to be in those three parts as the possession progress: Cat take over, all time powerful, Neo starts fighting back as he lose powers, Neo becomes stronger as the cat is on the verge of losing control on her.

[@weirdmyst7963]

It's such an interesting story. It always reminds me of the cat from Wonderland and oddly also the snake that tempted Eve.

[@palmerthemedic7449]

The courus for this (I think that's what it's called) Is so good, I love neo's apparent just "SHUT UP ALREADY" attitude with the cat

[@advanced0018]

chorus I believe is the right spelling.

[@iceluvndiva21]

Given how the curious cat and her parents are both putting up a pleasant fronts in words and actions? I'm not surprised

[@wakkiwitch]

3:37 the unbridled rage in that "out" is incredible

[@cylasbreakdown6140]

When I first listened to this yesterday, I at first thought it was about the Cat, but towards the end I changed my mind and now think it’s directed towards Neo in a sarcastic sort of way. I think it still needs some analysis before I decide which playlist I put it in. Edit: I never considered it could be both. Usually in these songs when there’s a back and forth, there are two singers.

[@mariapazgonzalezlesme]

You could said this song is both for Neo and the Curious Cat's POV. And in a way, they are snarking at each other, Neo demans for the Cat to stop speaking in riddles, and the Cat only treats Neo's body as a key to escape the Ever After, not really caring for her feelings. And yet they both are hollow and lost something. For Neo, it was Roman. And the Cat, his purpose and left behind by his creators.

[@mariapazgonzalezlesme]

Look at this from a meta view, Neo is mute, so it makes sense why there's one singer for this song. A fight between thoughts.

[@zenweeb8506]

Pretty sure the blue lyrics are the cat’s pov while the pink is Neo’s pov

[@ThePontiffofPonWolf]

​@@mariapazgonzalezlesmethat makes a lot of sense

[@spark9189]

it's similar to all things must die

[@x-dragonhunter2085]

Love duality on this one. Nice to see how neo (talk) to the cat in her head.

[@thewalrus45]

Wait did we finally get clarification that Chatterbox is in fact about both Neo AND the Cat?

[@FlyntofRWBY]

Casey confirmed it for me, though she said she wanted to keep ambiguous who’s singing what lines, so the color coding is mostly my interpretation and one of my friends’.

[@thewalrus45]

@@FlyntofRWBY nice, cool to know.

[@chriss.249]

Sounds like she became Rwbys venom. After all most the other villains give those spider-man villain type of vibes.

[@bldymoon9141]

​@@chriss.249 YOOOOOOOOOOOOO, You read my mind!

[@gregory53252]

@@chriss.249That is a really interesting thought… Would you care to elaborate, please?

[@multiverse_media2023]

The great man is back! And with a silent chatterbox possessed by a bad kitty.

[@CatKun1234]

Sometimes I still can’t believe I trusted that kitty I would skin him alive but he might do something to me …… also I love this song

[@josephsharp6221]

Neo is probably my third favorite RWBY character behind Qrow at number 1 and Weiss at number 2

[@samuelmanoel4226]

Same here but my list I place Weiss first, then Qrow

[@SkittytheKid]

ya got good taste

[@RF-Ataraxia]

Excellent taste, gentlemen

[@Sephaos]

Gentlemen

[@JohnSydney225]

I am in love with this soundtrack, and this song in particular (I can listen to it all day). Mikururun did incredible with the artwork (love the detail of the subtle tear Neo sheds towards the end).

[@mikururun]

thank you! ❤

[@exactlyschrimps]

the bridge leaves me breathless every time. there's so much power in this song

[@olserknam]

I actually think everything besides the chorus and maybe the bridge here is from the Cat's POV. Neo is claiming love as motive for her revenge, so it makes sense for him to call her out on it.

[@ThePontiffofPonWolf]

I think the beginning is neo talking about closure and from "scratched through the surface" it's the cat then Neo has chorus and back to the cat for the second verse

[@charxthekoopaking5673]

I KNEW THAT NEO WAS INVOLVED

[@Dragonflies7000]

The quite one are the only that goes crazy

[@TheGoldenFighter]

Yeah, I mean he is the one after all so yh.

[@xSakuraStrawberryx]

I seen you before remember me?

[@charxthekoopaking5673]

@@xSakuraStrawberryx very vaguely

[@blumasterblade2361]

So this entire song is basically just the Cat and Ice cream waifu trash talking each other? I love it~❤

[@harleygraves7872]

Great name choices😂

[@ModernAegis]

I always imagined the whole thing from Neo's POV, screaming at Ruby inside her head.

[@sm901ftw]

Tbh I thought it was the opposite. The last verse especially sounds like they're calling Neo out for her obsession and reaction to Torchwick's death ("anything but rage... it's anything but love... you're not the only one who lost it all"). In the end though think it being a beck and call between Neo and the Cat makes more sense.

[@fatgriffin9907]

As someone who loves rock and metal music this is my immediate favorite from this season. Such heavy drums and guitar! Plus the lyrics fit very well and run pretty smooth with the song

[@bradugar]

First time heard this deadass thought this was an Evenesnses track, but I love that vibe so not a complaint more so a compliment to the instrumental work & Casey's vocals sounding like Amy Lee.

[@Animeguy300]

Loved the soundtrack of volume 9

[@cynder_firekitty9707]

Not sure if anyone else brought this up... but neo's eye starts crying in the artwork when it comes up to the line about saving your tears for someone else... such a small detail! amazing!

[@alyssavargas8563]

I honestly felt this was like a convo between Ruby and Neo

[@ThePontiffofPonWolf]

So did I at first but now I think it's an internal conflict between Neo and the Cat

[@flamenami]

@@ThePontiffofPonWolfbut the song was played before neo got possessed

[@ThePontiffofPonWolf]

@@flamenami wouldn't be the first time a song foreshadowed future events (looking at you Divide)

[@lachanshachak4122]

I also thought so at first. I've seen now that it's "officially" a song between Neo and the Cat, but I still think it fits them really well. Especially the bridge could easily be Ruby telling Neo that her obsession with revenge (Who has a "technicolor rage" in this show if not Neo?) isn't really love, and that she won't feel sympathy for her grief because of all the loss that she has helped cause to Ruby.

[@etps4444]

This is _definitely_ one of my new favorite songs in the whole series. It's so awesome!!

[@aspen1889]

YEAAH im glad someone did a video with neo involved

[@been_yay]

was waiting for this one!

[@lhhOriginalGrey]

This being a back and forth between Neo and the cat is really interesting, I thought it was Neo and Ruby

[@deathstar628]

"You talk too much." - Neo (waifu)

[@kitmountaincat6102]

Not everything in a lockbox is a treasure, and a riddle is the best way to share personal secrets you would rather not, a treasure cat once taught me that and it is a way to look at the world that I value!

[@Metalla25]

I need more songs like this one in my life. The instrumentation, the atmosphere, the lyrics, the vocals, that absolutely righteous guitar solo...everything about it is so profoundly cool and ethereal. This song is my shit. The entire Volume 9 soundtrack is some of the best stuff I've ever heard.

[@justusrivera8677]

Neo and Curious Cat song rocks!!!!

[@donovannotmyname7306]

This song feels nostalgic without the attached emotions. Like listening to Tool, evanescence, perhaps a third that I can't identify.

[@iKendles]

surprisingly might be my favorite song of the volume, but it is contending with inside and guide my way, probably cause I enjoyed curious cat and Neo this volume

[@k.silverpoint]

I have no clue why but this gives me 2000's AMV vibes. It's pretty good!

[@justamugofcoco]

The artwork is amazing, and so is the song, really did a better job with Neo's role in part 9 in song, I kinda wish they handled her a bit better, but I'm just happy we got closure for Neo

[@GammerNii]

That art is just WOW!

[@Targon117]

I get that this one has alot of interpretations, mostly regarding Neo and the Curious Cat, but I can't help but think this song is about Jaune to a degree. His frustration towards the Curious Cat, and his whole situation in general regarding the Ever After. The bridge could foreshadow the blowup between Jaune and Ruby have after the Paper Pleasers bite it. Having it play in the volume during the Jabberwalker's attack on the market and the subsequent battle was genius. Short but sweet, and scoring how Jaune became the valiant knight and defender he always was inside. Before you go and say i'm wrong about what the song is about, that's fine. Aside from a few, RWBY tracks are open to interpretation. Hell, this one is about Neo, the Curious Cat, Jaune, Ruby, even the Jabberwalker to a degree, and you know what? That's okay. Interpretation is fine, how the individual enjoys the art, thats what matters.

[@GenZealous]

100% agree. This is totally Jaune’ inmer conflict toward the cat.

[@corvusx5674]

Except Casey herself said it's a song about Neo and the Cat

[@Triforce_of_Doom]

Goddamn Mikururun did an amazing job on the art for this one!

[@xKrispmasx]

Damn, I think this may be my new favorite song. I just love it so much. ❤️

[@pokeyscorpion8224]

I love that artwork of Neo, it really shows how she's falling apart inside by Volume 9

[@nitin1140]

A very beautiful picture

[@Aiekhoa]

this illustration wow

[@mariapazgonzalezlesme]

When a song writes a better inner monologue and story for Neo's villian arc than the show itself. After hearing the whole song, this song also focuses in the Curious Cat's POV, and how he is slowly taking control of Neo's song (a.k.a body) In short, this is both the Curious Cat and Neo's POV song.

[@cylasbreakdown6140]

Hard to do decent development for a mute outside of a written medium, but I think they handled it well. Though I should say I’d read her novel prior to seeing Volume 9, so I had more context for her than many.

[@devbyglamour4265]

the cat uses they/them btw ♥

[@ileonardoi3791]

I think they had more in store for the Everafter and Curious Neo, maybe another Volume worth of content even, but time constraints forced them to change some things it seems. That's only my theory tho, could be wrong

[@anime.san.poki12]

Your not just who lost it all got me so bad😢

[@mariobrothersfan2792]

I gotta say, whatever money you spent on that commission was worth EVERY PENNY!

[@MasquedJustice]

if i had a nickel for every time a mute person had a manipulator control them from inside their head in one of y'alls shows, I'd have two nickels, which isn't alot but it's weird that it happened twice

[@metadaneholtzman7816]

The Meta? Cause that needs to be a Death Battle.

[@Dugie555]

Ohhhh this was freaking amazing! 👏🤯

[@atomandevestreams4302]

I love this song a ton, but I’m kinda confused on what a lot of the first half means if it is indeed curious cat and neo. What messages are being intercepted? What’s the key and the box? I’m assuming the cat is talking directly to neo (especially since neo says “give me anything but this technicolor rage”) and therefore their “riddles” are directed towards neo as well but… if that’s the case, I’m unsure what key she found. And I’m unsure what messages neo left for the cat to intercept. Just having a difficult time figuring out what the cat is on about, I guess.

[@jismeraiverhoeven]

The problem is you assume the "key" and "box" are something more literal. It is stated that the key unlocked something that was thought to be safe, so it probably talks about neos revenge on ruby as that unlocked something inside of neo that allowed the cat to get in. It can also speak about the moment where the kitten neo breathed in the smoke as this allowed neo to escape the cat

[@atomandevestreams4302]

@@jismeraiverhoeven I don’t think it’s a literal box or key but I also don’t feel like it’s referring to Neo’s revenge and subsequent possession. I feel it refers more to the unleashing of something inside that box rather than opening the box to let something in. Possibly the wording even implies that by the time the box was opened, the thing that was supposed to be inside was already gone. And I don’t think it’s the breathing in thing because I do think it’s the cat (or at least a non-neo speaker) saying that line, and it seems weird the cat would be talking about his own actions in second person. I considered that the key was neo herself, and the box the ever after. And that the gods thought the cat was “safe inside a box”. But I don’t think that’s it either, assuming this is the a conversation between the cat and neo. Plus it would be referring to a different “you” than the “you” used in the first verse, I think, which just seems too convoluted

[@MilodicMellodi]

Part of me think it’s Neo, but not Neo, he’s talking to. The cat’s talking to Neo, but not to Trivia Vanille.

[@DesolateSpace594]

Awesome!!

[@jacobmaniscalco179]

I love it so much 😄

[@vaivs7903]

FlyntofRWBY has uploaded, let's gooooooooo

[@TheElementsAreWithMe]

Ah a song of two souls interacting within. Creppy but for some reason comforting in a way to me. Maybe because the song represents the details of their "conversation".

[@kappapride6332]

Oh this fucks hard! I knew I was going to like Chatterbox the most.

[@strings3065]

Volume 9s ost is just something else

[@Spine223]

SO GOOD

[@tart-miano]

Wow what a perfect time for my Bluetooth headphones to glitch out while listening to this song for the first time- the audio is distorted, skipping and glitching occasionally, almost making it sound like there are TWO voices singing instead of one. I Am Officially Concern

[@shyness2901]

I really hope Neo comes back in Volume 10

[@Chef_Coc]

LETS GO

[@Cococrash11]

Awesome Chatterbox by Casey Lee Williams and Martin Gonzalez with Lyrics Video.

[@venomoideterror2056]

i love this! thanks for the clarification i thought this was just the cats view and we didnt get a neo song. Glad I was wrong!

[@SimonPetrikov12]

I know we wont see any of this and it had to be kept secret for the twist, but I would LOVE to see how Neo and the cat interacted. No need to act like a hero to a villain.

[@The-Great-Gnome-of-Chaos]

She deserves this awesome ass song

[@misakimikoto264]

I truly love all there music every single rwby song has not let me down it’s relaxing and great battle music for when I play my games and paint

[@xSakuraStrawberryx]

Downright sugoi

[@blockerton1778]

There was a lot of heavy electric guitar this volume I feel

[@amarexw]

TOO GOOD

[@canalnadaprafazer8195]

Jabberwalker/Literally me Song

[@plutonash2545]

I thought this song was about the cat I never thought it could also be about Neo

[@utimas1696]

1:10 My favorite part of the song

[@slambat298]

tbh my perception of this song has always been about neo giving ruby a big middle finger about penny in reply to ruby about roman. i know it's supposed to be about the Cat or w/e but the parallel there really is unreal, v9 turned ruby and neo into foils to an absurd degree. also the chorus expresses the frustration of her friends, the audience, and everyone else about ruby's total inability to talk about penny or her broader PTSD

[@Brian-nv8ei]

Wait. The torch has passed? The OST is up to Casey now?

[@judelochlan]

this gives 00's emo rock vibes and i fucking love it so much

[@Max-ve6rf]

This sounds like something "The Crane Wives" would sing

[@yellowduckgamedev]

Probably the most unique sounding rwby song

[@Boltofbrilliance122]

That picture is creepy ( in a good way)

[@shadow0fx]

Damn when did Casey get Breaking Benjamin on for a song?

[@anonymousgamer5771]

Is it just me, or does one of Neo's eyes look like a soul gem?

[@ComfortsSpecter]

Vibing Hard or Hardly Vibing Great Effects of a Lovely Character Just a Reminder She Has no Dialogue and She’s The Best Character I Will Never Watch past EP 1 But This Is Incredible Beautiful Art

[@wayneigoe6722]

Why does this song remind me of the soundtrack from Daredevil (2003)? For the life of me, I can't figure out why...

[@sephiroth21347]

It sounds like Blow Me Away by Breaking Ben XD

[@wayneigoe6722]

@@sephiroth21347 Okay, so I wasn't the only one who thought it sounded familiar

[@shmurblethebirdmanbarbarian]

This song kind of reminds me of Bye Bye Babylon by Cryoshell but I don’t know why

[@AnneAleph]

So, I've been genuinely disinterested in RWBY for a looooooong time... But Neo is always going to be one of my favorite characters and I want to know where she ended up now

[@marielb2924]

aside of the Edge, this is my favourite V9 song

[@Nova-_-]

SHOW ME YOUR TRUE FORM

[@Ponera-Sama]

"It's been eons since anyone has laid their eyes on my true form. You who laid waste to my creation will be killed by me, the God of the Woods!"

[@TheBlindFurry]

Originally I thought this song was Neo & Ruby rather than Neo and the Cat.

[@unknownstranger3646]

Look. I never heard this song before. I dont think it appeared in one of the episodes. So can you tell me if this ever appears in the series. And most inpornantly, i know this is directed towards neo and that these songs have a special meaning. So can any of you tell me what this is suppose to mean?

[@luhribeiro7986]

Appeard in episode five

[@RobertStukowski]

Episode 5. It plays while Weiss, Blake, and Yang along with Jaune fight Neo's Jabberwalker. It starts when Jaune enters the scene and ends when Yang shatters the clone.

[@Draklink248]

Necesito con letra en español 😞 mi inglés no es muy bueno aún.

[@Pyrochazm]

This replaces Sacrifice as my vavorite RWBY song.

[@taznixx1126]

YOO I FORGOT ABOUT THIS CHANNEL

[@thenobody7509]

Ok, so here is just my interruption of these lines. "Dont take me for a fool. I know this all to so. Leave your tears to someone else cuz. Its not just you who lost it all." This line is neo. It tells you all you need to know. Neo has been in a similar situation to this before and she lost something. Shes lost her original family and then she lost roland. This is probably directed at jane because jane is so caught up in his own crap he cant aee others are suffering.

[@tetragaming6332]

It could honestly be either talking to the other, but I’d bet money on it being the cat disregarding Neo’s emotions. The Cat and Neo both lost everything they could claim belonged to them.

[@iceluvndiva21]

You're broken! You break everything you touch! I called humans weak! Confused! Incomplete! - Curious Cat Ya know, ya shouldn't talk about yourself that way. Its unhealthy.

[@nuzzkue9371]

Neo is my favorite character in RWBY, However I must ask, remember when the show was about hunting grimm? I hope they do Vacuo good, I'm imaging it like Borderlands 3, but more civilized. (Damn I'm gonna miss seeing Neo.)

[@luisalvarez9549]

I don't know why but i keep thinking, I'm gonna hear the Danny Phantom song from the opening riff

[@yangxiaolong7681]

This 100% sounds like something Evanescence would do

[@k-wolfur3686]

The one thing in rwby that hasn't decreased in quality is the music.

[@artyom2801]

If you played this without telling me the title, I probs would think it was an Elena Siegman song. It just works so well as a COD Zombies track.

[@emeraldphoenix5868]

This song is so Awesome,It could've been even better if Sebastian Evans ii was brought on board to help out with the OST which I do hope that happens for V10.

[@rodney7277]

Like the egyptian melody of the song

[@Drakeotheruler2]

Damn lazlow has a good singing voice

[@Bubonic32]

Who drew the artwork here?

[@mikururun]

me

[@Bubonic32]

It’s fantastic