Epitaph

Album: In the Court of The Crimson King (1969)
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Songfacts®:

  • This song title as well as the lyrics of this song refer to the message that is displayed on a gravestone. In this song, the singer is facing a struggle and fears that his epitaph will be "confusion." Greg Lake, who was the bass player with the group for the In the Court of The Crimson King album (his only album with the band, as he left to form Emerson, Lake & Palmer), explained: "'Epitaph' is basically a song about looking with confusion upon a world gone mad. King Crimson had a strange ability to write about the future in an extremely prophetic way and the messages this song contains are even more relative today than they were when the song was originally written."
  • Pete Sinfield sometimes wrote visionary lyrics that at the end of the '60s were common in bands like King Crimson who were doing progressive rock. LSD was trendy and many songwriters went through it, some more than others. Sinfield is apocalyptical in his writings, just like many other artists who were also seeing gurus (very trendy by then too). People had a deep curiosity and the mind had just been discovered and marketed: "The only way out is inside" said Timothy Leary. Vietnam was still on, there was an inner war in society, a big generation gap. Fear was in the air sometimes too. So take mind-expanding drugs, the growing power of the media, revolved and curious minds, gurus talking about how bad our society was doing, etc. and it reflects on many lyricist works, Sinfield as well. Bob Dylan was also very cryptic. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Edna - Madrid, Spain

Comments: 11

  • Chinaman from Chinathis is epic
  • John Ligma from DeezlandSo cool
  • Ralph from Hannover, GermanySo long ago, since It came out. And I still love it. If I had to choose a record to take with me on an distant island, it would be "In The Court Of The Crimson King".
  • Bob from HollandWhat more is there to say. Or do?
  • AnonymousThe fate of all mankind is in the hands of fools as true today as it was then ... maybe more
  • Dina from Egypt"Confusion will be my epitaph" 47 years and still an epic musically and lyrically.
  • Javier from Hunterdon, NjThis shouldn't be relegated to LSD induced 60's trivia. It's a great and timeless composition and performance.
  • Elie from London, -they should do one on starless from red
  • Lester from New York City, NyGreat song. Lost interest in King Crimson when Greg Lake departed.
  • Reg from Kemptville, On, -Great song. Great album.
  • Allison from A Little Ol' Town In, MiONE OF THE GREATEST KING CRIMSON SONGS EVER!
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