Epitaph (song)


"Epitaph" is the third track on British progressive rock band King Crimson's 1969 album In the Court of the Crimson King. It was written by Robert Fripp, Ian McDonald, Greg Lake, and Michael Giles with lyrics written by Peter Sinfield.
The song is noted for its heavy use of the Mellotron, and as with the first track, "21st Century Schizoid Man", the song's lyrics have a distinctly dystopian feel to them.
The song's title was used as the name for a live album of recordings done by the original King Crimson, Epitaph.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer would later incorporate an excerpt from this song after the "Battlefield" portion of the live version of their song "Tarkus", from the Tarkus album, as documented in the live album Welcome Back My Friends to the Show That Never Ends... Ladies and Gentlemen.
"Stripes" from Cage's album Hell's Winter samples a middle part of the song throughout its duration.
Epitaph Records also took its name from the song.

Interpretation

The song reflects the fears of the time, in particular a nuclear apocalypse, and the confusion and despair of the narrator as a result.

Personnel

In 1976, "Epitaph" was released as a single with "21st Century Schizoid Man" as the B-side, a companion to the compilation A Young Person's Guide to King Crimson.

Track listing

  1. "Epitaph"
  2. "21st Century Schizoid Man"