The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Can you feel it, see it, hear it today?
If you can't, then it doesn't matter anyway
You will never understand it 'cause it happens too fast
And it feels so good, it's like walking on glass
It's so cool, it's so hip, it's alright
It's so groovy, it's outta sight
You can touch it, smell it, taste it so sweet
But it makes no difference 'cause it knocks you off your feet
You want it all but you can't have it
It's cryin', bleedin', lying on the floor
So you lay down on it and you do it some more
You've got to share it, so you dare it
Then you bare it and you tear it
You want it all but you can't have it
It's in your face but you can't grab it
It's alive, afraid, a lie, a sin
It's magic, it's tragic, it's a loss, it's a win
It's dark, it's moist, it's a bitter pain
It's sad it happened and it's a shame
You want it all but you can't have it
It's in your face but you can't grab it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
You want it all but you can't have it
It's in your face but you can't grab it
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it (yeah, yeah, yeah)
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it (yeah, yeah, yeah)
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it (yeah, yeah, yeah)
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it (yeah, yeah, yeah)
What is it?
It's it
If you can't, then it doesn't matter anyway
You will never understand it 'cause it happens too fast
And it feels so good, it's like walking on glass
It's so cool, it's so hip, it's alright
It's so groovy, it's outta sight
You can touch it, smell it, taste it so sweet
But it makes no difference 'cause it knocks you off your feet
You want it all but you can't have it
It's cryin', bleedin', lying on the floor
So you lay down on it and you do it some more
You've got to share it, so you dare it
Then you bare it and you tear it
You want it all but you can't have it
It's in your face but you can't grab it
It's alive, afraid, a lie, a sin
It's magic, it's tragic, it's a loss, it's a win
It's dark, it's moist, it's a bitter pain
It's sad it happened and it's a shame
You want it all but you can't have it
It's in your face but you can't grab it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
You want it all but you can't have it
It's in your face but you can't grab it
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it (yeah, yeah, yeah)
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it (yeah, yeah, yeah)
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it (yeah, yeah, yeah)
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it (yeah, yeah, yeah)
What is it?
It's it
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I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Punchline
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Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
Everybody wants something in life... What is it? Something that would satisfy us... What is it? The answer to it all... What is it? We try so hard to bring ourselves closer... but we're already there. We can't grab what we've had from the beginning. We overlook the thing that is before every other thing we see. It's what we had before we started deciding what we have and don't have.
It's just us.
I think this song has some kind of mysterious meaning, whether it be about society or in a spiritual sense. I just can't see a song with a great piano outtro being about drugs.
@pianoman While I also don't think this is about drugs, I think it's about something bigger, although I hardly know for sure, it's certainly not true that the piano solo at the end in any way precludes it being about drugs. From the Inside, by Def Leppard has one of the most beautiful piano solos in rock history, and it is unequivocally about drugs. Martika's Toy Soldiers, also about drugs, ends on a pretty piano outtro (albeit not as good as Epic's, much less From the Inside's solo). Not to mention Lucy in the Sky with Diamond's intro and many other songs that have soft piano parts, but yet are clearly about drugs.
It's a song about it.
@mowi LOL!
@mowi – There is a character in Adam's Family whose name is Cousin Itt.
Its about the "epic" that is our lives...some of us try to feel the mystical pull from God/the other side (like The Door's sang about) in our lives because we can feel it, see it, hear it today...we want to grasp it and understand it completely because it feels so good, it's like walking on glass...we want it constantly, but we want it all, all the time, but we can't have it, its always starting us in the face in some way but we can't grab it....WHAT IS IT?!?...what is this reality, this life, this existence?
I remember an interview on MTV with Mike Patton by [I think] Riki Rachtman when the song first came out. It was Headbangers Ball I believe too. Anyway, Mike said, "Epic is about what everything around us is about - SEX". The quote may be missing some words, but that's pretty accurate.
@NJBilly When I was a kid I thought it about coacaine. Reading the lyrics sounds ore like heroine until I read it's about rape. Makes perfect sense. It's lying bleeding laying on the floor so you lay down on it and you do it some more. And the small phrases are him struggling with he knows it's wrong but can't help himself. It happens so fast. When I read it I thought that's crazy until I realy read the lyrics.
The lyrics of this song have an universal meaning, which can mean anything to anyone. I'd say it's about a certain obsession with something, not being able to get what you want, maybe due to an mental, phyiscal handicap or just plain rules which don't allow you to. I found this due to the experience that this song already fitted twice in my life with totally different experiences.
Yeah, it's about masturbating while watching porn! Yeah, it's about drugs, which keep asking more and more! Yeah, it's about not reaching your goals in life! Yeah, it's about falling in love with your best friend. Etc.
That's what makes this song so great. Wherefor most songs only fit one. two or maybe three meanings, this song can have any meaning you want. He explicitly asks what it means to you in the ending ;-).
Decided to post because I've seen some horrible explanations as well as some that are close. Here's what Epic is really about:
"It" is your meaningless existence.
"Can you feel it, see it, hear it today? If you can't, then it doesn't matter anyway You will never understand it 'cause it happens too fast"
"But it makes no difference 'cause it knocks you off your feet"
"You want it all but you can't have it It's in your face but you can't grab it"
"Piano outro"
@FuckTheGOP which probably explains the fish out of water gasping for air at the end of the film clip
I, personaly, dont agree with any of the whole "its about drugs" scenarios on here. Mike Patton did not do drugs. Hes clean. I believe it is about just anything at all. "It" represents anything that we take for granted. Everyones song writing equation or process isnt the same. You should actually know something about the person who wrote the song before you start blaming the genius of talented artists such as Mike Patton on drug use. Ok, and now to quote Mr. Mackee, "Drugs r' bad...mmkay?" )O(Marilyn)O(
I love this song because, yeah, most songs are riddles (kind of) but this is streight up in riddle form. I think it's about that one kick that everyone is looking for, some people have found it, some people are still trying to find out what that one thing is that just grabs you deep inside, inflates you and makes all your cares just float away. That's why he sais "IT", because "IT" is something different to everybody. And you say "What is it?"
i think the subject of the the song is everything that you want to have or reach to and feeling so close but can't fully reach it. for me it's about quantum physics and exploring the secrets of the universe the thungs that we can't fully understand but yet they are all around us and are very accessible but still we can't fully reach them. maybe human alchemy ;-) hey it fits fullmetal alchemist brotherhood!
@nukey Yeah. That doesn't expalin" it's bleeding it's lying on the floor so you lay down on it and you do it some more part..