Epitaph
Echoes of Life: A Poignant Tale in Judas Priest's Epitaph
Lyrics
The old man's sitting there, his head bowed down
The elderly man is sitting with his head bowed down.
Every now and then he'll take a look around
Occasionally, he glances around, possibly reflecting on his surroundings.
And his eyes reflect the memory-pain of years gone by
His eyes show the pain of memories from years gone by.
He can't regain nostalgic dreams he'll never see again
He cannot recover the nostalgic dreams that are permanently lost to him.
With trembling hands, he wipes a tear
With shaky hands, he wipes away a tear.
Many fall like rain, there's one for every year
Tears fall like rain, each representing a year of his life.
And his life laid out so clearly now, life that's brought death
His life is now laid out clearly, revealing the connection between life and death.
So nearly now life once he clung to dearly now lets go
Life, once cherished, is now slipping away.
But spare a thought as you pass him by
Passersby are urged to consider the old man.
Take a closer look and you'll say
Upon closer inspection, one would realize...
He's our tomorrow, just as much as we are his yesterday
...that he represents tomorrow for others, just as we represent yesterday for him.
A lonely grave, and soon forgot
A grave, lonely and likely to be forgotten.
Only wind and leaves lament his mournful song
Only the wind and leaves mourn his song.
Yet they shout his epitaph out clear
Nevertheless, his epitaph shouts out, clear to those passing by.
For anyone who's passing near
It serves as a reminder for anyone in proximity.
It names the person lying here as you
The epitaph identifies the person buried as "you."
And you, and you, and you
It emphasizes the universality of mortality, addressing all who read it.
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