Epitaph

Album: Never Had the Time (2013)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song was inspired by John Sponarski's late grandfather. Sponarski, who is one of the lead singers and songwriters for the band, explained in our interview: "My grandpa died before I was born, and I was born on the same day as him. My family, my mom's side of the family, has this notion that I'm his reincarnate. He was the only musician in the family, and he had a radio show up in the Interior. He was always the entertainer at parties and played a bunch of instruments. I never met him. It's kind of funny to me. I think this is the subject that I haven't finished writing about. It's something that I will continue to explore for a long time, but for me it was about the fact that I've come to know him through the tales of my grandma and my mother. To me that's his epitaph. And yeah, I guess this song is like a multi-perspective to me, like sung from his perspective and sung from mine. I guess it's really talking about how I remember him but asking the question of how will people remember me."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Paul Stanley of Kiss, Soul Station

Paul Stanley of Kiss, Soul StationSongwriter Interviews

Paul Stanley on his soul music project, the Kiss songs with the biggest soul influence, and the non-make-up era of the band.

Richie McDonald of Lonestar

Richie McDonald of LonestarSongwriter Interviews

Richie talks about the impact of "Amazed," and how his 4-year-old son inspired another Lonestar hit.

Dennis DeYoung

Dennis DeYoungSongwriter Interviews

Dennis DeYoung explains why "Mr. Roboto" is the defining Styx song, and what the "gathering of angels" represents in "Come Sail Away."

Yoko Ono

Yoko OnoSongwriter Interviews

At 80 years old, Yoko has 10 #1 Dance hits. She discusses some of her songs and explains what inspired John Lennon's return to music in 1980.

Tom Keifer of Cinderella

Tom Keifer of CinderellaSongwriter Interviews

Tom talks about the evolution of Cinderella's songs through their first three albums, and how he writes as a solo artist.

In The Cards

In The CardsSong Writing

Songwriters have used cards and card games to make sense of heartache, togetherness, and even Gonorrhea.