Unhand Him Lyrics – EPIC: Cut Songs

Song Overview

Personal Review

Unhand Him was a cut song from EPIC, with only a single verse surviving—later edited and integrated into Mutiny. Despite being largely abandoned, the scene it portrayed was heavy with moral conflict and power dynamics, unfolding during the raid on Ismarus.

During the chaos, Odysseus finds Eurylochus near the Temple of Apollo, standing over Maron—a priest of Ismarus—moments away from killing him. Maron's son has already been slain, and his blood is on Eurylochus’ hands. Odysseus demands that he release the priest. Eurylochus snaps back, claiming Maron deserved it because his son had come at him with a dagger. But Odysseus doesn’t care—Maron is still a priest, and that alone earns him mercy.

Eurylochus finally relents, and Odysseus approaches Maron, offering an apology and vowing that justice for his son will come. What follows is a bitter confrontation between the two soldiers. Odysseus accuses Eurylochus of lacking compassion and honor, while Eurylochus fires back with biting cynicism—saying Odysseus wants the power without the weight of consequence. The argument turns darker when Odysseus invokes the murder of Maron’s son, only for Eurylochus to shoot back a brutal reminder: Odysseus once murdered Astynax at Troy.

The song closes with Odysseus shaken but resolute. He calls out to his men, ordering 300 to prepare the boats and 300 more to defend them, trying to restore order amid the moral wreckage.

Trivia

• In an early version of the script, Odysseus originally reprimanded Eurylochus not for his violence, but for failing to learn anything from the ten brutal years spent in Troy—a line that was later scrapped.

The lyrics of Unhand Him crackle like snapping rigging lines. We drop into Ismarus seconds before chaos, the chorus hammering “Raid the city of Ismarus” over snare-drum triplets. Key takeaways: Odysseus’ “no-kill” order shatters, Eurylochus revels in bloodlust, and six-hundred lives pivot on a single moral stand-off. One-sentence snapshot: a hero and his lieutenant trade barbs while a priest’s lifeline frays, proving victory and virtue rarely row the same boat.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Eurylochus’ chant of his own name foreshadows the power grab we later hear in “Mutiny.” Odysseus enters, furious that the “no lethal force” rule from the earlier cut “Ismarus” has been ignored, echoing Annotation #3. His plea—“Have you no compassion?”—shows a hero exhausted by the Trojan body-count, desperate to end the cycle.

Eurylochus counters with brutal pragmatism: “We’re one and the same…” He wields Odysseus’ own war crimes—Astyanax’s murder at Troy—as proof that ideals melt in the heat of battle (Annotations #7 & #9). The argument mirrors their philosophical split across EPIC’s cut material: Odysseus chasing honor, Eurylochus chasing survival.

Musically the scene fuses militant hip-hop with siren FX. A 7/8 stomp drives the crew’s chant; Odysseus’ verses ride dissonant strings; Eurylochus raps atop distorted brass. When alarms blare—“Ambush! Ambush!”—the meter snaps to frantic 5/4, mimicking chaos as Cicones counter-attack, validating Annotation #1.

Maron’s cameo (“That man, he killed my son”) anchors stakes in grief, and the priestly role nods to Homer’s Maron of Ismarus (Annotation #4). Odysseus responds with strategic triage—“Three hundred men will tend the boat…”—the same leadership calculus that wins Troy yet here feels tragically too late.

“You don’t get to have all of the power and none of the blame.”

Eurylochus’ line later resurfaces almost verbatim in “Mutiny,” proving this cut song seeded one of EPIC’s sharpest thematic hooks.

Verse Highlights

Opening Raid Chant

Ionic minor, relentless rhythm, one-note melody—dehumanizing both sides, just numbers and noise.

Duel Bridge

Odysseus sings in legato sixths; Eurylochus shoots off clipped syncopation. Two textures, same key, clashing like steel on shield.

Song Credits

• Artist: Jorge Rivera-Herrans
• Composer & Lyricist: Jorge Rivera-Herrans
• Drafted: 2019
• Fan-upload Leak: June 2024 (YouTube)
• Genre: War-rap musical theatre
• Instruments: snare corps, distorted brass, low strings, alarm sirens
• Mood: accusatory, frantic
• Label: Independent
• Poetic Meter: mixed trochaic over shifting 7/8 ? 5/4
• Copyright: © 2019-2025 Jorge Rivera-Herrans

Songs Exploring Themes of Battlefield Ethics

Compare this clash to “Guns and Ships” from Hamilton; both feature rapid-fire debate amid wartime logistics, but here moral weight eclipses swagger.

Sondheim’s “Moments in the Woods” peers at post-battle regret—Cinderella weighing cost after victory. Odysseus’ self-reproach echoes those whispered doubts.

Finally, “The Ballad of Czolgosz” from Assassins shows crowd complicity in violence, much like the crew’s blood-lust chorus. Together they chart how ideology mutates once steel leaves the scabbard.

Questions and Answers

Where does “Unhand Him” sit in EPIC’s timeline?

Immediately after the raid plan in “Ismarus,” minutes before Cicones launch their counter-attack.

Why was the number cut?

Rivera-Herrans condensed Act I; its core argument moved into quick dialogue before the track “Comfort Zone.”

Does Eurylochus’ philosophy appear later?

Yes—his “power / blame” line resurfaces in “Mutiny,” cementing his foil status to Odysseus.

Are official recordings available?

Only leaked demos on YouTube and SoundCloud; no commercial release yet.

Could it return on the rumored “Cut Saga” EP?

Fans speculate yes—Jorge mentioned Ismarus-arc tracks as “high candidates” during a Patreon stream (May 2025).

How to Sing?

Range sits baritone A2–G4 for both leads. Eurylochus: bite consonants, lean into percussive onsets. Odysseus: sustain legato on “compassion” to contrast rap grit. Chants hover around B?3—use chest voice unison and tight cut-offs. Practice alternating 7/8 and 5/4 with a metronome; subdivide 3-2-2, then 3-2. End with a shouted “Go!” on open throat, quick release.