Just A Man Lyrics - Epic: The Musical

Song Overview

Song Credits

• Song: Just a Man
• Artist: Jorge Rivera-Herrans & Cast of EPIC: The Musical
• Album: EPIC: The Musical
• Track Number: 2
• Release Date: 2024?07?04
• Genre: Pop / Orchestral / Musical
• Writer: Jorge Rivera-Herrans
• Label: Winion Entertainment LLC
• Language: English
• Mood: Conflicted, emotional, introspective
• © Winion Entertainment LLC

Song Meaning and Annotations

“Just a Man” is no ordinary musical number — it’s a gut-punch. Set in a moment of moral catastrophe, it frames Odysseus not as a hero with gleaming armor, but as a father unraveling at the seams. Forced by the gods to kill an infant, the son of Hector, he stands paralyzed in front of an innocent child, haunted by echoes of his own boy.

I look into your eyes and I
Think back to the son of mine

Just a Man opens on a knife-edge: Odysseus, hero of Ithaca, stands before an infant — Hector’s son — and the gods demand blood. He hesitates, and in that pause, a storm brews within him.

He looks down. He sees not a threat — but a child. The same age as his own Telemachus when he left home. A mirror of what he’s lost, and what he risks losing again.

In this moment, Odysseus is not a warrior. Not a king. He’s a father. And his mind retreats to memories — a coping mechanism, a final shield before the act.

His words betray him. He doesn't yet grasp their weight. The torment they’ll bring. The endless reckoning. The ghosts he’ll carry. The question he doesn’t speak aloud: Can I live with this?

When he says,

Close your eyes

The dilemma rips him apart. Let the boy live — and risk the annihilation of his own family. Kill him — and become the monster he’s always feared. There is no clean choice. Only consequence.

Some versions say Neoptolemus strikes the blow. Others, Odysseus. But here, in EPIC, the weight rests squarely on Odysseus’ trembling hands. To end a life that hasn’t begun.

And still he says,

I’m just a man

He’s not a monster. He has limits. He’s seen war. Killed for peace. But this—a child—stops him in his tracks.

Yet Troy was a threat. A looming shadow. Odysseus knows what must be done to ensure safety. But in this child’s eyes, he sees only innocence. He falters.

Trust breaks later in the saga — with Eurylochus, the wind, the bag, the betrayal. But this moment foreshadows it. The first crack in his command. The cost of leadership is beginning to show.

Like the fire that grows unchecked — a metaphor echoed throughout the show — this act, or its avoidance, ignites everything that follows. The ripple becomes a wave. And he sees it all before it begins.

Again,

I’d be a monster

Still, he considers the bigger picture. A hero shaped by war. A mind carved by sacrifice. The Odyssey has shown this before — six men given to Scylla to save the crew. Another trolley. Another track.

Now, the stakes feel personal. Spare the boy, risk it all. Kill him, and never be the same again. Utilitarianism urges action. Deontology warns against it. Odysseus stands between gods and men, torn.

The blood on your hands is something you won’t lose, all you can choose is whose

This moment echoes Hellfire. Frollo prays for divine judgment, then acts himself. Odysseus begins by begging for understanding — ends by begging for mercy.

Forgive me

By the end,

I’m just a man

And then — the drop.

Emotional Conflict and Humanity

This isn’t mythology, this is mortality. The song text drags the godlike down into the dirt. Odysseus pleads — not with the gods, but with his own conscience. The chorus haunts with its repetition:

I'm just a man who's trying to go home

It’s the mantra of someone trying to believe in his own decency, clinging to the idea that this horror is a necessity, not cruelty.

Symbolism & Moral Spiral

Then comes the spiral. One of the most crushing rhetorical cascades in the musical’s canon:

When does a man become a monster?

The lines are mirrors: comet to meteor, ripple to tidal wave. One action, seemingly small, becomes the point of no return. Each metaphor is a breadcrumb trail down the slope of moral erosion — the tipping point from man to myth to monster.

Musical Backdrop

Orchestration swells beneath the sorrow. Strings moan like weary spirits, percussion lands like guilt-heavy footsteps. There's a haunting choir in the background — a Greek chorus echoing his descent.

Historical and Dramatic Context

This scene is torn from the aftermath of Troy. Odysseus, famed for cunning, is shown shattered, war-stricken, soul-thin. His question isn't rhetorical; it's a cry for salvation. But there is no reply from Olympus.

Similar Songs

1. “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” – Les Misérables
   Like “Just a Man,” this number drowns in survivor’s guilt. Both protagonists grieve, not just others, but pieces of themselves lost to war. They're not singing—they're bleeding.
2. “No Good Deed” – Wicked
   Elphaba’s descent mirrors Odysseus's. What starts as hope gets twisted. One becomes a “Wicked Witch,” the other asks if he’s a monster. Both songs crescendo from sorrow to near-madness.
3. “Words Fail” – Dear Evan Hansen
   Where Evan crumbles under lies, Odysseus buckles under truth. Both songs hinge on a man facing unbearable guilt, trying to explain the unexplainable to a silent audience — or a crying mirror.

Questions and Answers

Why does Odysseus compare himself to a monster?

He sees himself losing his humanity. The murder of a child — even ordered by gods — crosses a sacred boundary he can't ignore.

What is the meaning behind the metaphor sequence?

Each line shows how something small can evolve into devastation. It reflects Odysseus’s fear of becoming something unrecognizable.

Why is the line “I’m just a man” repeated?

It’s a mantra, a desperate attempt to reclaim identity. To remind himself he’s not evil — just broken by impossible choices.

Is this based on mythology?

Yes — from Euripides’ *Trojan Women*, where Odysseus is tasked with killing Hector’s son, Astyanax. The musical brings internal agony to the forefront.

How does the music enhance the drama?

With orchestral swells and echoing vocals, it amplifies Odysseus’s internal war. The instruments become a battleground of guilt and resolve.

Fan and Media Reactions

“That ‘when does a man become a monster’ line? Chills. Every. Time.” @tragicbard42

“Odysseus isn't a hero here, he's a man ripped in two. That’s the brilliance.” @stageleftreviews

“Hearing this live would be a religious experience.” @orchestralfeels

“This song broke me. BROKE me. It’s so real.” @tearsfordays

“I didn’t expect a musical to hit this hard — it’s raw, beautiful, terrible.” @epicfangirl

The internet’s reaction? Devastation — in the best sense. Listeners are floored by how deeply “Just a Man” dives into moral ambiguity. Fans love its theatrical depth and the way it portrays myth not as fantasy, but as painfully human drama.