Legendary Lyrics – Epic: The Musical

Song Overview

Personal Review

Legendary by Jorge Rivera-Herrans, MICO, Ayron Alexander & Cast of EPIC: The Musical blends stirring orchestral swells with driving pop rhythms to chart Telemachus’s yearning for heroic purpose. With its infectious lyrics and anthemic chorus, it stakes a claim to the anthem hall of fame. Key takeaways: the song doubles as a coming-of-age tale and a mythic battle cry, inviting listeners to fight their own monsters. One vivid snapshot: a young prince, trapped by doubt, dares to summon cyclops and chimera so he can step into his father’s legend.

Song Meaning and Annotations

“Legendary” opens on Telemachus alone in his room, wrestling with stories of Odysseus’s glory and haunted by an absent father figure

Telemachus’s plea—

“Somebody tell me, come and give me a sign / If I fight those monsters, is it you I’ll find?”

In the second verse, the suitors invade Penelope’s halls, representing both personal and societal monsters:

“There are strangers in our halls / Tryin’ to win the heart of my mom… They keep takin’ space and it’s not much longer we can stall”

The chorus’s roll call of mythical foes—sirens, cyclops, hydra, chimera, Minotaur, Cerberus—serves as a metaphor for any fearsome challenge. The repetition of “I know life and fate are scary, but I wanna be l-l-l-l-legendary” becomes a mantra of self-belief. It’s production at its finest: layered strings, bold brass stabs, modern synth underscoring, all pushing the listener forward .

Creation history: written and produced by Jorge Rivera-Herrans in his college days, the song reflects his TikTok-driven workshop approach, where early demos teased Telemachus’s voice and tone . The final mix balances choral textures with pop polish.

Key phrases like “stuck in my bedroom” juxtapose ordinary teen isolation with mythic ambition, a symbolic bridge between modern woes and ancient legends. The repeated stutter in “l-l-l-l-legendary” mirrors a falter turned to flourish

Verse Highlights

Verse 1

Telemachus’s solitude anchors the verse—self-doubt personified in solitary imagery—before he rallies in search of his father’s legacy.

Chorus

“Give me sirens and a cyclops / Give me giants and a hydra… I wanna be l-l-l-l-legendary”

This chorus is both literal theft from myth and heartfelt declaration of courage, propelled by soaring vocal lines and a driving beat.

Detailed Annotations

The song Legendary from EPIC: The Musical lifts the curtain on Ithaca seven years after the tempest of “Thunder Bringer.” Prince Telemachus, now on the cusp of adulthood, paces his chamber while seventy-two restless voices of the cast swirl around him. He aches to step beyond the palace walls, confront gods and beasts, and prove himself worthy of the father he has never met. Meanwhile one hundred eight suitors devour his inheritance downstairs, and danger thickens like storm clouds over the Ionian Sea. The tone is half lullaby, half call to arms: youthful longing backed by pounding drums that promise the rise of a new hero.

Overview

It's just me, myself, and I.

The line echoes Perimedes’ cut number “Comfort Zone,” recycling melody and lyric to signal creative lineage inside composer Jorge Rivera-Herrans’ score. Isolation is Telemachus’ starting note: confined to his “bedroom,” both for safety and because his protectors fear he might challenge the suitors too soon. In that gilded cage he feels abandoned, left to “livin' in this world you left behind,” a quiet accusation aimed at Odysseus who sailed to Troy before the boy could form memory.

Dreamin' of all these monsters that I'll never get to fight.

His very name forecasts distance from war: in Greek, “Telemachus” carries the sense of “fighting from afar.” Yet he craves the clash that forged legends such as Bellerophon, Theseus, and Heracles. He even re-labels the predatory suitors as “monsters,” a metaphor that foreshadows his eventual stand in Little Wolf and the later mythic Telegony where some traditions grant him a battle with Circe herself.

'Cause I'm stuck with your stories, but no clue who you are.

Odysseus left when Telemachus was still swaddled; all the boy knows are second-hand tales and the unreachable bar of paternal glory. Without a patronymic firmly recognized by foreign kings, his identity hangs in limbo—a pointed reality in a culture that prizes lineage over personal name.

Musical Techniques

Somebody tell me, come and give me a sign.

A few quiet piano notes slide in here—Athena’s leitmotif—hinting that the goddess is already leaning over the balcony of Olympus. Telemachus’ melody at this moment mirrors his father’s line in “Full Speed Ahead,” a genetic motif that binds father and son through music as surely as through blood.

If I fight those monsters, is it you I'll find?

The phrase traces the same contour Odysseus used while scouting for food after Troy: an audible DNA strand passed down the royal line. Such musical callbacks weave the saga into one unbroken tapestry despite spanning decades and oceans.

Monsters Real and Imagined

Give me sirens and a cyclops
Give me giants and a hydra.
I know life and fate are scary
But I wanna be legendary.

The wish list blends Odyssean perils—the Sirens, Poly­phemus the Cyclops, island giants—with foes conquered by other heroes: Hydra for Heracles, Minotaur for Theseus, Chimera for Bellerophon, Cerberus under temporary loan to Heracles. Harpies flutter among them, storm-wind spirits both thieving and prophetic. Each name is an incantation; Telemachus believes righteous combat will “bring the world some light,” a naïve counterpoint to Odysseus’ darker revelation in “Monster” that heroism often requires cruelty.

Mother and the Suitors

There are strangers in our halls
Tryin' to win the heart of my mom.
But she is standing tall.

Here the beat shifts to restless strings as ninety-minute banquets echo through stone corridors. Penelope delays remarriage through the famous shroud-by-day, unravel-by-night ruse—her quiet resistance buying time that only runs thinner. Telemachus counts 108 “old faces” who belittle him, devour livestock, and drain the palace stores, a detail lifted straight from Homeric catalogues.

Boy.

The suitors’ chant borrows melody from the cut number “Man of the House,” then breaks like glass when Antinous hurls a bowl at Telemachus’ face in the official animatic. Antinous serves the same narrative role that Eurylochus once filled among the crew: the loudest, most dangerous voice of dissent.

When's your tramp of a mother gonna choose a new husband?
Why don't you open her room, so we can have fun with her?

These lines, delivered to the tune of “The Horse and the Infant,” slide from insult to threat of sexual violence, crystallizing Antinous as a villain worth slaying. The ensemble’s taunting “Oh-oh” mimics classroom instigation before a playground fight. Telemachus finally erupts—his own Monster moment—shouting:

Don't you dare call my mother a tramp.

Even if he loses the physical skirmish, the decision to stand marks his first heroic step.

Foreshadowing and Divinity

Somebody help me, come and give me the strength.

The second plea is answered. Athena, who once claimed she was “not looking for a friend,” now chooses the son over the father, promising mentorship that will blossom during “God Games.” The owl-eyed goddess hears his question:

If I fight this monster, is it you I'll find?

The “monster” in this moment is Antinous rather than a mythical beast, proving that heroism often starts at home against very human cruelty. Yet the second layer asks whether Telemachus will discover his own Odyssean resourcefulness—or perhaps confront the same ruthless instincts that Odysseus embraced while carving his path through Troy and the seas beyond.

Thematic Elements

I know life and fate are scary
But I wanna be l-l-l-l-legendary.

The stuttered consonants imitate studio vocal glitching but feel childish when pronounced live, revealing Telemachus’ romanticized view of legend status. He savors the echo of the word more than the grisly work behind it. Life has spared him the trials that forged Odysseus; still he announces, unequivocally, that he is ready to face sirens, cyclopes, and the darker corridors of palace politics alike.

Within four minutes, Legendary traces the gulf between adolescent fantasy and the brutal ethics of survival. It plants leitmotifs, catalogs myths, and sets the Ithacan chessboard for divine intervention. When the final chorus swells, Telemachus is no longer solitary in his room. Music, memory, and Athena herself stand beside him, sharpening the boy’s resolve until both kingdom and audience believe he might just earn that shimmering adjective: legendary.

Song Credits

• Featured: Jorge Rivera-Herrans, MICO, Ayron Alexander & Cast of EPIC: The Musical
• Producer: Jorge Rivera-Herrans
• Composer/Lyricist: Jorge Rivera-Herrans
• Release Date: August 30, 2024
• Genre: Pop, Orchestral, Musical
• Instruments: Strings, brass, percussion, synthesizers, choir
• Label: Winion Entertainment LLC
• Mood: Aspirational, Heroic
• Length: 3:14
• Track #: 26 on EPIC: The Musical
• Language: English
• Album: EPIC: The Wisdom Saga
• Music Style: Pop-orchestral fusion
• Poetic Meter: Mix of iambic and trochaic feet
• Copyrights © ? 2024 Winion Entertainment LLC

Songs Exploring Themes of Legacy and Heroism

“Go the Distance” (from Disney’s Hercules) channels a similar hunger to prove oneself. While “Legendary” leaps straight into mythical confrontations, “Go the Distance” builds a gradual emotional rise, with Michael Bolton’s soaring vocal presence mirroring Telemachus’s internal quest. Both songs use grand orchestration—trumpets here, swelling strings there—but “Go the Distance” leans more cinematic, whereas “Legendary” stakes its claim in modern pop-theater rhythms.

“The Climb” by Miley Cyrus shares that message of facing down obstacles. Meanwhile, Cyrus’s ballad embraces vulnerability at its start—“Every day’s a battle”—before shifting to a triumphant refrain. “Legendary” flips that script, opening with bold mythic stakes and using repetition for emphasis. Both tracks, however, remind listeners that the journey matters as much as the destination.

“Hall of Fame” by The Script feat. will.i.am celebrates achieving greatness against odds. In contrast, “Hall of Fame” uses a spoken-word verse and beat-driven production to deliver motivational lines—“You can be the greatest”—while “Legendary” finds its power in choral backing and lyrical imagery of monsters. Transitioning between the two, one sees how different genres deploy bold affirmations to lift the spirit.

Questions and Answers

What inspired Jorge Rivera-Herrans to write “Legendary”?

He drew on Telemachus’s quest in Homer’s Odyssey and his own college thesis work, combining video-game energy with classical myth

How does “Legendary” fit into the arc of EPIC: The Wisdom Saga?

It marks Telemachus’s coming-of-age moment, seven years after Odysseus’s departure, setting the stage for his own heroic trials

Who voices Telemachus on the recording?

Telemachus is voiced by Miguel Veloso, known as MICO, whose audition clips went viral on TikTok

What musical genres influence the production?

The track blends pop, orchestral musical-theater, and modern electronic textures to create a hybrid theatrical anthem

Why does the chorus list mythical creatures?

Listing cyclops, hydra, chimeras serves as metaphorical stand-ins for personal and societal obstacles, giving the emotional stakes a mythic scale

Awards and Chart Positions

EPIC: The Wisdom Saga, featuring “Legendary,” reached #1 on Billboard’s Cast Albums chart and peaked at #71 on the Billboard 200 upon its August 30, 2024 release

How to Sing?

Vocal Range: roughly D3 to G4, suiting a tenor-led approach. Breath Control: take breaths before each chorus to sustain the long “legendary” run without strain. Tempo: 97 BPM gives room for storytelling pauses, especially on “give me sirens.” Dynamic Tips: start verses softly to convey doubt, then build to a full belt on the chorus. Emphasis: accent the first syllable of mythic names to punch the rhythm

Fan and Media Reactions

“Telemachus is one of my favorite characters MICO does such a good job voicing him and has an amazing voice overall.”

“I genuinely thought Jorge Rivera-Herrans had been voicing Telemachus in a clearer more innocent sounding voice.”

“‘give me sirens and a cyclops’ — me: ‘oh you know I’m singing this on repeat!’”

“I love how Telemachus is basically royalty with attitude — he steals every scene!”

“He is the true Telemachus @micotoronto.”

“TikTok is changing the way we watch musicals, and EPIC is leading the charge.”