Question

I’m trying to do so using CSS

    ---------------------
      SOME CONTENT HERE
    ---------------------

so what I basically want is that the border is just at the top and bottom of whatever content there is inside (most preferably a <p></p>)
Here is some code that I was using but it definitely doesn’t work the way its meant to be.

padding: 5px 1px;
box-shadow: 0 2px 5px black,
    0 -2px 5px #800000,
    0 0 5px black,
    0 0 5px #800000;

What should I do for that?

Answer 1

Do you want a border or a shadow? You’re code is telling me you want a shadow, your question asks a border.
If border:

border-top: 1px solid black;
border-bottom: 1px solid black; 

If shadow:

-webkit-box-shadow: 0px 6px 2px -1px #000,  0px -6px 2px -1px #000;
box-shadow: 0px 6px 2px -1px #000,  0px -6px 2px -1px #000;

Examples: http://jsfiddle.net/pGGXH/69/