Poems are more than song lyrics, often more complex and certainly more independent—take the music away from most pop song lyrics and they collapse into someting very thin, almost transparent. But that is not to say that a poem can’t be remade into a good song, and since there have been poems, composers and songwriters have set them to music. Here is a selection of online recordings of classic poems set to music, old poems made into new songs.
“Ah, Are You Digging on My Grave?,” by Thomas Hardy
In a musical adaptation by Lewis Alpaugh, who has kindly granted us permission to post the mp3 of his song made from “Ah, Are You Digging on My Grave?” here at About.com Poetry.“A Red, Red Rose,” by Robert Burns
Robert Burns’ “Song—A Red, Red Rose” was a song from the very beginning—it was part of his project to preserve traditional Scottish songs. In this YouTube clip it’s performed by Scottish folksinger Eddi Reader, who released an entire album of Burns songs in 2003.
“François Villon Cries Noel,” by David and Lewis Alpaugh
A song based on a line by medieval French poet François Villon (“Tant crie l’on Noel qu’il vient”—“So much one cries Noel that it comes....”), accompanied by a video slide show of illustrative art and information about the poet.
“The Raven,” by Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe has inspired a whole host of modern musicians, from the Alan Parsons Project to Lou Reed to the many recent heavy-metal and goth bands who have appropriated Poe’s lyrics. This one is a rap version of “The Raven” by “post-punk laptop rap” artist MC Lars, retitled “Mr. Raven.”“Hope Is the Thing with Feathers” by Emily Dickinson
North Carolina “Alt-country” band Trailer Bride’s version of Emily Dickinson’s “‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers —” features Melissa Swingle on vocals and saw, and it’s eerie and wonderful.“The Oxen,” by Thomas Hardy
Christmas carol based on Hardy’s poem, performed by Patrick P. McNichols and the Galliard String Quartet at St. Andrews Cathedral, Scotland.
“The Woodlark,” by Gerard Manley Hopkins
Hopkins’ poem was adapted into song by Sean O’Leary and sung by Belinda Evans to help save the endangered woodlark in the UK. (It has also been released as part of an entire album of Hopkins poems in musical adaptations, The Alchemist.)
