| Suggestions for Pairing Contemporary Music and Canonical Literature | ||||||
| * Song was inspired by the artist’s reading of the classic work. Confirmed either through | ||||||
| album liner notes or published interviews that specifically mention the artist's sources of inspiration | ||||||
| updated November 10, 2008 | ||||||
| Canonical Author | Title of Canonical Work | Song Title | Performer | Album | Year | Label |
| Achebe, Chinua | Things Fall Apart | * “Act Won (Things Fall Apart)” | The Roots | Things Fall Apart | 1999 | MCA |
| Albom, Mitch | Tuesdays with Morrie | "Live Like You Were Dying" | Tim McGraw | Live Like You Were Dying | 2004 | Curb |
| Allende, Isabel | Paula | *"Paula Ausente" | Marta Gomez | Songs Inspired by Literature-Chapter Two | 2003 | CD Baby |
| Ambrose, Stephen | Nothing Like it in the World | *"The Balad of Poker Alice" | Larry Kenneth Potts | Songs Inspired by Literature-Chapter Two | 2003 | CD Baby |
| Anaya, Rudolfo | Bless Me, Ultima | "Angel in Manhattan" | Ellis Paul | Translucent Soul | 1998 | Philo |
| Anderson, Laurie Halse | Speak | "Vienna" | Billy Joel | The Stranger | 1996 | Sony |
| Anderson, Laurie Halse | Speak | "Stand" | Rascal Flatts | Me and My Gang | 2006 | Lyric Street |
| Anderson, Laurie Halse | Speak | "Just a Girl" | No Doubt | Tragic Kingdom | 1995 | Trauma/Interscope |
| Anderson, Laurie Halse | Speak | "Shock the Monkey" | Peter Gabriiel | Security | 1982 | UMG |
| Angelou, Maya | "Still I Rise" | “Cell Therapy” | Goodie Mob | Dirty South Classics | 2003 | La Face |
| Angelou, Maya | "Still I Rise" | “Come Into My House” | Queen Latifah | All Hail the Queen | 1989 | Tommy Boy |
| Angelou, Maya | "Still I Rise" | “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” | Lauryn Hill | The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill | 1998 | Sony |
| Angelou, Maya | "Still I Rise" | “Waterfalls” | TLC | CrazySexyCool | 1994 | La Face |
| Angelou, Maya | I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings | "The Cloud Song" | Jess Klein | Draw Them Near | 2000 | Slow River |
| Angelou, Maya | "Still I Rise" | "Still I Rise" | Tupac + Outlawz | Still I Rise | 2001 | Polydor |
| Angelou, Maya | Phenomenal Woman | "Phenomenal Woman" | Anu~Sun | Bohemian Chocolate | 2005 | the Bohemian Choc. Café |
| Anonymous | The Weaver | "Respiration" | Mos Def | Respiration | 1999 | Priority |
| Arnow, Harriette | The Dollmaker | "The Cloud Song" | Jess Klein | Draw Them Near | 2000 | Slow River |
| Auden, W.H. | "Unknown Citizen" | “Jeremy” | Pearl Jam | Ten | 1991 | Sony |
| Austen, Jane | Pride and Prejudice | "Accidentally in Love" | Counting Crows | Films About Ghosts: The Best of the Crows |
2004 | Geffen |
| Austen, Jane | Pride and Prejudice | "Let's Get Married" | Jagged Edge feat. Run DMC | J.E. Heartbreak | 2000 | So Def |
| Avi | Nothing But the Truth | "I Walk Alone" | Green Day | American Idiot | 2004 | Reprise |
| Baca, Jimmy Santiago | "Immigrants in Our Own Land" | “Every Ghetto, Every City” | Lauryn Hill | The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill | 1998 | Sony |
| Baca, Jimmy Santiago | "Immigrants in Our Own Land" | “The World is a Ghetto” | Geto Boys | The Resurrection | 1996 | Rap-a-lot |
| Baldwin, James | Go Tell It on the Mountain | "Angel in Manhattan" | Ellis Paul | Translucent Soul | 1998 | Philo |
| Baldwin, James | If Black Isn't A Language | "Crack Music" | Kanye West | Late Registration | 2005 | Rock-A-Fella |
| Baum, L. Frank | The Wizard of Oz | * “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” | Elton John | Goodbye Yellow Brick Road | 1973 | Island |
| Baum, L. Frank | The Wizard of Oz | * “I’m That Type of Guy” | LL Cool J | Walking with a Panther | 1989 | Def Jam |
| Beals, Melba Patillo | Warriors Don't Cry | "The Cloud Song" | Jess Klein | Draw Them Near | 2000 | Slow River |
| Beckett, Samuel | Waiting for Godot | "Angel in Manhattan" | Ellis Paul | Translucent Soul | 1998 | Philo |
| Beckett, Samuel | Waiting for Godot | *"He Can't Come Today" | Ray Manzarek | Songs Inspired by Literature-Chapter One | 2002 | CD Baby |
| Bellow, Saul | Henderson the Rain King | * “Both Sides Now” | Joni Mitchell | Both Sides Now | 2000 | Warner Brothers |
| Bellow, Saul | Henderson the Rain King | * “Rain King” | Counting Crows | August and Everything After | 1993 | Geffen |
| Bernall, Misty | She Said Yes | "Youth of the Nation" | P.O.D. | Satellite | 2001 | Atlantic |
| Blake, William | "Jerusalem the Emanation of the Giant Abion" | * “Blake’s Jerusalem,” | Billy Bragg | The Internationale | 1990 | Elektra |
| Blake, William | "Jerusalem the Emanation of the Giant Abion" | * “Let the River Run” | Carly Simon | Working Girl Soundtrack | 1989 | Arista |
| Blake, William | “Songs of Innocence and Experience” | * “Chemical Wedding” | Bruce Dickinson | Chemical Wedding | 1998 | CMC International |
| Borland, Hal | When the Legends Die | * “Cherokee Bend” | Gordon Lightfoot | Cold on the Shoulder | 1975 | Warner Brothers |
| Bourdillon, Frances | "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes" | "Paid In Full" | Rakim | Paid In Full | 2003 | Island |
| Bradbury, Ray | Fahrenheit 451 | "In the Year 2525" | Zeger and Evans | Summer of Peace Love and Music | 1994 | Platinum Disk |
| Bradbury, Ray | Fahrenheit 451 | *"Choose Your Own Perfume" | Chris Hawkins | SIBL Contest Winners | ||
| Bradbury, Ray | Fahrenheit 451 | *"Conformity 451" | Norine Braun | SIBL Contest Winners | ||
| Bradbury, Ray | Fahrenheit 451 | "Let Down" | Radiohead | OK Computer | 1997 | Capitol |
| Bradbury, Ray | Fahrenheit 451 | "Farenheit 451" | Utopia | Swing to the Right | 1982 | Bearsville/Rhino |
| Bradbury, Ray | Fahrenheit 451 | "The Sound of Silence" | Simon and Garfunkel | Wednesday Morning, 3 AM | 1964 | Columbia |
| Bradley, Marion Zimmer | The Mists of Avalon | * “Avalon” | Roxy Music | Avalon | 1982 | Virgin |
| Bronte, Charlotte | Jane Eyre | "Don't Know Why" | Norah Jones | Come Away With Me | 2002 | null |
| Bronte, Emily | Wuthering Heights | * "Wuthering Heights" | Kate Bush | The Kick Inside | 1978 | Capitol |
| Bronte, Emily | Wuthering Heights | "Over and Over" | Nelly/Tim McGraw | Suit | 2004 | Universal |
| Bronte, Emily | Wuthering Heights | "Girl" | Tori Amos | Little Earthquakes | 1992 | Atlantic |
| Bronte, Emily | Wuthering Heights | "The Desperate Kingdom of Love" | PJ Harvey | Uh Huh Her | 2004 | Island |
| Brooks, Gwendolyn | "We Real Cool" | "A Roller Skating Jam" | De La Soul | De La Soul is Dead | 1991 | Tommy Boy |
| Brown, Dee | Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee | "My Country Tis of Thy People You're Dyin | Buffy St. Marie | Little Wheel Spin and Spin | 1966 | Vanguard |
| Brown, Dan | Da Vince Code | "Angel in Manhattan" | Ellis Paul | Translucent Soul | 1998 | Philo |
| Browning, Robert | My Last Duchess | "No One Else" | Weezer | Blue Album | 1994 | Geffen |
| Bryson, Bill | A Walk in the Woods | "Blue Ridge Mountain Girl" | Blue Highway | It's A Long, Long Road | 1995 | Rebel Records |
| Bulgakov, Michail | The Master and Margarita | * "Love and Destroy" | Franz Ferdinand | Michael Pt. 1 (single) | 2005 | Domino |
| Bulgakov, Michail | The Master and Margarita | * “Pilate” | Pearl Jam | Yield | 1998 | Sony |
| Bulgakov, Michail | The Master and Margarita | * “Sympathy for the Devil” | The Rolling Stones | Beggar's Banquet | 1968 | Abkco |
| Burns, Olive Ann | Cold Sassy Tree | “Holier Than Thou” | Metallica | Metallica | 1991 | Elektra |
| Burns, Olive Ann | Cold Sassy Tree | “If You Could Only See” | Tonic | Lemon Parade | 1996 | A&M |
| Burns, Olive Ann | Cold Sassy Tree | “Real World” | Matchbox 20 | Yourself or Someone Like You | 1996 | Atlantic |
| Burns, Olive Ann | Cold Sassy Tree | “She’s in Love with the Boy” | Trisha Yearwood | Trisha Yearwood | 1991 | MCA Nashville |
| Burns, Olive Ann | Cold Sassy Tree | “Southern Man” | Neil Young | After the Gold Rush | 1970 | Warner Brothers |
| Burns, Olive Ann | Cold Sassy Tree | “Sweet Home Alabama” | Lynyrd Skynyrd | Pronounced Leh-nerd Skin-nerd | 1973 | MCA |
| Burns, Robert | "Afton Water" | * "Sweet Afton" | Nickel Creek | Nickel Creek | 2000 | Sugarhill |
| Burns, Robert | "To a Mouse" | * "One Brown Mouse" | Jethro Tull | Heavy Horses | 1978 | Capitol |
| Burroughs, William S. | The Adding Machine | * "Language is a Virus from Outer Space" | Laurie Anderson | Home of the Brave | 1986 | Warner Brothers |
| Butler, Octavia | Kindred | *"Home to Freedom" | Judy Klass | SIBL Contest Winners | ||
| Butler, Octavia | Kindred | **"Time Splintered" | Baruch Israel | SIBL Contest Winners | ||
| Camus, Albert | The Stranger | "If 6 Was 9" | Jimi Hendrix | Are You Experienced | 1968 | Warner Brothers |
| Camus, Albert | The Stranger | "Let Down" | Radiohead | OK Computer | 1997 | Capitol |
| Camus, Albert | The Stranger | * “Killing an Arab” | The Cure | Boys Don't Cry | 1980 | Elektra |
| Camus, Albert | The Stranger | * “My Way” | Frank Sinatra | My Way | 1969 | Warner Brothers |
| Camus, Albert | The Stranger | “The Stranger” | Billy Joel | The Stranger | 1977 | Sony Japan |
| Camus, Albert | The Stranger | “Time” | Pink Floyd | Dark Side of the Moon | 1973 | Capitol |
| Camus, Albert | The Stranger | "Bohemian Rhapsody" | Queen | A Night at the Opera | 1975 | EMI / Elektra |
| Card, Orson Scott | Songmaster | *"Pennsylvania" | Dee Adams | Songs Inspired by Literature-Chapter Two | 2003 | CD Baby |
| Carroll, Lewis | Alice's Adventures in Wonderland | "Alice" | Tom Waits | Alice | 2002 | Anti |
| Carroll, Lewis | Alice's Adventures in Wonderland | * "Mock Turtle's Song" | Becker and Fagan (Steely Dan) | Walter Becker and Donald Fagan | 2001 | Orpheus |
| Carroll, Lewis | Alice's Adventures in Wonderland | * "White Rabbit" | Jefferson Airplane | Surrealistic Pillow | 1967 | RCA |
| Cather, Willa | My Antonia | * "My Antonia" | Emmylou Harris | Red Dirt Girl | 2000 | Nonesuch |
| Cervantes, Miguel de | Don Quixote | * "Don Quixote" | Gordon Lightfoot | Gord's Gold | 1975 | Warner Brothers |
| Cervantes, Miguel de | Don Quixote | *"Just Like Don Quixote" | Tony Roberts | SIBL Contest Winners | ||
| Chaucer, Geoffrey | The Canterbury Tales | * "Whiter Shade of Pale" | Procol Harem | Whiter Shade of Pale | 2004 | Disky |
| Chbosky, Peter | Perks of Being A Wallflower | "Time of No Reply" | Nick Drake | Fruit Tree | 1986 | Hannibal |
| Chbosky, Peter | Perks of Being A Wallflower | "People Are Strange" | Doors | Strange Days | 1967 | Elektra |
| Chopin, Kate | The Awakening | "The Cloud Song" | Jess Klein | Draw Them Near | 2000 | Slow River |
| Chopin, Kate | The Awakening | "Wedding Day" | Rosie Thomas | When We Were Small | 2001 | Sub Pop |
| Clark, Robert | Mr. White's Confession | *"Goin' Back to Moline" | Patti Witten | Songs Inspired by Literature-Chapter Two | 2003 | CD Baby |
| Cleaver, Eldridge | Soul On Ice | *"In My Hands" | Feldman/Gaskit | SIBL Contest Winners | ||
| Clowes, Daniel | Ghost World | "Ghost World" | Aimee Mann | Bachelor No. 2 | 2000 | Superego |
| Coleridge, Samuel Taylor | "Christabel" | * "Christabel" | Robert Earl Keen | No Kinda Dancer | 1984 | Sugarhill |
| Coleridge, Samuel Taylor | "Kubla Khan" | * “Xanadu,” | Rush | A Farewell to Kings | 1977 | Polygram |
| Coleridge, Samuel Taylor | "Kubla Khan" | “If I Ruled the World” | Nas | It Was Written | 1996 | Sony |
| Coleridge, Samuel Taylor | "Kubla Khan" | “Sweet Dreams” | The Eurythmics | Sweet Dreams | 1983 | RCA |
| Coleridge, Samuel Taylor | "Kubla Khan" | “Welcome to the Pleasure Dome” | Frankie Goes to Hollywood | Welcome to the Pleasure Dome | 1984 | Repertoire |
| Coleridge, Samuel Taylor | "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" | * “Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream” | Bob Dylan | Bringing It All Back Home | 1965 | Sony |
| Coleridge, Samuel Taylor | "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" | * “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” | Iron Maiden | Powerslave | 1984 | Sony |
| Coleridge, Samuel Taylor | Rhyme of Ancient Mariner | "Jack and Diane" | John Mellancamp | American Fool | 1982 | Mercury |
| Colette | Collected Stories of Colette | "The Summer I Read Colette" | Roseanne Cash | Songs Inspired by Literature-Chapter Two | 2003 | CD Baby |
| Conrad, Joseph | Victory | * “Black Diamond Bay” | Bob Dylan | Desire | 1976 | Sony |
| Conrad, Joseph | Victory | * “Secret Touch” | Rush | Vapor Trails | 2002 | Atlantic |
| Cormier, Robert | After the First Death | "Youth of the Nation" | P.O.D. | Satellite | 2001 | Atlantic |
| Cormier, Robert | The Chocolate War | "Youth of the Nation" | P.O.D. | Satellite | 2001 | Atlantic |
| Cormier, Robert | The Chocolate War | "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" | Green Day | American Idiot | 2004 | Reprise |
| Creech, Sharon | Absolutely Normal Chaos | "The Cloud Song" | Jess Klein | Draw Them Near | 2000 | Slow River |
| Dante | Inferno | * “Angel (Lust)” | Joe Jackson | Heaven and Hell | 1997 | Sony |
| Dante | Inferno | * “Dante’s Prayer” | Loreena McKennitt | The Book of Secrets | 1997 | Warner Brothers |
| Dante | Inferno | * “Tangled Up in Blue” | Bob Dylan | Blood on the Tracks | 1975 | Sony |
| Dante | Inferno | * “The Bridge (Envy)” | Joe Jackson | Heaven and Hell | 1997 | Sony |
| Dante | Inferno | * “Tuzla (Avarice)” | Joe Jackson | Heaven and Hell | 1997 | Sony |
| Dante | Inferno | "Highway to Hell" | ACDC | Highway to Hell | 1979 | Epic |
| Dickinson, Emily | "Because I Could Not Stop for Death" | * "My Ride's Here" | Warren Zevon | My Ride's Here | 2002 | Artemis |
| Dickins, Charles | A Christmas Carol | "Angel in Manhattan" | Ellis Paul | Translucent Soul | 1998 | Philo |
| Dickinson, Emily | Hope is a thing with feathers | "Angel in Manhattan" | Ellis Paul | Translucent Soul | 1998 | Philo |
| Donne, John | "The Canonization" | “Manifest” | The Fugees | The Score | 1996 | Sony |
| Donne, John | "The Flea" | "Keep Your Hands to Yourself" | Georgia Satellites | Georgia Satellites | 1986 | Elektra |
| Donne, John | "The Meditation" | * “I Am a Rock” | Simon and Garfunkel | Sounds of Silence | 1966 | Sony |
| Donne, John | Meditation 17 | "For Whom the Bell Tolls" | Metallica | Ride the Lightning | 1984 | Elektra |
| Dreiser, Theodore | Sister Carrie | *"T'was Her Hunger Brought Me Down | Anny Celsi | Songs Inspired by Literature-Chapter One | 2002 | CD Baby |
| Dunbar, Paul Lawrence | "Sympathy" | "Three Strikes You In" | Ice Cube | Death Certificate | 2003 | Priority |
| Edwards, Jonathan | "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" | "Mississippi Squirrel Revival" | Ray Stevens | Mississippi Squirrel Revival | 1995 | MCA |
| Eliot, T.S. | "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" | * “Afternoons and Coffeespoons” | Crash Test Dummies | God Shuffled His Feet | 1993 | Arista |
| Eliot, T.S. | "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" | "Hunger" | Anna Porter | Songs Inspired by Literature-Chapter Two | 2003 | CD Baby |
| Eliot, T.S. | "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" | “Peaches” | The Presidents of the United States of America |
Presidents of the United States of America | 1995 | Sony |
| Eliot, T.S. | "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" | “The Message” | Grand Master Flash | The Message | 1982 | DBK Works |
| Eliot, T.S. | "The Wasteland" | * “Wasteland” | Dan Bern | Dan Bern | 1993 | Sony |
| Eliott, T.S. | "Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" | "Thick as a Brick" | Jethro Tull | Thick as a Brick | 1972 | Crysalis |
| Eliott, T.S. | "Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" | "Creep" | Radiohead | Pablo Honey | 1993 | Capitol |
| Elliot, George | Mill on the Floss | "The Lighthouse's Tale" | Nickel Creek | Nickel Creek | 2000 | Sugar Hill |
| Ellison, Ralph | Invisible Man | "Get Up, Stand Up" | Bob Marley | Burnin' | 1973 | Island |
| Ellison, Ralph | Invisible Man | "Middle Man" | Living Colour | Vivid | 1988 | Sony |
| Ellison, Ralph | Invisible Man | "Mister Cellophane" | Soundtrack: Chicago | Soundtrack: Chicago | 2002 | Sony |
| Emerson, Ralph Waldo | "Nature" | “Earth Song” | Michael Jackson | HIStory | 1995 | Sony |
| Emerson, Ralph Waldo | "Nature" | “Place in the Sun” | Tim McGraw | Place in the Sun | 1999 | Curb |
| Emerson, Ralph Waldo | "Nature" | “Prayin’ for Daylight” | Rascal Flatts | Rascal Flatts | 2000 | Lyric Street |
| Emerson, Ralph Waldo | "Self-Reliance" | “Cry Freedom” | Dave Matthews Band | Crash | 1996 | RCA |
| Emerson, Ralph Waldo | "Self-Reliance" | “I Believe I Can Fly” | R. Kelly | R. | 1998 | Jive |
| Emerson, Ralph Waldo | "Self-Reliance" | “In My Own Mind” | Lyle Lovett | My Baby Don't Tolerate | 2003 | Lost Highway |
| Emerson, Ralph Waldo | "Self-Reliance" | “Independence Day” | Martina McBride | The Way That I Am | 1993 | RCA |
| Emerson, Ralph Waldo | "Self-Reliance" | “Survivor” | Destiny’s Child | Survivor | 2001 | Sony |
| Emerson, Ralph Waldo | "Self Reliance" | "Video" | India Arie | Acoustic Soul | 2001 | Motown |
| Emerson, Ralph Waldo | "Self Reliance" | "Unwritten" | Natasha Beddingfield | Unwritten | 2004 | BMG Int'l |
| Emerson/Thoreau | Essays | "Different Drum" | Linda Ronstadt | Different Drum | 1974 | Capitol |
| Euripides | Orestes | * "Orestes" | A Perfect Circle | Mer De Noms | 2000 | Virgin |
| Faulkner, William | "A Rose for Emily" | * "A Rose for Emily" | The Zombies | Odessey and Oracle | 1968 | Rhino |
| Faulkner, William | As I Lay Dying | "Angel in Manhattan" | Ellis Paul | Translucent Soul | 1998 | Philo |
| Faulkner, William | As I Lay Dying | "Streets of Philidelphia" | Bruce Springsteen | Bruce Springsteen | 1979 | CBS |
| Faulkner, William | A Rose for Emily | "Delta Dawn" | Tanya Tucker | Tanya Tucker: Super Hits | 1975 | Sony |
| Fitgerald, F. Scott | The Great Gatsby | "Downtown Babylon" | Paul Thorn | Mission Temple Fireworks Stand | 2002 | Perpetual Obscurity |
| Fitzgerald, F. Scott | The Great Gatsby | "America" | Neil Diamond | 12 Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 | 1982 | Columbia |
| Fitzgerald, F. Scott | The Great Gatsby | "Casltes Made of Sand | Jimi Hendrix | Are You Experienced | 1968 | Warner Brothers |
| Fitzgerald, F. Scott | The Great Gatsby | "Glory Days" | Bruce Springsteen | Born in the USA | 1984 | Columbia |
| Fitzgerald, F. Scott | The Great Gatsby | "Great American Dream" | David Massengill | The Return | 1995 | Plump |
| Fitzgerald, F. Scott | The Great Gatsby | "The Boxer" | Simon and Garfunkel | Bridge Over Troubled Water | 1970 | Columbia |
| Fitzgerald, F. Scott | The Great Gatsby | "The River" | Bruce Springsteen | The River | 1980 | Columbia |
| Fitzgerald, F. Scott | The Great Gatsby | * “Boats Against the Current” | Eric Carmen | Boats Against the Current | 1977 | BMG Int'l |
| Fitzgerald, F. Scott | The Great Gatsby | * “Can You Hear Me” | David Bowie | Young Americans | 1975 | Virgin |
| Fitzgerald, F. Scott | The Great Gatsby | * “Like a Great Gatsby” | Elliott Murphy | Aquashow | 1973 | Polygram |
| Fitzgerald, F. Scott | The Great Gatsby | “America” | Neil Diamond | The Jazz Singer | 1980 | Sony |
| Fitzgerald, F. Scott | The Great Gatsby | “Rusty Old American Dream” | David Wilcox | How Did You Find Me Here | 1989 | A&M |
| Fitzgerald, F. Scott | The Great Gatsby | “Superman (It’s Not Easy)” | Five For Fighting | America Town | 2000 | Sony |
| Fitzgerald, F. Scott | The Great Gatsby | “The Great American Dream” | Davis Massengill | The Return | 1995 | Plump |
| Fitzgerald, F. Scott | The Great Gatsby | "Only in America" | Brooks and Dunn | Steers and Stripes | 2001 | Arista |
| Fitzgerald, F. Scott | The Great Gatsby | "America" | Simon and Garfunkel | Bookends | 1968 | Columbia |
| Frank, Anne | The Diary of a Young Girl | "Avinu Malkeinu" | Barbara Streisand | Higher Ground | 1997 | Sony |
| Frank, Anne | The Diary of a Young Girl | *"Dear Anne" | Ryan Adams | Swedish Sessions | 2001 | Unreleased |
| Frank, Anne | The Diary of a Young Girl | "Tattoo" | Janis Ian | Breaking the Silence | 1993 | Morgan Creek |
| Frost, Robert | "Lodged" | "I am Music" | Common | Electric Circus | 2002 | MCA |
| Frost, Robert | "Mending Wall" | “Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)” | Pink Floyd | The Wall | 1979 | Sony/Columbia |
| Frost, Robert | "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" | *"Dark and Deep" | David Lamotte | Songs Inspired by Literature-Chapter One | 2002 | CD Baby |
| Frost, Robert | "The Road Not Taken" | "Who You Are" | Pearl Jam | No Code | 1996 | Sony |
| Fuller, Alexandra | Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight | *"Bobo's Country" | Deborah Pardes | Songs Inspired by Literature-Chapter Two | 2003 | CD Baby |
| Gantos, Jack | Hole in My Life | "Hole in My Life" | Police | Outlandos d'Amour | 1978 | A&M |
| Gantos, Jack | Hole in My Life | "Something's Missing" | John Mayer | Any Given Thursday | 2003 | Aware/Columbia |
| Ginsberg, Allen | Complete Works | "Howl" | Black Rebel Motorcycle Club | Howl | 2005 | BRMC |
| Golding, William | Lord of the Flies | * "Lord of the Flies" | Iron Maiden | X Factor | 1995 | Sony |
| Golding, William | Lord of the Flies | * "Shadows and Tall Trees" | U2 | Boy | 1980 | Island |
| Golding, William | Lord of the Flies | "The Logical Song' | Supertramp | Breakfast In America | 1979 | A&M |
| Golding, William | Lord of the Flies | "Smpathy for the Devil" | Rolling Stones | Beggars Banquet | 1968 | ABKCO |
| Golding, William | Lord of the Flies | "It's the End of the World As We Know It" | R.E.M. | Document | 1987 | IRS |
| Guest, Judith | Ordinary People | "Youth of the Nation" | P.O.D. | Satellite | 2001 | Atlantic |
| Haddix, Margaret | Among the Hidden | "Let Down" | Radiohead | OK Computer | 1997 | Capitol |
| Haddon, Mark | Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time | "Consistency" | Ari Hest | Someone to Tell | 2004 | Sony |
| Hamilton, Edith | Mythology | "Immigration Song" | Led Zeppelin" | Led Seppelin III | 1970 | Atlantic |
| Hansberry, Lorraine | Raisin In The Sun | "The Cloud Song" | Jess Klein | Draw Them Near | 2000 | Slow River |
| Hansen, Ron | Atticus | "Father and Son" | Cat Stevens | Tea for the Tillerman | 1970 | A&M |
| Hawthorne, Nathaniel | "Rappaccini's Daughter" | * “Running through the Garden" | Fleetwood Mac | Say You Will | 2003 | Warner Brothers |
| Hawthorne, Nathaniel | The Scarlett Letter | "Devil Inside" | INXS | The Greatest Hits | 1994 | Atlantic |
| Hawthorne, Nathaniel | The Scarlett Letter | "Don't Laugh at Me" | Mark Wills | Wish You Were Here | 1998 | Mercury Nashville |
| Hawthorne, Nathaniel | The Scarlet Letter | "Mood to Burn Bridges" | Neko Case | Furnace Room Lullaby | 2005 | Bloodshot |
| Hawthorne, Nathaniel | The Scarlett Letter | "Call Me When You're Sober" | Evanescence | The Open Door | 2006 | Wind-Up |
| Hawthorne, Nathaniel | The Scarlett Letter | "Survivor" | Destiny's Child | Survivor | 2001 | Columbia |
| Hawthorne, Nathaniel | The Scarlett Letter | "Can't Hold Us Down" | Christina Aguilara/Lil' Kim | Stripped | 2002 | RCA |
| Hawthorne, Nathaniel | Young Goodman Brown | "Sympathy for the Devil | Rolling Stones | Beggars Banquet | 1968 | ABKCO |
| Hawthorne, Nathaniel | The Scarlett Letter | "Brick" | Ben Folds Five | Whatever and Ever Amen | 1997 | 550 |
| Hawthorne, Nathaniel | The Scarlett Letter | "Does Anybody Hear Her?" | Casting Crowns | Lifesong | 2005 | Beach Street/Reunion |
| Heinlein, Robert A. | Stranger in a Strange Land | * “Stranger in a Strange Land” | Leon Russell | Leon Russell and the Shelter People | 1971 | Capitol |
| Heinlein, Robert A. | Stranger in a Strange Land | * “Triad” | Jefferson Airplane | Crown of Creation | 1968 | RCA |
| Heller, Joseph | Catch 22 | "Angel in Manhattan" | Ellis Paul | Translucent Soul | 1998 | Philo |
| Hemingway, Ernest | For Whom the Bell Tolls | * "For Whom the Bell Tolls" | Metallica | Ride the Lightning | 1984 | Elektra |
| Hemingway, Ernest | Old Man and the Sea | "Casltes Made of Sand | Jimi Hendrix | Are You Experienced | 1968 | Warner Brothers |
| Hesse, Herman | Siddhartha | * “Close to the Edge” | Yes | Close to the Edge | 1972 | Atlantic |
| Hesse, Hermann | Siddhartha | *"Voice Inside (Song of Siddhartha) | Stephanie Riggio | Songs Inspired by Literautre-Chapter Two | 2003 | CD Baby |
| Hesse, Karen | Out Of The Dust | "The Cloud Song" | Jess Klein | Draw Them Near | 2000 | Slow River |
| Hinton, S. E. | The Outsiders | "Stay Gold" | Stevie Wonder | Natural Wonder | 1995 | Motown |
| Hinton, S.E. | The Outsiders | "Youth of the Nation" | P.O.D. | Satellite | 2001 | Atlantic |
| Hinton, S.E. | The Outsiders | “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” | Bob Dylan | The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan | 1963 | Sony |
| Hinton, S.E. | The Outsiders | “Heartbreak Hotel” | Elvis Presley | Elvis' Golden Records | 1958 | RCA |
| Hinton, S.E. | The Outsiders | “I’m So Lonesome, I Could Cry” | Hank Williams | I'm Blue Inside | 1961 | Mercury Nashville |
| Hinton, S.E. | The Outsiders | “My Generation” | The Who | The Who Sings My Generation | 1965 | MCA |
| Hinton, S.E. | The Outsiders | “Two of Us” | The Beatles | Let It Be | 1970 | Capitol |
| Hinton, S.E. | The Outsiders | "Hero" | Mariah Carey | Music Box | 1993 | Columbia |
| Hinton, S.E. | The Outsiders | "Hazard to Myself (Don't Lt Me Get Me" | Pink | Missundaztood | 2001 | Arista |
| Hinton, S.E. | The Outsiders | "Stay Gold" | Stevie Wonder | Natural Wonder | 1995 | Motown |
| Hinton, S.E. | The Outsiders | "My Generation" | The Who | My Generation | 1964 | Brunswic |
| Hinton, S.E. | The Outsiders | "Born to be Wild" | Steppenwolf | Steppenwolf | 1968 | MCA |
| Homer | The Odyssey | "Didn't Leave Nobody but the Baby" | Gillian Welch, Alison
Krauss, Emmylou Harris |
O Brother, Where Art Thou? Soundtrack | 2000 | Lost Highway |
| Homer | The Odyssey | * “Calypso” | Suzanne Vega | Solitude Standing | 1987 | A&M |
| Homer | The Odyssey | * “Home at Last” | Steely Dan | Aja | 1977 | MCA |
| Homer | The Odyssey | * “Lotus Eaters” | Moloko | Do You Like My Tight Sweater? | 1995 | Warner Brothers |
| Homer | The Odyssey | * “Tales of Brave Ulysses” | Cream | Disraeli Gears | 1967 | Polydor |
| Homer | The Odyssey | *"The Last Temptation of Odysseus" | Justin Wells | Songs Inspired by Literature-Chapter One | 2002 | CD Baby |
| Homer | The Odyssey | “Carry on Wayward Son” | Kansas | Leftoverature | 1976 | Sony |
| Homer | The Odyssey | “Fortunate Son” | Creedence Clearwater Revival | Willy and the Poor Boys | 1969 | Fantasy |
| Homer | The Odyssey | "Drops of Jupiter" | Train | Drops of Jupiter | 2001 | Columbia |
| Homer | The Odyssey | "Homeward Bound" | Simon and Garfunkel | Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme | 1966 | Columbia |
| Housman, A.E. | "To an Athlete Dying Young" | "River" | Natalie Merchant | Tigerlily | 1995 | Elektra |
| Houston, Jeanne Wato | Farewell to Manzanar | "Don't Fence Me In" | Bing Crosby | Bing Crosby and the Andrew
Sisters: Their Complete Recordings Together |
1939 | MCA |
| Hughes, L | Song for a Dark Girl | "Strange Fruit" | Billie Holiday | The Commdore Master Takes | 1939 | GRP |
| Hughes, Langston | "Ballad of the Landlord" | “Revolution” | Arrested Development | 3 Years, 5 Months & 2 Days in the Life of | 1992 | Capitol |
| Hughes, Langston | "Ballad of the Landlord" | “Tennessee” | Arrested Development | 3 Years, 5 Months & 2 Days in the Life of | 1992 | Capitol |
| Hughes, Langston | Harlem: A Dream Deffered | "Juicy" | Notorious B.I.G. | Ready To Die | 1994 | Bad Boy |
| Hunt, Irene | Across 5 Aprils | "Southern Man" | Niel Young | After the Gold Rush | 1970 | Reprise |
| Hurston, Zora Neale | Their Eyes Were Wathching God | * “Talk about Love” | John Gorka | Out of the Valley | 1994 | Highstreet |
| Hurston, Zora Neale | Their Eyes Were Wathching God | “Like a Hurricane” | Neil Young | American Stars 'N Bars | 1977 | Warner Brothers |
| Hurston, Zora Neale | Their Eyes Were Wathching God | “Uptown Girl” | Billy Joel | Innocent Man | 1983 | Sony |
| Hurston, Zora Neale | Their Eyes Were Watching God | "Janies Got A Gun" | Aerosmith | Big Ones | 1994 | Geffen |
| Huxley, Aldous | Brave New World | "I Don't Know How to Love Him" | Jesus Christ Superstar | 1973 | MCA Masierdo | |
| Huxley, Aldous | Brave New World | "I Hate You, Then I Love You" | Celine Dion & Luciano Pavarotti | Let's Talk about Love | 1997 | 550 |
| Huxley, Aldous | Brave New World | "Imagine" | John Lennon | Imagine | 1971 | Capitol |
| Huxley, Aldous | Brave New World | "Last Resort" | Papa Roach | Infest | 2000 | Dream Works |
| Huxley, Aldous | Brave New World | "Let Down" | Radiohead | OK Computer | 1997 | Capitol |
| Huxley, Aldous | Brave New World | "She's So High" | Tal Bachman | Tal Bachman | 1999 | Columbia |
| Huxley, Aldous | Brave New World | "Short People" | Randy Newman | Guilty: 30 Years of Randy Newman | 1998 | Rhino |
| Huxley, Aldous | Brave New World | "Soma" | The Strokes | Is This It | 2001 | Rough Trade |
| Huxley, Aldous | Brave New World | * "Brave New World" | Richard Ashcroft | Alone with Everybody | 2000 | Virgin |
| Huxley, Aldous | Brave New World | * "Brave New World" | Iron Maiden | Brave New World | 2000 | Sony |
| Irving, John | A Prayer for Owen Meany | "Angel in Manhattan" | Ellis Paul | Translucent Soul | 1998 | Philo |
| Irving, Washington | "Rip Van Winkle" | * “Bowling in the Hills” | Eddie From Ohio | Big Noise | 1997 | Virginia Soul |
| Irving, Washington | "The Devil and Tom Walker" | "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" | Charlie Daniels Band | A Decade of Hits | 1999 | Sony |
| Jarrell, Randall | Death of the Ball Turret Gunner | "One" | Metallica | …And Justice for All | 1988 | Elektra |
| Joyce, James | Ulysses | *"ReJoyce" | Grace Slick | Songs Inspired by Literature-Chapter One | 2002 | CD Baby |
| Joyce, James | Ulysses | * “ReJoyce” | Jefferson Airplane | After Bathing at Baxter's | 1967 | RCA |
| Joyce, James | Ulysses | * “Sensual World” | Kate Bush | The Sensual World | 1989 | Sony |
| Kafka, Fanz | Metamorphosis | "Let Down" | Radiohead | OK Computer | 1997 | Capitol |
| Kafka, Fanz | The Trial | "If 6 Was 9" | Jimi Hendrix | Are You Experienced | 1968 | Warner Brothers |
| Kate Chopin | The Awakening | "Since You've Been Gone" | Kelley Clarkson | Breakaway | 2004 | BMG |
| Keats, John | "Ode on a Grecian Urn" | "Best of Both Worlds" | Van Halen | 5150 | 1986 | Warner Brothers |
| Keats, John | Jeremy | "Brain Salad Surgery" | Emerson, Lake and Palmer | Works, Vol. 2 | 1977 | Rhino |
| Kerouac, Jack | On the Road | * “Hey Jack Kerouac” | 10,000 Maniacs | MTV Unplugged: 10,000 Maniacs | 1993 | Elektra |
| Kerouac, Jack | On the Road | * “Neal and Jack and Me” | King Crimson | Beat | 1982 | E.G. Records |
| Kerouac, Jack | On the Road | * “The Ballad of Sal Paradise” | Elliott Murphy | Apres le Deluge | 1985 | EMIS |
| Kerouac, Jack | On the Road | “Black Cowboys” | Bruce Springsteen | Devils and Dust | 2005 | Sony |
| Kerouac, Jack | On the Road | “Idiot Wind” | Bob Dylan | Blood on the Tracks | 1975 | Sony |
| Kerouac, Jack | On the Road | “Looking at the World through a Windshield | Del Reeves | Looking at the World through a Windshield |
1967 | United Artists |
| Kerouac, Jack | On the Road | “Outside of a Small Circle of Friends” | Phil Ochs | Pleasures of the Harbor | 1967 | Collector's Choice |
| Kesey, Ken | One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest | "If 6 Was 9" | Jimi Hendrix | Are You Experienced | 1968 | Warner Brothers |
| Kesey, Ken | One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest | "Comfortably Numb" | Pink Floyd | The Wall | 1979 | Capitol |
| Kesey, Ken | One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest | "Head Like a Hole" | Nine Inch Nails | Pretty Hate Machine | 1989 | TVT |
| Kidd, Sue | The Secret Life of Bees | "The Cloud Song" | Jess Klein | Draw Them Near | 2000 | Slow River |
| Kingsolver, Barbara | The Bean Trees | "Papa was a Rolling Stone" | The Temptations | Emperors of Soul | 1994 | Motown |
| Kingsolver, Barbara | The Bean Trees | "The Cloud Song" | Jess Klein | Draw Them Near | 2000 | Slow River |
| Kingston, Maxine Hong | Woman Warrior | *"Proud of Me" | Heimann, Angie | SIBL Contest Winners | ||
| Kinsella, W.P. | Shoeless Joe | "Angel in Manhattan" | Ellis Paul | Translucent Soul | 1998 | Philo |
| Kipling, Rudyard | "If" | "How Many" | Zion 1 | Funk Soul Brother | 2000 | Tommy Boy |
| Kipling, Rudyard | "If" | "Just the Two of Us" | Will Smith | Big Willie Style | 1997 | Sony |
| Knowles, John | A Separate Peace | “My Own Prison” | Creed | My Own Prison | 1997 | Wind-Up |
| Knowles, John | A Separate Peace | “Self Deception” | Lacuna Coil | Comalies | 2002 | Century Media |
| L'Amour, Louis | Last of the Breed | "Cherokee" | Stephen Stills | Stephen Stills | 1970 | Atlantic |
| Larkin, Philip | "High Windows" | * “The Gilded Cage” | The Story | The Angel in the House | 1993 | Elektra |
| Lawrence, Jerome and Robert E. L | Inherit the Wind | "Angel in Manhattan" | Ellis Paul | Translucent Soul | 1998 | Philo |
| Lee, Harper | To Kill a Mockingbird | “Losing My Religion” | R.E.M. | Out of Time | 1991 | Warner Brothers |
| Lee, Harper | To Kill a Mockingbird | "Folsom Prison Blues" | Johnny Cash | Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar | 1957 | Varese |
| Lee, Harper | To Kill a Mockingbird | “Imagine” | John Lennon | Imagine | 1971 | Capitol |
| Lee, Harper | To Kill a Mockingbird | “Man in Black” | Johnny Cash | A Man in Black | 1971 | Columbia |
| Lee, Harper | To Kill a Mockingbird | *"What's to become of the Mockingbird" | Angie Heimann | SIBL Contest Winners | ||
| Lee, Harper | To Kill A Mockingbird | "Strange Fruit" | Billie Holiday | The Commdore Master Takes | 1939 | GRP |
| Lee, Harper | To Kill A Mockingbird | "Mrs. Dubose" | The Drive By Truckers | Pizza Deliverance | 1999 | Ghostmeat |
| Lee, Harper | To Kill A Mockingbird | "The Peace Train" | Cat Stevens | Teaser and the Firecat | 1971 | A&M |
| Lethem, Jonathan | Motherless Brooklyn | *"Tell Your Story Walking" | Deb Talan | Songs Inspired by Literature-Chapter One | 2002 | CD Baby |
| Levine, Mark | "Work Song" | *"Still Crying" | Essence | Songs Inspired by Literature-Chapter One | 2002 | CD Baby |
| Lewis, C.S. | The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe | Narnia CD | ||||
| Lindsay, Vachel | "The Congo" | "Datskat" | The Roots | Home Grown: The Beginners
Guide to Understanding the Roots |
2005 | Geffen |
| London, Jack | Call of the Wild | "Come Home Soon" | SheDaisy | Sweet Right Here | 2004 | Hollywood |
| Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth | "The Song of Hiawatha" | * “Hiawatha” | Laurie Anderson | Strange Angels | 1989 | Warner Brothers |
| Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth | Psalm of Life | "Warning" | Incubus | Morning View | 2001 | Sony |
| Lowry, Lois | The Giver | "Let Down" | Radiohead | OK Computer | 1997 | Capitol |
| Lowry, Lois | The Giver | "Imagine" | John Lennon | Imagine | 1971 | Capitol |
| Lowry, Lois | Gathering Blue | "Where is the Love" | Black Eyed Peas | Elephunk | 2003 | A&M |
| Malamud, Bernard | The Natural | "Angel in Manhattan" | Ellis Paul | Translucent Soul | 1998 | Philo |
| Mann, Thomas | "Death in Venice" | * "Grey Gardens" | Rufus Wainwright | Poses | 2001 | Dreamworks |
| Marlowe, Christopher | The Passionate Shepherd | "Let's Get It On" | Marvin Gaye | Let's Get It On | 1973 | Motown |
| Marvell, Andrew | "To His Coy Mistress" | “Only the Good Die Young” | Billy Joel | The Stranger | 1977 | Sony Japan |
| Marvell, Andrew | "To His Coy Mistress" | “Time” | Pink Floyd | Dark Side of the Moon | 1973 | Capitol |
| Marvell, Andrew | "To His Coy Mistress" | "Only the Good Die Young" | Billy Joel | Stranger | 1977 | Sony |
| McBride, James | The Color of Water | *"Don't Let Me Fall" | Vicki Randle | Songs Inspired by Literature-Chapter Two | 2003 | CD Baby |
| McBride, James | The Color of Water | "If 6 Was 9" | Jimi Hendrix | Are You Experienced | 1968 | Warner Brothers |
| McBride, James | The Color of Water | "Papa was a Rolling Stone" | The Temptations | Emperors of Soul | 1994 | Motown |
| McCourt, Frank | Angela's Ashes | *"7th Step" | Deborah Pardes | Songs Inspired by Literature-Chapter One | 2002 | CD Baby |
| McCourt, Frank | Angela's Ashes | "Papa was a Rolling Stone" | The Temptations | Emperors of Soul | 1994 | Motown |
| McCourt, Frank | Angela's Ashes | "How you Remind Me" | Nickelback | Silver Side Up | 2001 | Roadrunner |
| McMurtry, Larry | Terms of Endearment | "The Cloud Song" | Jess Klein | Draw Them Near | 2000 | Slow River |
| Melville, Herman | Moby Dick | "Son of a Son of a Sailor" | Jimmy Buffett | Songs You Know By Heart | 1990 | MCA |
| Melville, Herman | Moby Dick | * “Boudreaux Was a Nutcase” | Austin Lounge Lizards | Paint Me on Velvet | 1993 | Flying Fish |
| Melville, Herman | Moby Dick | * “Moby Book" | Steve Goodman | Jessie's Jigs and Other Favorites | 1975 | Elektra/Asylum |
| Melville, Herman | Moby Dick | * “Moby Dick" | Led Zeppelin | Led Zeppelin II | 1969 | Atlantic |
| Merton, Thomas | Raids on the Unspeakable | *"Listen, the Silences" | Michelle Bloom | Songs Inspired by Literature-Chapter Two | 2003 | CD Baby |
| Miller, Arthur | All My Sons | "Papa was a Rolling Stone" | The Temptations | Emperors of Soul | 1994 | Motown |
| Miller, Arthur | Death of a Salesman | "Casltes Made of Sand" | Jimi Hendrix | Are You Experienced | 1968 | Warner Brothers |
| Miller, Arthur | The Crucible | "Devils and Dust" | Bruce Springsteen | Devils and Dust | 2005 | Sony |
| Miller, Arthur | The Crucible | "Talkin John Birch Paranoid Blues" | Bob Dylan | The Bootleg Series 1-3 | 1970 | Special Rider Music |
| Miller, Arthur | The Crucible | “I’d Lie for You (and That’s the Truth)” | Meat Loaf | Welcome to the Neighborhood | 1995 | MCA |
| Miller, Arthur | The Crucible | “Season of the Witch" | Donovan | Sunshine Superman | 1966 | Sony |
| Miller, Arthur | The Crucible | “What Is Truth” | Johnny Cash | Starportrait | 1972 | CBS |
| Miller, Arthur | The Crucible | "We Didn't Start the Fire" | Billy Joel | Storm Front | 1989 | Sony |
| Miller, Arthur | The Crucible | "Witch Hunt" | Rush | Moving Pictures | 1981 | UMG |
| Miller, Arthur | The Crucible | “Witchy Woman” | The Eagles | The Eagles | 1972 | Elektra |
| Miller, Arthur | The Crucible | "Superstition" | Stevie Wonder | Talking Book | 1972 | Motown |
| Milton, John | "Paradise Lost" | * "Song of Joy" | Nick Cave | Murder Ballads | 1996 | Warner Brothers |
| Milton, John | Upon Turning Three and Twenty | "What's My Age Again?" | Blink-182 | Enema of the State | 1999 | MCA |
| Morrison, Toni | Beloved | "Angel in Manhattan" | Ellis Paul | Translucent Soul | 1998 | Philo |
| Nabokov, Vladimir | Lolita | * “Delores” | Freedy Johnston | This Perfect World | 1994 | Elektra |
| Nabokov, Vladimir | Lolita | * “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” | The Police | Zenyatta Mondatta | 1980 | A&M |
| Nabokov, Vladimir | Lolita | "I'm on Fire" | Bruce Springsteen | Born in the USA | 1984 | Bruce Springsteen |
| Namioka, Lensey | Ties That Bind, Ties That Break | "The Cloud Song" | Jess Klein | Draw Them Near | 2000 | Slow River |
| Noyes, Alfred | "The Highwayman" | * "Highwayman" | Loreena McKennitt | The Book of Secrets | 1997 | Warner Brothers |
| Noyes, Alfred | "The Highwayman" | * "The Highwayman" | Phil Ochs | I Ain't Marching Anymore | 1965 | Hannibal |
| Noyes, Alfred | "The Highwayman" | * "The Highwayman" | John Otway | I Did It Otway | 1981 | Stiff Canada |
| O'Brien, Tim | The Things They Carried | "I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixing-To-Die-Rag" | Country Joe McDonald and The Fish |
I Feel Like I'm Fixing to Die | 1970 | Atlantic |
| O'Brien, Tim | The Things They Carried | *"The Things We Carried" | Ron DeChristoforo… | SIBL Contest Winners | ||
| O'Brien, Tim | The Things They Carried | "War" | Edwin Starr | War | 1970 | Gordy |
| O'Brien, Tim | The Things They Carried | "Universal Soldier" | Donovan | Fairytale | 1965 | Castle |
| O'Brien, Tim | Where Have You Gone Charming Billy | "Goodnight Saigon" | Billy Joel | The Nylon Curtain | 1982 | Columbia |
| O'Brien, Tim | The Things They Carried | "Lemon Tree" | Peter, Paul & Mary | Peter, Paul & Mary | 1962 | Warner Bros |
| O'Brien, Tim | The Things They Carried | "Ohio" | Buffalo Springfield/Neil Young | Journey Through the Past | 1972 | Reprise |
| O'Conner, Flannery | A Good Man is Hard to Find | *"A Good Man is Hard to Find" | Tom Waits | Songs Inspired by Literature-Chapter Two | 2003 | CD Baby |
| O'Neill, Eugene | Long Day's Journey into Night | "Papa was a Rolling Stone" | The Temptations | Emperors of Soul | 1994 | Motown |
| O'Neill, Eugene | The Long Voyage Home | * “Pleasures of the Harbor" | Phil Ochs | Pleasures of the Harbor | 1967 | Collector's Choice |
| Orwell, George | 1984 | "Let Down" | Radiohead | OK Computer | 1997 | Capitol |
| Orwell, George | 1984 | * "1984" | David Bowie | Diamond Dogs | 1974 | Virgin |
| Orwell, George | 1984 | * "Candidate" | David Bowie | Diamond Dogs | 1974 | Virgin |
| Orwell, George | 1984 | * "For the Love of Big Brother" | The Eurythmics | 1984 (For the Love of Big Brother) | 1984 | BMG |
| Orwell, George | 1984 | "Streets of Philidelphia" | Bruce Springsteen | Bruce Springsteen: Greatest Hits | 1995 | Bruce Springsteen |
| Orwell, George | 1984 | * "Wake Up (It's 1984)" | Oingo Boingo | Skeletons in the Closet | 1994 | A&M |
| Orwell, George | 1984 | * "We Are the Dead" | David Bowie | Diamond Dogs | 1974 | Virgin |
| Orwell, George | Animal Farm | "Won't Get Fooled Again" | The Who | Who's Next | 1971 | MCA |
| Orwell, George | Animal Farm | * “Animal in Man” | Dead Prez | Lets Get Free | 2000 | Relativity |
| Orwell, George | Animal Farm | * “Dogs” | Pink Floyd | Animals | 1977 | Capitol |
| Orwell, George | Animal Farm | * “Pigs on the Wing 1” | Pink Floyd | Animals | 1977 | Capitol |
| Orwell, George | Animal Farm | * “Pigs on the Wing 2” | Pink Floyd | Animals | 1977 | Capitol |
| Orwell, George | Animal Farm | * “Sheep” | Pink Floyd | Animals | 1977 | Capitol |
| Orwell, George | Animal Farm | "It's the End of the World" | R.E.M. | Document | 1987 | ABKCO |
| Osbourne, Mary Pope | Adaline Falling Star | "Papa was a Rolling Stone" | The Temptations | Emperors of Soul | 1994 | Motown |
| Owens, Wilfred | "Dulce et Decorum Est" | * "The Latin One" | 10,000 Maniacs | MTV Unplugged: 10,000 Maniacs | 1993 | Elektra |
| Paterniti, Michael | Driving Mr. Albert | *"Einstein's Brain" | Lynn Harrison | Songs Inspired by Literature-Chapter One | 2002 | CD Baby |
| Paton, Alan | Cry, The Beloved Country | “Get Up, Stand Up” | Bob Marley | Burnin' | 1973 | Island |
| Paton, Alan | Cry, The Beloved Country | “So Long" | Majek Fashek | Spirit of Love | 1991 | Atlantic |
| Paton, Alan | Cry, The Beloved Country | “Talk to the People” | Johnny Clegg and Savuka | Shadowman | 1989 | Discovery |
| Paton, Alan | Cry, The Beloved Country | “The Waiting” | Johnny Clegg and Savuka | Shadowman | 1989 | Discovery |
| Paton, Alan | Cry, The Beloved Country | “Under African Skies” | Paul Simon | Graceland | 1986 | Warner Brothers |
| Patterson, Katherine | The Sign of the Chrysanthemum | "Papa was a Rolling Stone" | The Temptations | Emperors of Soul | 1994 | Motown |
| Peck, Richard | Father Figure | "Papa was a Rolling Stone" | The Temptations | Emperors of Soul | 1994 | Motown |
| Peck, Richard | Remembering the Good Times | "Youth of the Nation" | P.O.D. | Satellite | 2001 | Atlantic |
| Percy, Walker | The Movie Goer | "Let Down" | Radiohead | OK Computer | 1997 | Capitol |
| Plath, Sylvia | "Daddy" | * "Daddy" | Jewel | Pieces of You | 1995 | Atlantic |
| Plath, Sylvia | "Mirror" | "I am Music" | Common | Electric Circus | 2002 | MCA |
| Plath, Sylvia | The Bell Jar | * "Bell Jar" | The Bangles | Everything | 1988 | Sony |
| Plath, Sylvia | The Bell Jar | "Sylvia Plath" | Ryan Adams | Gold | 2001 | UMG |
| Poe, Edgar Allan | "The Bells" | * "The Bells" | Phil Ochs | All the News That's Fit to Sing | 1964 | Hannibal |
| Poe, Edgar Allan | "The Raven" | * “Edgar Allan Poe” | Lou Reed | The Raven | 2003 | Warner Brothers |
| Poe, Edgar Allan | "The Raven" | * “The Raven” | Alan Parsons Project | Tales of Mystery and Imagination | 1975 | Mercury/Universal |
| Poe, Edgar Allan | "The Raven" | * “The Raven” | Lou Reed | The Raven | 2003 | Warner Brothers |
| Poe, Edgar Allan | "The Raven" | "Coming Up Crows" | The Great Divide | Revolution | 1999 | |
| Poe, Edgar Allan | The Cask of Amontillado | "Goodbye Earl" | Dixie Chicks | Fly | 1999 | Monument |
| Quinn, Daniel | Ishmael | * "Do the Evolution" | Pearl Jam | Yield | 1998 | Sony |
| Raleigh, Sir Walter | Carpe Diem Poets | "I'm So Tired" | the Beatles | White Album | 1968 | Capitol |
| Rand, Ayn | Anthem | * “2112 Medley” | Rush | 2112 | 1976 | Polygram |
| Rand, Ayn | Anthem | * “Anthem” | Rush | Fly by Night | 1975 | Polygram |
| Remarque, Erich Maria | All Quiet on the Western Front | "The Wind Cries Mary" | Jimi Hendrix | Are You Experienced | 1968 | Warner Brothers |
| Remarque, Erich Maria | All Quiet on the Western Front | * "All Quiet on the Western Front" | Elton John | Jump Up | 1982 | MCA |
| Robinson, Edwin A | Richard Cory | "Richard Cory" | Simon and Garfunk | Sounds of Silence | 1966 | Columbia |
| Salinger, J.D. | The Catcher in the Rye | "We're Going to Be Friends" | The White Stripes | White Blood Cells | 2001 | Sympathy for the Record Industry |
| Salinger, J.D. | The Catcher in the Rye | "Casltes Made of Sand | Jimi Hendrix | Are You Experienced | 1968 | Warner Brothers |
| Salinger, J.D. | The Catcher in the Rye | "If 6 Was 9" | Jimi Hendrix | Are You Experienced | 1968 | Warner Brothers |
| Salinger, J.D. | The Catcher in the Rye | "Youth of the Nation" | P.O.D. | Satellite | 2001 | Atlantic |
| Salinger, J.D. | The Catcher in the Rye | "World's On Fire" | Sarah McLaughlin | Afterglow | 2002 | Arista |
| Salinger, J.D. | The Catcher in the Rye | "Paint it Black" | Rolling Stones | Hot Rocks, 1964-1971 | 1972 | ABKCO |
| Salinger, J.D. | The Catcher in the Rye | "Speedway" | Counting Crows | This Desert Life | 1999 | Interscope |
| Salinger, J.D. | The Catcher in The Rye | "Breathe" | Greenwheel | Soma Holiday | 2002 | Universal Int'l |
| Salinger, J.D. | The Catcher in The Rye | "Breathe" | Greenwheel | Soma Holiday | 2002 | Universal Int'l |
| Sante, Luc | Low Life | *"Evil Night Together" | Jill Tracy | Songs Inspired by Literature-Chapter One | 2002 | CD Baby |
| Sebold, Alice | Lovely Bones | "Youth of the Nation" | P.O.D. | Satellite | 2001 | Atlantic |
| Shaara, Michael | The Killer Angels | *"Dixieland" | Steve Earle | Songs Inspired by Literature-Chapter Two | 2003 | CD Baby |
| Shaara, Michael | The Killer Angels | "Union Man" | Blue Highway | Still Climbing Mountains | 2001 | Rounder |
| Shakespeare, William | Macbeth | "It's Good to be King" | Tom Petty | Wildflowers | 1994 | Warner Bros |
| Shakespeare, William | "Sonnet 29" | “Affirmative Action” | Nas | It Was Written | 1996 | Sony |
| Shakespeare, William | "Sonnet 35" | * “Sister Moon” | Sting | Nothing Like the Sun | 1987 | A&M |
| Shakespeare, William | Hamlet | * “Nutshell” | Alice in Chains | Jar of Flies | 1994 | Sony |
| Shakespeare, William | Hamlet | * “Oor Hamlet” | Adam McNaughtan | Words, Words, Words | 1994 | Greentrax |
| Shakespeare, William | Hamlet | * “Sleep to Dream” | Fiona Apple | Tidal | 1996 | Sony |
| Shakespeare, William | Hamlet | “War on Drugs” | Barenaked Ladies | Everything to Everyone | 2003 | Warner Brothers |
| Shakespeare, William | Henry VI | * "Get Over It" | The Eagles | Hell Freezes Over | 1994 | Geffen |
| Shakespeare, William | Julius Caesar | * “Cleopatra’s Cat” | Spin Doctors | Turn It Upside Down | 1994 | Sony |
| Shakespeare, William | Julius Caesar | “Authority Song” | John Mellancamp | Uh-Huh | 1983 | Mercury/Universal |
| Shakespeare, William | Julius Caesar | “Faith in Me” | Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young | Looking Forward | 1999 | Warner Brothers |
| Shakespeare, William | Macbeth | "Casltes Made of Sand" | Jimi Hendrix | Are You Experienced | 1968 | Warner Brothers |
| Shakespeare, William | Macbeth | * “Macbeth” | John Cale | Paris 1919 | 1973 | Warner Brothers |
| Shakespeare, William | Merchant of Venice | "If I Had $1,000,000" | Barenaked Ladies | Gordon | 1992 | Warner Brothers |
| Shakespeare, William | Romeo and Juliet | "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" | Blue Oyster Cult | Agents of Fortune | 1976 | Sony |
| Shakespeare, William | Romeo and Juliet | * “Exit Music (For a Film)” | Radiohead | OK Computer | 1997 | Capitol |
| Shakespeare, William | Romeo and Juliet | * “Romeo and Juliet” | Dire Straits | Making Movies | 1980 | Warner Brothers |
| Shakespeare, William | Romeo and Juliet | * “Romeo Had Juliette” | Lou Reed | New York | 1989 | Warner Brothers |
| Shakespeare, William | Romeo and Juliet | “I’d Lie for You (and That’s the Truth)” | Meat Loaf | Welcome to the Neighborhood | 1995 | MCA |
| Shakespeare, William | Romeo and Juliet | “My Sacrifice” | Creed | Weathered | 2001 | Wind-Up |
| Shakespeare, William | Romeo and Juliet | “One Last Breath” | Creed | Weathered | 2001 | Wind-Up |
| Shakespeare, William | Romeo and Juliet | “Satellite” | Dave Matthews Band | Under the Table and Dreaming | 1994 | RCA |
| Shakespeare, William | Romeo and Juliet | “Teenager” | Better Than Ezra | Deluxe | 1995 | Elektra |
| Shakespeare, William | Romeo and Juliet | "Romeo and Juliet" | Indigo Girls | Rites of Passage | 1992 | Epic |
| Shakespeare, William | Romeo and Juliet | "Romeo and Juliet" | Dire Straits | Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire St | 1998 | Warner Bros |
| Shakespeare, William | Julius Caesar | "Mad Season" | Matchbox 20 | Mad Season | 2000 | Atlantic |
| Shakespeare, William | Romeo and Juliet | "Love Changes Everything" | Aspects of Love Soundtrack | |||
| Shakespeare, William | Macbeth | "Dirty Little Secret" | All American Rejects | Move Along | 2005 | Interscope |
| Shelley, Mary | Frankenstein | "Behind Blue Eyes" | The Who | The Who: The Ultimate Collection | 2002 | MCA |
| Shelley, Mary | Frankenstein | "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" | Green Day | American Idiot | 2004 | Reprise / Wea |
| Shelley, Mary | Frankenstein | *"Chemistry" | Carey & Brubaker | SIBL Contest Winners | ||
| Shelley, Mary | Frankenstein | "Desperado" | The Eagles | Desperado | 1990 | Asylum |
| Shelley, Mary | Frankenstein | "Mr. Lonely" | Akon | Trouble | 2004 | Universal |
| Shelley, Percy | Ozymandius | "Dust in he Wind" | Kansas | Point of No Return | 1977 | Epic |
| Shelley, Mary | Frankenstein | * “All Along the Watchtower” | Bob Dylan | John Wesley Harding | 1967 | Sony |
| Shelley, Mary | Frankenstein | * “Frankenstein” | Edgar Winter | They Only Come Out at Night | 1972 | Sony |
| Shelley, Mary | Frankenstein | * “The Siege and Investiture of
Baron von Frankenstein’s Castle at Weisseria” |
Blue Oyster Cult | Imaginos | 1988 | Sony |
| Silverstein, Shel | "Bucking Bronco" | *"Bucking Bronco" | Scarth Locke | Songs Inspired by Literature-Chapter One | 2002 | CD Baby |
| Smith, Betty | A Tree Grows in Brooklyn | "Papa was a Rolling Stone" | The Temptations | Emperors of Soul | 1994 | Motown |
| Smith, Betty | A Tree Grows in Brooklyn | "The Cloud Song" | Jess Klein | Draw Them Near | 2000 | Slow River |
| Solzhenitsyn, Alexander | One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich | * “Roads to Moscow” | Al Stewert | Past, Present and Future | 1974 | Rhino |
| Sophocles | Antigone | "Angel in Manhattan" | Ellis Paul | Translucent Soul | 1998 | Philo |
| Sophocles | Oedipus Rex | * "The End" | The Doors | The Doors | 1967 | Elektra |
| Sophocles | Antigone | "Waiting on the World to Change" | John Mayer | Continuum | 2006 | Aware/Columbia |
| Spiegelman, Art | Maus | "The Wind Cries Mary" | Jimi Hendrix | Are You Experienced | 1968 | Warner Brothers |
| Steinbeck, John | Of Mice and Men | "American Dream" | Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young | American Dream | 1988 | Atlantic |
| Steinbeck, John | Of Mice and Men | "California Sky" | Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash | Mile Markers | 2005 | Emergent/ 92E |
| Steinbeck, John | Of Mice and Men | "Casltes Made of Sand" | Jimi Hendrix | Are You Experienced | 1968 | Warner Brothers |
| Steinbeck, John | Of Mice and Men | "One Friend" | Dan Seals | In a Quiet Room | 1995 | Intersound |
| Steinbeck, John | Of Mice and Men | "Rusty Old American Dream" | David Wilcox | How Did You Find Me Here? | 1989 | A&M |
| Steinbeck, John | Of Mice and Men | "Shot Full of Holes" | Jason Boland & The Stragglers | Pearl Snaps | 2004 | Smith Music Group |
| Steinbeck, John | The Grapes of Wrath | "If I Ever Get Back to Oklahoma" | Jason Boland & The Stragglers | Pearl Snaps | 2004 | Smith Music Group |
| Steinbeck, John | The Grapes of Wrath | *"Broken Plow" | Chris Knight | The Jealous Kind | 2006 | Drifter's Church |
| Steinbeck, John | The Grapes of Wrath | * "Tom Joad Part 2" | Woody Guthrie | Dust Bowl Ballads | 1964 | Buddha/BMG |
| Steinbeck, John | The Grapes of Wrath | * “The Ghost of Tom Joad” | Bruce Springsteen | The Ghost of Tom Joad | 1995 | Sony |
| Steinbeck, John | The Grapes of Wrath | * “Tom Joad Part 1” | Woody Guthrie | Dust Bowl Ballads | 1964 | Buddha/BMG |
| Steinbeck, John | The Grapes of Wrath | “Devils and Dust” | Bruce Springsteen | Devils and Dust | 2005 | Sony |
| Steinbeck, John | The Grapes of Wrath | “This Land is Your Land” | Woody Guthrie | This Land Is Your Land | 1967 | Smithsonian Folkways |
| Steinbeck, John | The Pearl | "Angry" | Matchbox 20 | Mad Season | 2000 | Atlantic |
| Steinbeck, John | The Pearl | "Colored People" | dc talk | Intermissions | 2000 | ForeFront |
| Steinbeck, John | The Pearl | "Colors of the Wind" | Vanessa Williams | Pocahontas | 1995 | Walt Disney |
| Steinbeck, John | The Pearl | "Half-Breed" | Cher | If I Could Turn Back Time | 1999 | Geffen |
| Steinbeck, John | The Pearl | "How Can I Keep from Singing" | Eva Cassidy | Eva by Heart | 1998 | Blix Street |
| Steinbeck, John | The Pearl | "I am Woman" | Helen Reddy | Helen Reddy's Greatest Hits | 1987 | Capitol |
| Steinbeck, John | The Pearl | "I Got a Name" | Jim Croce | Photographs and Memories | 1985 | Saja |
| Steinbeck, John | The Pearl | "I Write the Songs" | Barry Manilow | Greatest Hits | 1978 | Arista |
| Steinbeck, John | The Pearl | "Reach" | Gloria Estafan | Destiny | 1996 | Sony |
| Steinbeck, John | The Pearl | "Songs" | Joan Armatrading | What's Inside | 1995 | BMG |
| Steinbeck, John | The Pearl | "Sunshine on My Shoulders" | John Denver | Behind the Music | 2000 | BMG |
| Steinbeck, John | The Pearl | "To Have and Not to Hold" | Madonna | Ray of Light | 1998 | Maverick |
| Steinbeck, John | The Pearl | * "The Pearl" | Joshua Kadison | Delilah Blue | 1995 | EMI |
| Steinbeck, John | The Red Pony | "Casltes Made of Sand" | Jimi Hendrix | Are You Experienced | 1968 | Warner Brothers |
| Steinbeck, John | The Red Pony | "The Wind Cries Mary" | Jimi Hendrix | Are You Experienced | 1968 | Warner Brothers |
| Steinbeck, John | Travels with Charley | * “California” | The Beach Boys | Holland | 1973 | Sony |
| Steinbeck, John | The Pearl | "Seek Up" | Dave Matthews | Live At Red Rocks | 1995 | RCA |
| Steinbeck, John | Of Mice and Men | "Goin' to Californa" | John Lee Hooker | Rock With Me | 2005 | Acrobat |
| Steinbeck, John | Of Mice and Men | "Pink Houses" | John Mellencamp | Uh-huh | 1983 | Mercury |
| Steinbeck, John | Of Mice and Men | "Jack and Diane" | John Mellencamp | American Fool | 1982 | Mercury |
| Steinbeck, John | The Grapes of Wrath | "Rain on the Scarecrow" | John Mellencamp | Scarecrow | 1985 | Mercury |
| Stevenson, Robert Louis | Treasure Island | * “The Tomahawk Kid” | Alex Harvey | Faith Healer: An Introduction | 2002 | Polygram Int'l |
| Stoker, Bram | Dracula | * "Nosferata" | Blue Oyster Cult | Spectres | 1977 | Sony |
| Strasser, Todd | Give A Boy A Gun | "Youth of the Nation" | P.O.D. | Satellite | 2001 | Atlantic |
| Swift, Jonathan | "A Modest Proposal" | “Born in the U.S.A.” | Bruce Springsteen | Born in the U.S.A. | 1984 | Sony |
| Swift, Jonathan | "A Modest Proposal" | “Outside of a Small Circle of Friends” | Phil Ochs | Pleasures of the Harbor | 1967 | Collector's Choice |
| Swift, Jonathan | "A Modest Proposal" | “Rockin’ in the Free World” | Neil Young | Freedom | 1989 | Warner Brothers |
| Tan, Amy | Joy Luck Club | "The Cloud Song" | Jess Klein | Draw Them Near | 2000 | Slow River |
| Tennyson, Alfred Lord | "Charge of the Light Brigade" | * "The Trooper" | Iron Maiden | Piece of Mind | 1983 | Sony |
| Tennyson, Alfred Lord | "The Lady of Shallot" | * "Left Me a Fool" | Indigo Girls | Strange Fire | 1987 | Sony |
| Tennyson, Alfred Lord | "Legend of Enoch Arden" | *"The Legend of Enoch Arden" | Diane Zeigler | Songs Inspired by Literature-Chapter One | 2002 | CD Baby |
| Thayer, Ernest | "Casey at the Bat" | * "Centerfield" | John Fogerty | Centerfield | 1985 | Warner Brothers |
| Thomas, Dylan | "Love in an Asylum" | * "Bird Mad Girl" | The Cure | Top | 1984 | Warner Brothers |
| Thomas, Dylan | "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" | "Me Against The World" | Tupac Shakur | Me Against The World | 1998 | Jive |
| Thomas, Dylan | "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" | "At My Funeral" | Crash Test Dummies | The Ghosts that Haunt Me | 1991 | Arista |
| Thompson, Hunter S. | Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas | "Ooh Las Vegas" | Gram Parsons | Grievous Angel | 1974 | Reprise |
| Thoreau, Henry David | Walden | "The Bare Necessities" | Phil Harris | Jungle Book Soundtrack | 2001 | Disney |
| Thoreau, Henry David | Walden | “Different Drum” | Linda Ronstadt and the Stone Poneys |
Different Drum | 1974 | Capitol |
| Thoreau, Henry David | Walden | “Fields of Gold” | Sting | Ten Summoner's Tales | 1993 | A&M |
| Thoreau, Henry David | Walden | “The River” | Garth Brooks | Ropin' the Wind | 1991 | Capitol |
| Thoreau, Henry David | Walden | “Water’s Edge” | Tim Janis | Water's Edge | 2000 | Tim Janis Ensemble |
| Thoreau, Henry David | Walden | “Wide Open Spaces” | Dixie Chicks | Wide Open Spaces | 1998 | Sony |
| Thoreau, Henry David | Walden | "You Never Know" | Dave Matthews Band | Busted Stuff | 2002 | RCA |
| Tolkein, J.R.R. | Lord of the Rings | * "House of Tom Bambadil" | Nickel Creek | Nickel Creek | 2000 | Sugarhill |
| Tolkein, J.R.R. | Lord of the Rings | * “Lord of the Rings” | Blind Guardian | Tales from the Twilight World | 1990 | Century Media |
| Tolkein, J.R.R. | Lord of the Rings | * “Misty Mountain Hop” | Led Zeppelin | Led Zeppelin IV | 1971 | Atlantic |
| Tolkein, J.R.R. | Lord of the Rings | * “Ramble On” | Led Zeppelin | Led Zeppelin II | 1969 | Atlantic |
| Tolkein, J.R.R. | Lord of the Rings | * “Ride a White Swan” | T.Rex | Expanded Edition | 2004 | Universal Int'l |
| Tolkein, J.R.R. | Lord of the Rings | * “Rivendell” | Rush | Fly by Night | 1975 | Polygram |
| Tolkein, J.R.R. | Lord of the Rings | * “The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins” | Leonard Nimoy | Two Sides of Leonard Nimoy | 1968 | Dot |
| Tolkein, J.R.R. | Lord of the Rings | * “The Battle of Evermore” | Led Zeppelin | Led Zeppelin IV | 1971 | Atlantic |
| Tolstoy, Leo | War and Peace | *"Tolstoy" | Bob Hillman | Songs Inspired by Literature-Chapter One | 2002 | CD Baby |
| Tolstoy, Leo | War and Peace | * “The Gates of Delirium” | Yes | Relayer | 1974 | Atlantic |
| Trumbo, Dalton | Johnny Got His Gun | "The Wind Cries Mary" | Jimi Hendrix | Are You Experienced | 1968 | Warner Brothers |
| Trumbo, Dalton | Johnny Got His Gun | "One" | Metallica | …And Justice for All | 1988 | Elektra |
| Truth, Sojourner | Ain't I a Woman? | "For Women" | Talib Kweli | Reflection Eternal | 2002 | Rawkus |
| Twain, Mark | The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn | "Born to Run" | Bruce Springsteen | Born to Run | 1975 | Sony |
| Twain, Mark | The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn | "Fly Away" | Nelly | The Longest Yard Soundtrack | 2005 | Universal |
| Twain, Mark | The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn | "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" | Crash Test Dummies | God Shuffled His Feet | 1993 | Arista |
| Twain, Mark | The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn | "Song for America" | Kansas | Song for America | 1974 | Sony |
| Twain, Mark | The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn | "Southern Accents" | Tom Petty | Southern Accents | 1985 | MCA |
| Twain, Mark | The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn | "Youth of the Nation" | P.O.D. | Satellite | 2001 | Atlantic |
| Twain, Mark | The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn | * "Barefoot Children" | Jimmy Buffett | Barometer Soup | 1995 | MCA Nashville |
| Twain, Mark | The Adventures of Tom Sawyer | * "Tom Sawyer" | Rush | Moving Pictures | 1981 | Mercury/Universal |
| Tyler, Anne | Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant | "The Cloud Song" | Jess Klein | Draw Them Near | 2000 | Slow River |
| Updike, John | "Ex-Basketball Player" | "Glory Days" | Bruce Springsteen | Born in the U.S.A. | 1984 | Sony |
| van Druten, John | I Remember Mama | "The Cloud Song" | Jess Klein | Draw Them Near | 2000 | Slow River |
| Verne, Jules | Journey to the Center of the Earth | * (entire album) | Rick Wakeman | Journey to the Center of the Earth | 1974 | Griffin |
| Voltaire | Candide | * “Teacher” | Jethro Tull | Benefit | 1970 | Capitol |
| Von Gothe, Johann Wolfgang | Faust | *"The Wish" | Ira Marlowe | Songs Inspired by Literature-Chapter Two | 2003 | CD Baby |
| Weisel, Elie | Night | "The Wind Cries Mary" | Jimi Hendrix | Are You Experienced | 1968 | Warner Brothers |
| Weisel, Elie | Night | "The Unforgiven" | Metallica | Metallica | 1991 | E/M Ventures |
| Wells, H.G. | The Island of Dr. Moreau | * “No Spill Blood” | Oingo Boingo | Good for Your Soul | 1983 | A&M |
| Welty, Eudora | One Writer's Beginnings | * “Halley Came to Jackson” | Mary Chapin Carpenter | Shooting Straight in the Dark | 1990 | Columbia |
| Wharton, Edith | The House of Mirth | *"Don't Save Me" | Beth Thornley | SIBL Contest Winners | ||
| White, E.B. | Charlotte's Web | "The Cloud Song" | Jess Klein | Draw Them Near | 2000 | Slow River |
| Whitman, Walt | Oh Captain! My Captain! | *"One Day" | Graham Greer | SIBL Contest Winners | ||
| Whitman, Walt | "O Me! O Life!" | "Don't Believe the Hype" | Public Enemy | It Takes a Nation of
Millions to Hold Us Back |
1988 | Def Jam |
| Whitman, Walt | "Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking" | * "Out of the Cradle" | Rush | Vapor Trails | 2002 | Atlantic |
| Wiesel, Elie | Night | "Peel This Away" | Gaskit | Songs Inspired by Literature-Chapter Two | 2003 | CD Baby |
| Wilder, Thornton | Our Town | "The Cloud Song" | Jess Klein | Draw Them Near | 2000 | Slow River |
| Wilder, Thornton | Our Town | "Two Step" | Dave Matthews Band | Crash | 1996 | RCA |
| Wilder, Thornton | Our Town | "My Hometown" | Bruce Springsteen | Born In The USA | 1984 | Columbia |
| Wilder, Thornton | Our Town | "Small Town" | John Mellencamp | Scarecrow | 1985 | Mercury |
| Wilder, Thornton | Our Town | "Who Says You Can't Go Home?" | Bon Jovi | Have A Nice Day | 2005 | Island |
| Woolf, Virginia | The Letters of Virginia Woolf | * "Virginia Woolf" | Indigo Girls | Rites of Passage | 1992 | Sony |
| Wordsworth, William | "I Wander Lonely as a Cloud" | "Where I Go" | Natalie Merchant | Tigerlily | 1995 | Elektra |
| Wordsworth, William | "Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tinturn Abbey" | “Houses in the Fields” | John Gorka | Jack's Crows | 1991 | Highstreet |
| Wordsworth, William | "Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tinturn Abbey" | “Little Boxes” | Pete Seeger | Little Boxes and Other Broadsides | 1965 | Verve/Folkways |
| Wordsworth, William | "Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tinturn Abbey" | “My Hometown” | Bruce Springsteen | Born in the U.S.A. | 1984 | Sony |
| Wordsworth, William | "Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tinturn Abbey" | “My Little Town” | Paul Simon | Still Crazy After All These Years | 1975 | Warner Brothers |
| Wordsworth, William | "Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tinturn Abbey" | “Rain on the Scarecrow” | John Mellancamp | Scarecrow | 1985 | Mercury/Universal |
| Wordsworth, William | "Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tinturn Abbey" | “Trouble in the Fields” | Nanci Griffith | Lone Star State of Mind | 1987 | MCA Nashville |
| Wordsworth, William | "The World is Too Much With Us" | "Out Here in the Middle" | Robert Earl Keen | Farm Fresh Onions | 2003 | Koch |
| Wordsworth, William | "The World is Too Much With Us" | "The Whole World's Gone Crazy" | Brandon Jenkins | Down in Flames | 2004 | Western Soul |
| Wright, Richard | Black Boy | "Papa was a Rolling Stone" | The Temptations | Emperors of Soul | 1994 | Motown |
| Wright, Richard | Native Son | "Papa was a Rolling Stone" | The Temptations | Emperors of Soul | 1994 | Motown |
| Wright, Richard | Native Son | “Fight the Power” | Public Enemy | Fear of a Black Planet | 1990 | Def Jam |
| Wright, Richard | Native Son | “Folsom Prison Blues” | Johnny Cash | Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar | 1957 | Varese |
| Wright, Richard | Native Son | “Hurricane” | Bob Dylan | Desire | 1976 | Sony |
| Wright, Richard | Native Son | “One” | Creed | My Own Prison | 1997 | Wind-Up |
| Yeats, W.B. | "He Wishes for the Clothes of Heaven" | *"Tread Softly" | Eileen Laverty | Songs Inspired by Literature-Chapter Two | 2003 | CD Baby |
| Yeats, William Butler | "No Second Troy" | * "Try" | Sinead O'Conner | The Lion and the Cobra | 1987 | Capitol |
| Yeats, William Butler | "The Second Coming" | * “Slouching towards Bethlehem” | Joni Mitchell | Night Ride Home | 1991 | Geffen |
| Yeats, William Butler | “Before the World Was Made” | * “Mofo" | U2 | Pop | 1997 | Island |
| Zindel, Paul | The Effects of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds | "The Cloud Song" | Jess Klein | Draw Them Near | 2000 | Slow River |
| Beowulf | * “Grendel" | Marillion | Script for a Jester's Tear | 1983 | Never | |
| Beowulf | “Cortez the Killer” | Neil Young | Zuma | 1975 | Warner Brothers | |
| Beowulf | “Given to Fly” | Pearl Jam | Yield | 1998 | Sony | |
| Beowulf | “Superman” | R.E.M. | Lifes Rich Pageant | 1986 | Capitol | |
| Beowulf | “Wild Wild West” | Will Smith | Willennium | 1999 | Sony | |
| Beowulf | "Superman's Song" | Crashtest dummies | The Ghosts that Haunts Me | 1991 | Arista | |
| Beowulf | "Tipsy" | J-Kwon | Hood Hop | 2004 | So So Deaf | |
| Beowulf | "Hero" | Mariah Carey | Music Box | 1993 | Columbia | |
| Beowulf | "If I Was Santa Claus" | Atmosphere | The Lucy Ford: The Atmosphere EP's | 2000 | Rhymesayers Entertainment | |