Ballad of Reading Gaol

[The imposter]

Sorting through some old videos the other day and came across a clip of this at the end of some film or other..

A song that nobody mentions and oddly there is no mention on the wiki.

The song appears to have been professionally recorded and features Oscar Wilde's words to the melody of Raglan Road. Unfortunately I have only 30 seconds on VHS tape. Anybody know more about this?

[migdd]

Um . . . need more info. What video? There a line in "How To Be Dumb" where EC states that "they emptied out all the gaols" (middle English for "jails"). That's the only time I can recall that word mentioned in an EC song.

Am I barking up the wrong tree?

[And No Coffee Table]

http://www.elviscostello.info/disc/disc3.php

Dear Sarah - In this Irish film from 1990 EC sings 2 verses from Oscar Wilde's poem "Ballad Of Reading Gaol". The song is set to the tune of "Raglan Road" and the music is credited as being composed, arranged and directed by Fiachra Trench. The song fades out after 2 minutes.

[The imposter]

Am I barking up the wrong tree?

Yes!

Dear Sarah - In this Irish film from 1990 EC sings 2 verses from Oscar Wilde's poem "Ballad Of Reading Gaol". The song is set to the tune of "Raglan Road" and the music is credited as being composed, arranged and directed by Fiachra Trench. The song fades out after 2 minutes.

and that's about all I know about it too. Strange there is no trace of this. As I said it's a good recording

[migdd]

Woof.

[Otis Westinghouse]

Would love to hear that, great poem set to a great tune.

Yet each man kills the thing he loves
By each let this be heard,
Some do it with a bitter look,
Some with a flattering word,
The coward does it with a kiss,
The brave man with a sword!

I can't read those words without thinking of it sung French cabaret style by Jeanne Moreau in Fassbinder's great 1982 film Querelle: