The Ballad of Reading Gaol

In Reading gaol by Reading town

There is a pit of shame,

And in it lies a wretched man

Eaten by teeth of flame,

In a burning winding-sheet he lies,

And his grave has got no name.

And there, till Christ call forth the dead,

In silence let him lie:

No need to waste the foolish tear,

Or heave the windy sigh:

The man had killed the thing he loved,

And so he had to die.

Music by Johann Sebastian Bach played by Lara St. John (violin).

© 2024 Voices (Audiobook): 9798882384936

Release date

Audiobook: 1 June 2024