A Playlist for Classics Nerds
Metamorphoses and De Bello Gallico in Music Formby Izabella Piatkowski B‘29 published on November 15th, 2025
Metamorphoses and De Bello Gallico in Music Formby Izabella Piatkowski B‘29 published on November 15th, 2025
At the end of my junior year of high school, my Latin teacher tasked everyone in my class with creating a playlist. This was a welcome change from his previous assignment, creating a comic book version of the Aeneid, because I repeatedly turned in drawings with misshapen boats, and my teacher refused to forgive my lack of artistic abilities.
The playlist was to be made up of songs relating to the poetry and prose we had been (barely succeeding at) translating. It was only five songs, but I took this as an opportunity to do extensive research anyway (listen to music for hours as “homework”) to find ones that fit. While the final product wasn’t perfect, it was a lot of fun! Without further ado, here it is:
The playlist was to be made up of songs relating to the poetry and prose we had been (barely succeeding at) translating. It was only five songs, but I took this as an opportunity to do extensive research anyway (listen to music for hours as “homework”) to find ones that fit. While the final product wasn’t perfect, it was a lot of fun! Without further ado, here it is:
“Liquid Smooth” by Mitski: Ovid’s “Apollo & Daphne”
One of my favorite stories from Ovid’s Metamorphoses is “Apollo and Daphne.” In the story, after Apollo insults him, Cupid shoots Apollo with an arrow that creates love, and Daphne, a nymph and daughter of a river god, with an arrow that repels love. Apollo falls hopelessly for Daphne, and Daphne runs from him, ultimately transforming into a tree to avoid being forced to accept anything other than eternal maidenhood. The story is undeniably tragic, but it is full of gorgeous imagery, making it one of the most beautiful stories I have ever read in Latin.
This song, one of Mitski’s most haunting, is about the duality of beauty. She dares the listener to “come touch me too” among descriptions of her youthfulness, revealing how beauty is a curse just as it is a blessing. Apollo and Daphne is full of descriptions of Daphne’s beauty, and just as Mitski sings, “I’m at my highest peak, I’m ripe / About to fall, capture me,” Daphne’s beauty is ultimately her downfall, through absolutely no fault of her own.
“Stupid for You” by Waterparks: Ovid’s “Apollo & Daphne”
Double Dare (2016) by Waterparks. Source: Soundcloud
“Which Witch” by Florence + The Machine: Ovid’s “Philomela & Procne”
How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful (2015) by Florence + The Machine. Source: Wikipedia
Philomela and Procne’s story, another story from Metamorphoses, is disturbing and vengeful. After Procne’s husband, Tereus, brutally assaults her sister Philomela and cuts out her tongue, Philomela weaves what happened into a tapestry, prompting Procne to take revenge on him.
“Which Witch” takes inspiration from witch trials, the result of misogynistic views and attempts to disempower women. The song itself sounds like an anthem of rebellion, one about empowering a woman who has suffered. The repeated line “I’m not beaten by this yet” stands out among its lyrics, drawing parallels to Philomela and Procne’s refusal to stay quiet and determination to achieve justice despite the terrible actions of the men in their lives. This is furthered by lines like “Who’s a heretic now? / Am I making sense? / How can you make it stick?”, lyrics that directly challenge the listener like the sisters may have challenged Tereus.
“I Will Follow You Into The Dark” by Miya Folick: Ovid’s “Baucis and Philemon”
I Will Follow You Into The Dark (2019) by Miya Folick. Source: Spotify
Another story from Metamorphoses, “Baucis and Philemon,” follows an old married couple who are the only people to let Zeus and Hermes, disguised as two travelers, into their home. The gods flood the entire town, leaving only Baucis and Philemon alive. The gods offer to grant the couple a wish, and they wish to die at the same time so they don’t have to live without each other. The gods grant it, transforming them into a pair of intertwined trees upon their deaths.
Baucis and Philemon’s love for each other until the very end is so pure, and this beautiful song, a cover of the Death Cab for Cutie song, matches their story completely. The first verse, in particular, seems like it was written for them: “Love of mine, someday you will die / But I’ll be close behind, I’ll follow you into the dark / No blinding light or tunnels to gates of white / Just our hands clasped so tight, waiting for the hint of a spark.”
“Beautiful Crime” by Tamer: Caesar’s De Bello Gallico
Beautiful Crime (2015) by Tamer. Source: Spotify
De Bello Gallico follows Caesar’s first-hand account of the nine years he spent fighting the Celtic and Germanic people in Gaul. I can’t say this is my favorite piece of Latin literature, but it’s fascinating to read something written by Caesar, who often seems like a fictionalized character in history to me.
“Beautiful Crime” is an ominous song. It uses war as a metaphor for love, and its lyrics can easily be applied to the conflict in de Bello Gallico, where the fighting seems almost endless. The song also provides a much-needed human perspective to the war, something that contrasts with Caesar's detached reporting of conflict after conflict. Through lyrics like “We can’t look back for nothin’ / Take what you need, say your goodbyes” and “We fight every night for something / When the sun sets, we’re both the same,” the song encourages the listener to imagine Ceasar’s words beyond a report and as a more multifaceted story, making for a more entertaining tale.
Ultimately, creating a playlist for my Latin class was a really fun assignment, and I didn’t struggle as much as I did with the Aeneid comic. It was interesting to see the ways my classmates’ music tastes influenced their choices for their playlists. One of them, for example, created a playlist entirely made up of Tyler, The Creator songs, and another was almost entirely Katy Perry.
These stories, especially the Metamorphoses ones, are definitely worth a read if you have the free time! If you want to listen to the playlist, here’s a link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1yo4I18BJv8jeXlNtE0Iwt?si=zuMaXUZHQKWD8_xyW55c5w&pi=FRdOSM2WRNql1
I debated putting this song in the playlist because it seems a little lighthearted for such a dark story. However, within the context of the curse of the love arrow, the song can be seen as the magical stupor over Apollo. The song is so disgustingly lovesick (and catchy) that it fits perfectly for the deluded state of mind Apollo is in. Along these lines, the song doesn’t take itself too seriously, with lyrics like “You know I’m stupid for you / Hey, can you come-and-come out and play?”
“Which Witch” by Florence + The Machine: Ovid’s “Philomela & Procne”
Philomela and Procne’s story, another story from Metamorphoses, is disturbing and vengeful. After Procne’s husband, Tereus, brutally assaults her sister Philomela and cuts out her tongue, Philomela weaves what happened into a tapestry, prompting Procne to take revenge on him.
“Which Witch” takes inspiration from witch trials, the result of misogynistic views and attempts to disempower women. The song itself sounds like an anthem of rebellion, one about empowering a woman who has suffered. The repeated line “I’m not beaten by this yet” stands out among its lyrics, drawing parallels to Philomela and Procne’s refusal to stay quiet and determination to achieve justice despite the terrible actions of the men in their lives. This is furthered by lines like “Who’s a heretic now? / Am I making sense? / How can you make it stick?”, lyrics that directly challenge the listener like the sisters may have challenged Tereus.
“I Will Follow You Into The Dark” by Miya Folick: Ovid’s “Baucis and Philemon”
Another story from Metamorphoses, “Baucis and Philemon,” follows an old married couple who are the only people to let Zeus and Hermes, disguised as two travelers, into their home. The gods flood the entire town, leaving only Baucis and Philemon alive. The gods offer to grant the couple a wish, and they wish to die at the same time so they don’t have to live without each other. The gods grant it, transforming them into a pair of intertwined trees upon their deaths.
Baucis and Philemon’s love for each other until the very end is so pure, and this beautiful song, a cover of the Death Cab for Cutie song, matches their story completely. The first verse, in particular, seems like it was written for them: “Love of mine, someday you will die / But I’ll be close behind, I’ll follow you into the dark / No blinding light or tunnels to gates of white / Just our hands clasped so tight, waiting for the hint of a spark.”
“Beautiful Crime” by Tamer: Caesar’s De Bello Gallico
De Bello Gallico follows Caesar’s first-hand account of the nine years he spent fighting the Celtic and Germanic people in Gaul. I can’t say this is my favorite piece of Latin literature, but it’s fascinating to read something written by Caesar, who often seems like a fictionalized character in history to me.
“Beautiful Crime” is an ominous song. It uses war as a metaphor for love, and its lyrics can easily be applied to the conflict in de Bello Gallico, where the fighting seems almost endless. The song also provides a much-needed human perspective to the war, something that contrasts with Caesar's detached reporting of conflict after conflict. Through lyrics like “We can’t look back for nothin’ / Take what you need, say your goodbyes” and “We fight every night for something / When the sun sets, we’re both the same,” the song encourages the listener to imagine Ceasar’s words beyond a report and as a more multifaceted story, making for a more entertaining tale.
Ultimately, creating a playlist for my Latin class was a really fun assignment, and I didn’t struggle as much as I did with the Aeneid comic. It was interesting to see the ways my classmates’ music tastes influenced their choices for their playlists. One of them, for example, created a playlist entirely made up of Tyler, The Creator songs, and another was almost entirely Katy Perry.
These stories, especially the Metamorphoses ones, are definitely worth a read if you have the free time! If you want to listen to the playlist, here’s a link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1yo4I18BJv8jeXlNtE0Iwt?si=zuMaXUZHQKWD8_xyW55c5w&pi=FRdOSM2WRNql1