This chapter examines the use of works of literature by progressive rock artists when writing lyrics for their songs. As the chapter discusses, just as the music of progressive rock artists used classical and jazz influences to create distinction from other genres of rock and pop, literature also became an important resource in progressive rock lyric writing, which frequently took on a more erudite and abstract quality than song lyrics associated with other genres. It is argued in the chapter that progressive rock artists drew on works of literature as a lyric-writing resource in two main ways. In the first, literature was used as an inspiration for the creation of themes and imagery in lyrics that related to but did not directly re-tell in song form the stories on which they were based. In the second approach, a more literal re-telling of a story is evident, with the theme of literary work being set to music as a means of animating it for the audience.