Inspired by reports of a ghost of a man roaming the stairs of a haunted house, in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada,[1] the poem was originally part of a play called The Psyco-ed, which William Hughes Mearns had written for an English class at Harvard University, circa 1899.
In 1939 "Antigonish" was adapted as a popular song titled "The Little Man Who Wasn't There", by Harold Adamson with music by Bernie Hanighen, both of whom received the songwriting credits.
[citation needed] Industrial metal band Psyclon Nine used the poem in their song The Unfortunate from their 2005 album INRI.
[citation needed] In 2016, The Odd Chap released an electro swing version using samples from the Glenn Miller Band recording.
[citation needed] In 2018, the experimental industrial group The Reptile Skins released an EP entitled Antigonish with the two lead singers having a different interpretation of the poem.[when?