# Best lyricist? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 15, 2000, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-lyricist/25658 "2000-07-15T09:59:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2000, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-lyricist/25658/81 "2000-07-19T07:19:24Z")
Kawliga: Nicely done, sir! Nicely done. Since you got the hard one right off the bat, I’ll toss in the easy one and go slink off in a corner in awe of you skills. The answer is that both songs were co-written by men who would achieve high political office. 1. You got Dawes. He wrote the tune; Carl Sigman added the words decades later in 1951. 2. "Will You Love Me in December… " was co-written by James (Jimmy) J. Walker who wrote the lyrics. Walker would abandon songwriting, enter politics, and get elected mayor of NYC (1925). He presided over a scandalously corrupt administration, resigned from office in disgrace and – following the tradition of other fallen NYC pols – promptly left for Europe. ---
**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2000, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-lyricist/25658/82 "2000-07-19T07:30:06Z")
Just for the record, Ernest R. Ball wrote the music to “Will You Love Me in December…” I neglected to include that in the above post. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Ishi\_Pishi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a9adbd/32.png) [@Ishi\_Pishi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ishi_Pishi)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2000, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-lyricist/25658/83 "2000-07-19T16:08:07Z")
Robyn Hitchcock Tom Marshall (lyricist for Phish) ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2000, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-lyricist/25658/84 "2000-07-19T17:24:29Z")
**Robert Hunter** **Johnny Mercer** (Autumn Leaves gets me every time) **Peter Gabriel** (Suppers Ready, and the entire Lamb Lies Down… blows me away, along with every other Genesis piece from that time period) **Billy Joel** (even though I absolutely despise his music, I think he has a way with words, e.g.The Entertainer) **Tower of Power** (don’t know any other song except “What is Hip” but love the lyrics) **Pete Seeger** ---
**Author:** ![MadPoet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8c91f0/32.png) [@MadPoet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadPoet)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2000, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-lyricist/25658/85 "2000-07-19T22:05:40Z")
Ones that popped into my mind were Morrissey James Hetfield Mark Knopfler (see “Romeo and Juliet” from Making Movies (coincidently this is the song that Douglas Adams refers to in “So Long and Thanks For All the Fish”)) ---
**Author:** ![HalberMensch242](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecb155/32.png) [@HalberMensch242](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HalberMensch242)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2000, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-lyricist/25658/86 "2000-09-29T23:11:07Z")
Here we go: Blixa( from EN) Martin Gore( depeche mode) Ogre( from Skinny Puppy) Ronan(from VnV nation) Pet Shop Boys…hehe yay! ---
**Author:** ![DigitalMuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecccb3/32.png) [@DigitalMuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalMuse)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2000, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-lyricist/25658/87 "2000-09-30T01:21:35Z")
Ties between the following: Maynard James Keenen (Tool) Robert Smith(The Cure) Martin Gore(Depeche Mode) Tori Amos All are absolutely wonderful! ---
**Author:** ![Renton\_lvr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7feea3/32.png) [@Renton\_lvr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renton_lvr)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2000, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-lyricist/25658/88 "2000-09-30T03:23:38Z")
I’m going to second Morrissey, Robert Smith, and Black Francis. And I’ll add Bowie. ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2000, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-lyricist/25658/89 "2000-09-30T03:32:40Z")
When I’m feeling sad, romantic, or philosophical, I listen to my favorite Garth Brooks ballads, penned by… **Tony Arata** When I’m feeling bitter, angry, or vaguely pessimistic, I turn on my 3 Doors Down album, with every song written by lead singer… **Brad Arnold** Almost anytime, no matter how I fell, I enjoy listening to the Wallflowers and the work of… **Jakob Dylan** ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2000, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-lyricist/25658/90 "2000-09-30T19:02:32Z")
Gershwin, Porter, Sondheim. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2000, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-lyricist/25658/91 "2000-09-30T23:46:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Anti Pro \* > \*\* Jim Croce \*\* ‘I Got A Name’, He didn’t write this song, a C Fox and N Gimbel did, still a good choice though. And boy could he tell some stories. My favorite would have to be Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead. and since the OP said one that’s all I’m goona write. ---
**Author:** ![IBBen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/85f322/32.png) [@IBBen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IBBen)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2000, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-lyricist/25658/92 "2000-10-01T00:30:25Z")
“Cast your dancing spell my way, I promise to go under it”, Bob Dylan. “One Summer evening drunk to Hell I sat there nearly lifeless.” Shane MacGowan, the Pogues. “I hear the drizzle of the rain, like a memory it falls. Soft and warm, continuing tapping on my roof and walls”, Paul Simon. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-lyricist/25658.md?page=4)