Awright… well I like Ozzy Osbourne’s lyrics.
Yes, I know he ain’t no Bob Dylan.
Also…Chuck D of Public Enenmy fame. The early stuff especially. Even when the lyrics aren’t that inspired, they just sound phenomenal coming from this guy.
He could read a grocery list and I’d be like- YEAH ! Damn STRAIGHT! TOILET PAPER AND SKIM MILK, ALRIGHT!
Couldn’t agree more with those who said Leonard Cohen - I always feel like I’ve just read a novel after listening to his songs (best ones: ‘Teachers’ and ‘Dress Rehearsal Rag’. Simon Bonney is quite great, but nobody’s heard of him. Lou Reed’s written some of the best AND some of the worst. Nick Cave has some great lyrics, as does his old bandmate Rowland S. Howard. Johnny Cash often reduces me to tears with his words, but then, he could sing the phone book and I’d listen, so I’m not sure if it’s the lyrics. Blixa Bargeld (of Einsturzende Neubauten) seems quite amazing, but he mainly writes in German, so I’m only going by the translations. And finally, my buddy Sal Douglas is a great lyricist in the folk/country field, and hopefully the world will get to hear her one day.
HenrySpencer.
Oh, Cole Porter. It’s a Cole Porter kinda day for me.
“Your fetching physique is hardly unique,
You’re mentally not so hot;
You’ll never win laurels because of your morals,
But I’ll tell you what you’ve got:”
– from You’ve Got that Thing.
“You’re a boon,
You’re the dam at Boulder,
You’re the moon…over Mae West’s shoulder.
I’m a nominee of the G.O.P
or GOP,
But if, Baby, I’m the bottom,
You’re the top!”
– You’re the Top
“By the old sea-side.
For when once we get the proper settin’
We begin a-pettin’ and go on a-pettin’
Till we end by gettin’ such an awful wettin’
…from the tide.”
– from Me and Marie
I’m gonna go off the board and pick Morrisey here, with Elvis Costello running a close second.
Morrisey’s lyrics range from poignant to hilarious, but they are almost all brilliantly crafted. Some of his best: “Girlfriend in a Coma” (Hilarious little tongue-in-cheek number.) “Take Me Out Tonight” (Longing encapsulated.) “Please,Please, Please”.
Elvis Costello’s lyrics have similar depth and range. Some gems: “Shipbuilding” (subtle protest of the Falklands War), “Almost Blue” (achingly beautiful song of lost love), “Alison” (E’s pop masterpiece).
Other lyricists of note:
Dylan
Michael Stipe
Springsteen
Steve Earle
Lennon
Waylon Jennings (Give “Dreaming My Dreams” a listen. It was covered by The Cowboy Junkies.)
Hank Williams
Paul Simon
David Bowie
Kris Kristofferson (sp?) Too bad he can’t sing.
Natalie Merchant
Stevie Nicks
Tori Amos
SHANE MacGOWAN!!! (The Pogues)!!**
Can’t believe I forgot this guy. He is number 1 in my book, by a pretty wide margin. Forget what I said before.
Others:
Eddie Vedder
John Prine
Merle Haggard
Roy Orbison
Guy Picciotto
Liz Phair
Frank Black
PJ Harvey
Best lyricists–
Stephen Sondheim-- clearly the King
Billy Joel was pretty good
Freddie Mercury
(I’ll get flamed for this… I know I seem biased, I always bring these guys up)
James Hetfield I think has gotten to be really good. (Didn’t used to be, but newer stuff is a lot better)
Roger Waters
Elvis Costello, I’ve never seen rhyme and scansion that rivaled his ability.
John Lennon, but only when he wasn’t caught up in his own pretentious mind-trip.
Tom Waits, he writes some of the best nonsense lyrics.
Me, what can I say? I rock.
Now, as for worst lyricist, I would have to go with either Ringo Starr or whoever wrote that song “Wild Thing”.
John Prine - The man can paint a mental picture, using a bigger pallet of colors, than anyone else I’ve heard.
Jimmy Buffett - Believe it or not. On the surface it comes across as silly and superficial, but there is real depth in his writing
A tad more obscure than most of these (largely because the band won’t tour) is my personal favorite, Andy Partridge of XTC. Putting out brilliantly crafted POP songs with witty, intelligent lyrics that put most others to shame for more than twenty years.
I also want to put a vote in for Mr. Gilbert. Early exposure to Gilbert and Sullivan molded my view of the world more than just about anything else. I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. (And “Topsy-Turvy” was fantastic.)
John Wesley Harding is another favorite, though he may be even more obscure than Andy Partridge.
I’ll back you up on that one. The Devil in Me is amazing, and you should try to track down a copy of When the Beatles Hit America. And while we’re quoting lyrics,
I’m like a talking head with the sound turned down,
or Pavlov’s dog when he wasn’t around.
I’m just a little bit lost so I’m heading downtown
to be Cathy’s new clown.
“Einstein reminds me of my dog-I want to pat his fluffy head” – Jane Siberry
Yie. Seems I forgot Frank Black.
Frank Black kicks some serious butt.
Don’t forget the “Man in Black”
Johnny Cash.
** John Lennon ** even at his worst, he kicks most of those mentioned so far out of the ring of contention.
** Jackson Browne ** His thoughtful social conscious lyrics are a soundtrack to the 70’s.
** Bernie Taupin, ** could be here just for ‘RocketMan’ if he hadn’t done anything else, but of course, he did a great deal more.
** Billy Joel ** Consistency, timing and depth is what separates most of his songs from the more superficial songwriters mentioned.
** Paul Simon ** His ability to write songs ranging from soft pop to ballads to real rock is astounding when you consider his consistency from the 60’s to the 80’s.
** Harry Chapin ** He deserves to be here just for ‘Cat’s in the Cradle’ and ‘Taxi’.
** Jim Croce ** it is a shame that what he’ll be remembered for are really his two worst songs, ‘Bad Bad Leroy Brown’ and ‘Don’t Mess Around with Jim’. As opposed to the treasures of ‘Time in A Bottle’, ‘I Got A Name’, and ‘Photographs and Memories’.
** Bob Dylan **He was the first real voice of a generation. His lyrics dealt with politics and teenage angst. I don’t care what anybody says, the 70’s still saw Dylan at the top of his game.
** Becker & Fagen **They have the quirkiest lyrics of any group ever. They had no bad albums.
** Van Morrison ** ‘Brown Eyed Girl’, ‘Domino’, and ‘Wonderful Remark’ show his classic style.
** Jakob Dylan ** while still new at the game, shows the same kind of depth, and understanding that his dad did.
** Ed Roland of ‘Collective Soul’ ** also new, but showing such promise that he deserves to be here too.
** Dave Matthews ** His catchy lyrics fit perfect in this band’s eclectic style. Their touring pace is reminiscent of the Grateful Dead. But, the Dave Matthews Band produces more and better quality studio albums than the Dead could have ever hoped to do.
** Johnny Rzenick of the Goo Goo Dolls, ** but only the stuff he wrote and sings, NOT Robby, while it’s nice and generous of Johnny to stay with Robby, Lord only knows why. He’s nice, but the poor kid just CAN’T sing his way out of a paper bag.
Okay, that’s all I can think of for right now. 
Surprised to see Tim Rice has’nt been mentioned yet or Marty Robbins, glad to see Warren Zevon mentioned a few times, “Don’t the sun look angry through the trees” what an incredible lyric.
My favorite is Freddie Mercury, he wrote some very beautiful lyrics,(some of which bring me to the edge of tears) not to mention the way he sang them. There can be only one!
It is Little Richard folks. Here is a sample: “Tutti frutti, good booty.” Is there anything else you have to know about physical attraction? He masterfully summed it up to these four words. Who else in history can do that? Unfortunately, the White record companies forced him to change a lot of his lyrics, including the above line, so you never heard it sung. Oh well.
What say we break up the monotony of these lists with a little trivia Q?
What famous lyricist was also the man who conceived of the trademark roaring lion as an icon for MGM Motion Picture Studios?
Hint: he has not been mentioned yet.
More songwriter trivia Q’s:
WARNING: Search engines are not allowed! You either know it or you don’t. Now play fair.
Here’s the question: What unusual trait do these two songs share:
“(It’s) All in the Game (of Love)” – Tommy Edward’s recording reached #18 on the Billboard charts in the 1950’s; also recorded by Van Morrison, Elton John, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra and others.
“Will You Love Me in December as You Do in May?” – a Tin Pan Alley hit of 1905.
Good luck.
“It’s All In The Game” was written by Charles Dawes, who was later vice-president under Calvin Coolidge.
Did Dawes also write “Will You Love Me in December as You Do in May?”