Best lyricist?

In My Humble Opinion
81

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.

82

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.

83

Robyn Hitchcock

Tom Marshall (lyricist for Phish)

84

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

85

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”))

86

Here we go:
Blixa( from EN)
Martin Gore( depeche mode)
Ogre( from Skinny Puppy)
Ronan(from VnV nation)
Pet Shop Boys…hehe yay!

87

Ties between the following:

Maynard James Keenen (Tool)
Robert Smith(The Cure)
Martin Gore(Depeche Mode)
Tori Amos
All are absolutely wonderful!

88

I’m going to second Morrissey, Robert Smith, and Black Francis. And I’ll add Bowie.

89

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

90

Gershwin, Porter, Sondheim.

91

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.

92

“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.