Great. He’s a poet using his poetry as lyrics.
Hugely overrated. He would have produced no more than 20, maybe 21, albums worth owning and only 4 of those were recorded this century.
One of the greatest. He’s been writing great songs for over 50 years - some of his best work is from the last few years. Check Out Modern Times or Tempest, or some of the rarities on Tell Tale Signs - Red River Shore and 'Cross The Green Mountain are two of the best songs he, or anyone else, has ever written.
There are plenty of other great songwriters out there, but finding one with the same quality, quantity, variety and longevity would be difficult or impossible.
Wait, why wrong-headed? There was some poetic license taken in a few lines. (The length of it is all to the good.)
He was a great writer and not a great singer. His songs as done by others are often far greater than his own efforts.
I believe that Dylan will be studied a hundred years from now and regarded as the seminal poet of the twentieth century.
Someone upthread cited lyrics from “It’s All Right, Ma, I’m only bleeding”. Is it fair to say that Dylan invented Rap?
The opening of Dylan’s biography at allmusic.com sums it up beautifully:
I would say “Subterranean Homesick Blues” is a better example of a rap tune than “It’s Alright…”.
As a young teen, I had come across a book of Dylan’s lyrics left in our house by my uncle…I remember reading them to a friend over the phone, and us having a good laugh at their absurdity. It wasn’t until I was considerably older that I could appreciate the artistry, and Bob’s ability to evoke a mood with his stream-of-consciousness writing:
Einstein, disguised as Robin Hood
With his memories in a trunk
Passed this way an hour ago
With his friend, a jealous monk
He looked so immaculately frightful
As he bummed a cigarette
Then he went off sniffing drainpipes
And reciting the alphabet
You would not think to look at him
But he was famous long ago
For playing the electric violin
On Desolation Row.
Or, if he wanted, churn out love songs that reads like poetry:
If dogs run free, why not me
Across the swamp of time ?
My mind weaves a symphony
And tapestry of rhyme
Oh, winds which rush my tale to thee
So it may flow and be
To each his own, it’s all unknown
If dogs run free.
I had to throw out my preconceptions of quality to really appreciate him. As he wrote:
*Good and bad, I define these terms
Quite clear, no doubt, somehow
But I was so much older then
I’m younger than that now
*
At least Dylan understood irony.
A lot of us thought John Prine was going to out-Dylan Dylan, but alas, his first album was pretty much all there was. Damn, what a great album that was, though!!
Prine is what Dylan might have been if he’d gone to Nashville in the first place instead of detouring through New York:)
And while I’m a Prine fan from 'way back, I think Dylan’s music, in general, has a lot more depth to it. John Prine is, in his way, kind of a primitive artist…and I mean that in the best sense of the term. Except for the gravelly voice and laid-back delivery their music isn’t really as similar as they might seem at first glimpse.
I don’t think it’s entirely fair to characterize Prine as a one-hit (or one-album) wonder. The Missing Years and Lost Dogs & Mixed Blessings, are at least as good as John Prine.
Saw Prine live on his “Lost Dogs” tour, just before he was diagnosed with cancer, on a night when the whole band was “on” and think it was the most dynamic concert I’ve ever attended.
There are many great songwriters out there but really it boils down to Brian Wilson, McCartney-Lennon and Dylan.
And of those Dylan wins out due to sheer quantity. When was the last truly great McCartney song? What about Wilson? Dylan is has still shown greatness in the last 5-10 years.
I know precious little Dylan but what I do know is phenomenal.
I voted “great.” I don’t think that every lyric he wrote had deep meaning, nor did they need to in order to be great songs. Sometimes a cool rhyme that fits the music is enough. On the other hand, a great deal of his work is phenomenal. Blood on the Tracks is my favorite Dylan album. It’s chock full of great lyrics.
“She lit a burner on the stove and offered me a pipe
“I thought you’d never say hello” she said
“You look like the silent type”
Then she opened up a book of poems
And handed it to me
Written by an Italian poet
From the fifteenth century
And every one of them words rang true
And glowed like burning coal
Pouring off of every page
Like it was written in my soul from me to you
Tangled up in blue”
I think I agree with this sentiment, though there may be one or two names to add.
“I’ve suffered for my music, now it’s your turn.” 
Brian Wilson was a great songwriter but not a great lyricist. He didn’t even write the lyrics to many of his melodies. For the purposes of this thread, which is about great lyrics, he’s not even in contention.
Funnily enough, I even tend to like Dylan’s version of most of his songs better than any covers. Everyone goes on about how Hendrix’s All along the watchtower is definitive(appparently, even Dylan says it). Well, I like Dylan’s version better.
“Twenty years of schoolin’ and they put you on the day shift.”
Still cracks me up every time.
A description of what you get for your college time and money has never been put so succinctly.