David Byrne and Tom Waits were the first two to come to mind. I’m a big Neil Young fan also. I keep meaning to check out Costello but I haven’t gotten around to it.
Daniel Hutchens from the band Bloodkin. Range of song lyrics, but always a southern underbelly. Here’s a link to their songs/lyrics.
He has hundreds of great lyrics, but here are a couple lyrics below
[describes his mother]
or
[life in general]
or
[waiting on God to talk to him]
Thirded.
Costello and Leonard Cohen. With a tip o’ the hat to Tom Waits and Joni Mitchell.
All the names everyone brought up here are great. Anyone who remembers me knows Bob Dylan is my favoritest ever, so of course I think he’s the tops, mainly if you’re into creative imagery and not much plot.
Among those not yet mentioned, I believe Rhett Miller does most of the lyrics writing for the Old 97s, and I’d have to say he deserves a big shout out.
On school days in “Friends Forever”:
From “Won’t Be Home No More”
I just like that image of a bottlecap, because if you hold it in your fingers people always say you’re this close to pushing me too far and, yeah, a bottlecap fits in there.
Colin Meloy also does a fine job for The Decemberists, but his stuff is just so f**king grim.
Ditto Elvis Costello and Leonard Cohen.
I nominate Richard Thompson and Robbie Fulks.
Good choice!
Billy Joel. If he had concentrated on Broadway shows, he would have blown Stephen Sondheim out of the water.
Others not mentioned so far: Keith Reid (of Procol Harum), Lyle Lovett.
Sam Beam of Iron and Wine writes some good stuff. A lot of it is more imagery than narrative, but I think it’s just great.
This one is mostly southern gothic imagery, it’s a good drivin’ down a long dirt road song.
Woman King, Full Lyrics, YouTube clip
This one is a bit more narrative-ish.
Upward Over the Mountain, Full lyrics, YouTube clip
Fourthed. He and Elvis Costello were the first two that sprang to mind. Morrissey’s a good pick, as well. I always found Dylan overrated. Lou Reed’s done some great work, as well.
holy smokes that was funny
Stephin Merritt is pretty good.
this is a pretty lax definition of “modern” isn’t it? i would be hard pressed to list any lyricists that aren’t “modern”.
+1 on the iron&wine lyrics. the Boss may have endearing lyrics, but i’m not sure if he’s epically great. mellencamp’s a better songwriter.
I’d probably vote for Dylan, with much love for Gordon Lightfoot, and, of course, the late Ronnie Van Zant.
I am going to go with Bjork.
Yes, yes, yes, yes, …and Patty Griffin.
I think Adam Schlesinger (of Fountains of Wayne) deserves a mention. Besides writing or co-writing many of FOW’s songs, he’s done notable work for movies (That Thing You Do, Music and Lyrics), TV (A Colbert Christmas), and theater (John Waters’ Cry Baby ).
I have to agree with most of the people in this thread.
I have to add three.
Warren Zevon,
Kevin Gilbert,
Frank Zappa.
Ahem.
Warren Zevon and John Prine.
Any list that doesn’t have both of them in the top 10 isn’t worth the photons needed to display it.
I’ve gotta agree with Hunter Thompson that “Mr. Tambourine Man” has the best lyrics of any song I’ve ever heard. And Bob Dylan isn’t on my 10 albums to bring to a desert island. Head and shoulders best lyrics ever. I am very fond of the lyrics of all MPB’s pick’s, except Paul Simon, whom I only like. I agree with Paul about his own lyrics from the old days: embarrassingly pretentious when looked back on and could only be loved by a teenager.