errr I mean Rickie
Townes van Zandt.
Hahaha, what?
I second the hell out of this. He belongs on any Best Lyricist list.
I’ve seen Jay Farrar was mentioned, and I like him, but I think Jeff Tweedy is better. In fact, I’d put Jeff Tweedy high up on the list with Bob Dylan, Lennon/McCartney, and Paul Simon.
From the abstract of I Am Trying to Break Your Heart
and She’s a Jar
To the more concrete expressions of love and loss like I’ll Fight
Elvis Costello, Dylan, and Townes Van Zandt.
But let us not forget John Prine:
**I been brought down to zero, pulled out and put back there.
I sat on a park bench, kissed the girl with the black hair
and my head shouted down to my heart
“You better look out below.”
Hey, it ain’t such a long drop don’t stammer don’t stutter
from the diamonds in the sidewalk to the dirt in the gutter
and you carry those bruises
to remind you wherever you go.**
Also…
Grampa’s on the front lawn staring at a rake
Wondering if his marriage was a terrible mistake
For consistency, Don Walker, Paul Kelly and John Darnielle in that order, although there are a number of songs whose lyrics blow each of the best of those three out of the water.
Tim Rogers is erratic, but brilliant when he’s on form and very underrated.
Laugh all you want - Ani DiFranco writes subtle, thought-provoking and moving lyrics that tell a story, which is what I look for in a lyricist. Check out Lost Woman Song:
I opened a bank account when I was nine years old
I closed it when I was eighteen
I gave them every penny that I’d saved
And they gave my blood
And my urine
A number
Now I am sitting in this waiting room
Playing with the toys
I am here to exercise
My freedom of choice.
And then later in the same song:
Under the fierce fluorescent
She offered her hand for me to hold
She offered stability and calm
And I was crushing her palm
Through the pinch pull wincing
My smile unconvincing
On that sterile battlefield that sees
Only casualties
Never heros
My heart hit absolute zero.
I’ll put that up against anything Bob Dylan ever wrote any day.
Maynard James Keenan of Tool belongs on this list.
From 10,000 Days (Wings, pt.2):
I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree but I am perplexed by the implication that Bob Dylan doesn’t write songs “that tell a story”…let alone songs that are “thought provoking” and “subtle.”
I need read no further. 
Matthew Good, formerly of the Matthew Good Band
Richey Edwards, formerly of the Manic Street Preachers
(just going to link to the lyrics in their entirety - NSFW)
Good catch!
Neil Finn of Split Enz, Crowded House, Finn Brothers, and, of course, his own solo career.
Dar Williams. No other songwriter can as consistently move me to tears or joy. Her music is really remarkable. If you’re interested, check out “February” on YouTube.