# Who is the best lyric writing poet alive today? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 14, 2015, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-lyric-writing-poet-alive-today/731205 "2015-09-14T14:28:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Miss\_Woodhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@Miss\_Woodhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Woodhouse)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-lyric-writing-poet-alive-today/731205/22 "2015-09-16T04:34:57Z")
Sam Payne. You’ve probably never heard of him, but he’s good. I also love the poetry of David Wilcox and John Smith. I find for the best lyricist you have to look outside popular radio. Popular radio just doesn’t seem to support the more complex, meaningful lyrics. People just don’t listen well enough to appreciate them for the most part. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-lyric-writing-poet-alive-today/731205/23 "2015-09-16T06:19:54Z")
From the young set, I recommend Ed Sheeran: > [@](#): > > The A Team > By Ed Sheeran > > White lips, pale face > Breathing in snowflakes > Burnt lungs, sour taste > > Lights gone, days end > Struggling to pay rent > Long nights, strange men > > And they say > She’s in the class A team > Stuck in her daydream > Been this way since eighteen > But lately her face seems > Slowly sinking, wasting > Crumbling like pastries > > And they scream > The worst things in life come free to us > 'Cause we’re just under the upper hand > And go mad for a couple grams > And she don’t want to go outside, tonight > And in a pipe she flies to the motherland > Or sells love to another man > It’s too cold outside > For angels to fly, for angels to fly > > Ripped gloves, raincoat > Tried to swim and stay afloat > Dry house, wet clothes > > Loose change, bank notes > Weary-eyed, dry throat > Call girl, no phone > > And they say > She’s in the class A team > Stuck in her daydream > Been this way since eighteen > But lately her face seems > Slowly sinking, wasting > Crumbling like pastries > > And they scream > The worst things in life come free to us > 'Cause we’re just under the upper hand > And go mad for a couple grams > But she don’t want to go outside, tonight > And in a pipe she flies to the motherland > Or sells love to another man > Its too cold outside > For angels to fly > An angel will die > Covered in white > Closed eye > And hoping for a better life > This time, we’ll fade out tonight > Straight down the line > > And they say > She’s in the class A team > Stuck in her daydream > Been this way since eighteen > But lately her face seems > Slowly sinking, wasting > Crumbling like pastries > > They scream > The worst things in life come free to us > And we’re under the upper hand > And go mad for a couple grams > And we don’t want to go outside, tonight > And in the pipe fly to the motherland > Or sell love to another man > It’s too cold outside > For angels to fly, angels to fly > To fly, fly > For angels to fly, to fly, to fly > Angels to die ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-lyric-writing-poet-alive-today/731205/24 "2015-09-16T08:10:12Z")
Randy Newman should definitely be on this list, perhaps even right after Dylan and Cohen. No other lyricists can be as darkly ironic as him (see \*Sail Away, Rednecks, Political Science, God’s Song (That’s Why I Love Mankind), My Life is Good \*and many more), but he could also evoke genuine emotion when he wanted to (as in \*Louisiana, 1927 \*and _Dixie Flyer_). ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-lyric-writing-poet-alive-today/731205/25 "2015-09-16T12:51:13Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Ray Davies and Paul Simon. > [@tuesdayweld](#): > > I do not think Elvis Costello should be overlooked in this discussion. Those are the three names I was going to suggest, if you hadn’t beaten me to it. And a personal favorite, Terry Scott Taylor. Speaking of which, anyone who’s interested in songwriters or songwriting should check out the [songwriter interviews at songfacts.com](http://www.songfacts.com/blog/interviews/). What brought this to mind is that this thread reminded me of the interview there with Taylor in which he said > [@](#): > > **Songfacts:** Who are some of the songwriters that inspired you or continue to inspire you? > > **Terry:** Well, obviously, Dylan is one. Leonard Cohen is a real influence. Paul Simon. I love Paul Simon’s songwriting. Even apart from the musicality, the conversational way he writes and the word play, the fun of it, the mystery of it. It’s clever, but it’s not too clever that it’s self conscious or something. I’ve told young songwriters who’ve asked me the same question, who should I emulate? I say, “Paul Simon. Go get Graceland. Go listen to that record. Look at the lyrics, look what he’s doing there.” ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-lyric-writing-poet-alive-today/731205/26 "2015-09-16T12:54:52Z")
Of people not yet named in this thread, I’d throw in Paul Westerberg and the slightly overrated, but still great Bruce Springsteen. Van Morrison and John Fogerty sneak in around the edges. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-lyric-writing-poet-alive-today/731205/27 "2015-09-16T13:33:10Z")
> [@Octarine](#): > > For Cohen, I’d start with [“Famous Blue Raincoat”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fMnF0Fvdpo),[“Suzanne”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZX0CfFdk-jw), [“Hallelujah”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xR0DKOGco_o) (link is to the Rufus Wainwright version, my personal favorite), and [“Everybody Knows”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lin-a2lTelg). There’s certainly no shortage of Cohen songs that illustrate his poetic (as opposed to musical) genius. Still, any list of his songs having ‘the best’ lyrics _has_ to include ‘[The Stranger Song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjCvFNVzIrc)’ (link gives music and lyrics). ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-lyric-writing-poet-alive-today/731205/28 "2015-09-16T13:43:05Z")
Since both Bob & Bruce have been mentioned, I’ll throw in the other B-guy: Billy Joel. Definitely above him, though is Kris Kristopherson. And Kinky Friedman ---
**Author:** ![Rather\_a\_Vicious\_Gentleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/919ad9/32.png) [@Rather\_a\_Vicious\_Gentleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rather_a_Vicious_Gentleman)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-lyric-writing-poet-alive-today/731205/29 "2015-09-16T14:05:49Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > And Kinky Friedman Ahhhh, forgot all about them Texas Jewboys! Great comic westerns. Asshole from El Paso, Homo Erectus, Sold American, and Ride 'em Jewboy are terrific. ---
**Author:** ![Mixolydian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Mixolydian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mixolydian)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-lyric-writing-poet-alive-today/731205/30 "2015-09-16T14:13:08Z")
Throwing in a few more that haven’t been mentioned yet: Richard Thompson Jeff Tweedy Pete Townshend Allen Toussaint Jackson Browne ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-lyric-writing-poet-alive-today/731205/31 "2015-09-16T14:15:27Z")
> [@Rather\_a\_Vicious\_Gentleman](#): > > Ahhhh, forgot all about them Texas Jewboys! Great comic westerns. Asshole from El Paso, Homo Erectus, Sold American, and Ride 'em Jewboy are terrific. You forgot Kinky’s theme song [They Ain’t Makin’ Jews Like Jesus Anymore](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESNCWrks6vQ) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-lyric-writing-poet-alive-today/731205.md?page=1)