Your Favourite Lyricist?

Ex Lion Tamer · **Posted:** Sat Mar 12, 2005 2:13 am

Lou Reed - probably my favorite of all, good story teller, kind of cinema verite in style, good sense of humour and beautifully poetic at times too. Lou has it all. Also...

Bob Dylan
Tom Waits
Joe Strummer
Paul Weller
Gordon Gano
Morrissey
John Hiatt
Elvis Costello
Ian Curtis
Steve Earle
Shane McGowan
Neil Young
Lyle Lovett
Colin Newman
Lucinda Williams
Colin Moulding

Postmersh · **Posted:** Sat Mar 12, 2005 2:23 am

I'll try and be as brief as possible - or, at least, the first 10n that come to mind:

Bruce Springsteen
Tom Waits
Lou Reed
Leonard Cohen
John Darnielle
(older) David Berman
Bob Wratten
Bill Callahan
Aidan Moffat
Craig Finn
Cedric Bixler (hahahhahahahahahahaha...no)

aerodynamics · **Posted:** Sat Mar 12, 2005 3:00 am

Robert Pollard
Juliana Hatfield
Fred Thomas
Billy Corgan
HR
Damon Albarn
Tjinder Singh
Bob Dylan
Wyclef Jean
Liz Phair
Jon Anderson

Cotton · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 6:12 pm **Posts:** 17155

aerodynamics Wrote:

Wyclef Jean

seriously?

Z · **Joined:** Sat Oct 23, 2004 1:38 pm **Posts:** 7979

Cotton Wrote:

and Don Cab's.... now that I thnk about it, Pennsylvanians should be commisioned for that shit.

well, let's not get ahead of ourselves. they've got a long way to go to catch up with anal cunt.

Postmersh · **Posted:** Sat Mar 12, 2005 4:15 am

Z Wrote:

Cotton Wrote:

and Don Cab's.... now that I thnk about it, Pennsylvanians should be commisioned for that shit.

well, let's not get ahead of ourselves. they've got a long way to go to catch up with anal cunt.

Or Propaghandi...

Let's be serious here - most Punk/Pop Punk bands come up with greater song title originality, due just to the forgettableness of their music...

(though I like Anal Cunt and Propaghandi)...

Bee OK · **Posted:** Sat Mar 12, 2005 5:41 am

As The Electric Soft Parade credit him on their debut album. The Mighty Brave Captain: Martin Carr.

interviewer: you have been described as a modern-day Brian Wilson. Such praise has not been uncommon in national press reviews of your work for many years, and I wondered how much these comparisons with your idols make you feel, especially given that the public have never really been as keen to purchase your records as the music journalists have been to praise them?

Martin Carr: well for a start, whether you like him or his music or not, brian wilson was a man with a singularly special talent. his musicality by far outreaches the limits of mine. of course, at the time, i readily agreed with statements like that but you get older and the whole thing seems rather silly. i'm not trying to depreciate what talent i have but nowadays i have a wee bit more perspective.

MP3

MC: in march 2003 i was asked to donate a track for a war album (i can't remember what it was now). i sent them 'i pledge' and they never contacted me again.

lyrics:
hey george
where're you going with that gun in yr hand?
hey tony
where're you going with that gun in yr hand?

i am a lion amongst the christians
i'm not the only one
you never go the way I go
you never vote the way i vote
and every time, every time
it's the same old people with the same old lies

we are the bombs that you should be afraid of

No matter what he says, most modern songwriters can't touch this man.

duckyboy · **Posted:** Sat Mar 12, 2005 1:09 pm

Even if sometimes nonsensical, I have to at least mention Malkmus and Steve Berman.

"In 1984 I was hospitalized for approaching perfection"

jewels santana · **Joined:** Thu Nov 04, 2004 2:36 pm **Posts:** 10198

ghostface
townes van zant

Radcliffe · **Posted:** Sat Mar 12, 2005 2:29 pm

John K. Samson (The Weakerthans)
Lucinda Williams
Frank Black
Michael Stipe
Nick Lowe
David Johansen
Paul Westerberg
Joe Henry
Richard Buckner
Patti Smith
Jules Shear
Chrissie Hynde
Howe Gelb

paladisiac · **Posted:** Sat Mar 12, 2005 2:43 pm

my first instinct is to say thom yorke. i also love the lyrics on "moon & antarctica". i know lyrics that i like when i hear 'em, but don't really have a favorite "lyricist". some of wilco too.

couplekiller · **Posted:** Sat Mar 12, 2005 4:52 pm

unless i missed it, i don't think john lennon was mentioned yet, which is shocking to say the least. Also add roger waterrs, elliott smith, jeff tweedy, hank williams, stuart murdoch, sometimes paul mccartney, and maybe nick cave to the pile. I agree with most of the above choices like dylan, waits, cohen, van zandt, reed, patti smith, sprinsteen, stipe, yorke, magnum, brock, etc

Evil Dr. K · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 11:51 am **Posts:** 6327

The last album I heard with good lyrics was the Drive-By Truckers.

Someone I don't think that's been mentioned yet is Edwyn Collins. He's a literate kind of guy and he often uses that sort of old fashioned language that I like so much.

no guru · **Posted:** Sat Mar 12, 2005 6:51 pm

Many good ones on the thread already. Also, Dan Bejar, Ray Davies, Peter Hammill, Becker/Fagen, Kate Bush, John S. Hall, Mark E. Smith, Kurt Wagner, Nick Drake, Natalie Merchant, Morrissey, Robert Wyatt, Andy Partridge, Warren Zevon

Dunwoody Dude · **Joined:** Wed Nov 03, 2004 11:20 am **Posts:** 2869

Spoon Hears Miki Berenyi Wrote:

Mark E. Smith

Hey, I love the Fall, but as far as lyrics go, how the heck can you tell if they are good or not?

Steve

no guru · **Posted:** Sat Mar 12, 2005 7:07 pm

Okay, I had some dupes from other posts in there, but still good ones. Also Andrew Bird, Cathal Coughlan, Heaton/Rotheray (The Beautiful South), Justin Sullivan (New Model Army), Neil & Tim Finn, Paul Kelly, Carey Mercer, Mutabaruka, Jeff Mangum, David Lowery, Bob Marley.

no guru · **Posted:** Sat Mar 12, 2005 7:08 pm

DunwoodyDude Wrote:

Spoon Hears Miki Berenyi Wrote:

Mark E. Smith

Hey, I love the Fall, but as far as lyrics go, how the heck can you tell if they are good or not?

Steve

Heh.

They are. I read lyrics a lot.

couplekiller · **Posted:** Sat Mar 12, 2005 8:04 pm

oh yeah, and Ray Davies too

beachy · **Posted:** Sat Mar 12, 2005 8:17 pm

Micheal Franti
David Garza
Lyle Lovett
Willie Nelson
Adam Duritz
...besides the obvious, of course

FT · **Posted:** Sat Mar 12, 2005 11:45 pm

Kung Fu Reference Wrote:

Chuck Cleaver of Ass Ponys...ain't that right FT

Fuckin' A! He's my #1, just ahead of...

2. David Bazan
3. Miles Kurosky
4. Ben Gibbard
5. John Vanderslice

Oh, and all-time, I'm giving the nod to Donald Fagen.

Elvis Fu · **Posted:** Sat Mar 12, 2005 11:54 pm

Jesus how did I forget Bazan AND Kurosky.

splates · **Posted:** Sun Mar 13, 2005 12:49 am

FT Wrote:

4. Ben Gibbard

i'm amazed to see him on so many lists, his lyrics are pretty trite

"I am thinking it's a sign
that the freckles in our eyes
are mirror images and when we kiss
they're perfectly aligned"

Kit · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 2:47 pm **Posts:** 3052

Michael Roe

pinkeyedwink · **Posted:** Sun Mar 13, 2005 2:43 am

uh. stephen merritt. yep

MontyTheMongoose · **Posted:** Sun Mar 13, 2005 2:55 am

splates Wrote:

FT Wrote:

4. Ben Gibbard

i'm amazed to see him on so many lists, his lyrics are pretty trite

"I am thinking it's a sign
that the freckles in our eyes
are mirror images and when we kiss
they're perfectly aligned"

Oh, baby, he's so esteemed in our 'community' because we so emotive, baby. We are indie-rock listeners who came up, and of age (by and large), at the turn of the willenium, and at such time, the indie-rock, college-rock of the moment was Jade Tree and Vagrant fronted. Lots of Jets to Brazil then, some Get-up Kids, a little Joan d'Arc for good measure -- oh baby, oh baby....

This is sarcasm?

Your Favourite Lyricist?

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