Definition

A buddy and I were discussing the differences in our musical tastes, and we boiled the whole thing down to this: what's more important, lyrics or music? What they are saying or how they're saying it? For him it's the latter; jam bands fill out the majority of his top ten favorite bands. Myself, I prefer a story to go with the music. Lyrical content plays a large role in whether or not I like a band. For example, my friend would enjoy a band like Phish, a band that may be musically competent but lyrically are on the same level as Koko the Magic Gorilla. I do not enjoy a band like Phish because songs that last longer than six minutes bore the shit out of me, and I don't enjoy spending my time listening to some bearded dude twiddle around the twelfth fret for half an hour. So I've decided to share a few bands who I feel are particularly excellent at writing lyrically-based songs. I've also decided to share a few choice lyrics from bands at the other end of the spectrum, and I'm not talking about just jam bands! So let's get this adventure started!

Ted Leo & the Pharmacists
We make our days as they make us,
As I must, as Odysseus,
Make myself my own Telemachus.
"Bous Stephanos, Stephanoumenos Dedalus!"

And if it hasn't been a bust,
Then "land-ho, Ulysseus!"
And all of us like Dedalus:
Dead, dead all of us.
-"My Vein Ilin"

If you didn't catch all the references in these two verses, it's the literary equivalent of stopping a Mike Tyson uppercut with your groin. Often you see the sacrifice of musicianship for lyrical content: a band may write fantastic lyrics but the music is very simple and plain. Ted Leo is a guitar virtuoso and incorporates some serious punk and rock influences into his songs. He graduated Notre Dame with an English major, and can turn a phrase into a catchy lyric better than anyone else. He's also a very liberal, renegade songwriter and can write some very combative lyrics. Here's a quick example:

And when the crying starts, you won't have to see their bloodshot eyes turn red.
And when the dying starts, you won't have to know a thing about who's dead.
This is your mission - like television - where the good guys always win.
-"Bomb.Repeat.Bomb"

Combative lyrics are one thing, and they can be very impressive, but they really lack any impact without a strong voice behind them. If you've seen Eddie Izzard's "Dress to Kill" you know exactly how important the right voice is (...yeah, a small pony). Ted Leo can push a lot of passion through the microphone, but this often tempers the anger with pure emotion. A more directed, focused voice can be found in the throat of Zach de la Rocha, lead singer of

Rage Against the Machine
revolutionary rhetoric. But the combination of There doesn't need to be a lot of introduction here, as almost everyone is familiar with RATM'sde la Rocha's screaming/rapping and Tom Morello's heavy metal fiddling can overshadow the actual lyrics

The present curriculum, I put my fist in 'em
Eurocentric every last one of 'em
See right through the red white and blue disguise
With lecture I puncture the structure of lies
-"Take the Power Back"

That last line is just fun to say, the way your lips have to clip out each syllable. Of course the idea behind the lyric is valid as well: American history and social studies focus almost exclusively on Europe, ignoring African, Latin American, and Asian ideas. That's a whole other debate however. Let's switch gears and look at what sort of lyrical contribution Phish makes.

Phish
Welcome this is a farmhouse, we have cluster flies alas
And this time of year is bad, we are so very sorry
There is little we can do but swat them
-"Farmhouse"

This is just a fantastic example of the interplay between metaphor and alliteration. Notice how the writer conveys the crushing depression of enclosure, surrounded by the biting "flies", which are a clear reference to the structure of American government and wait, no it's not, it's something he wrote on the back of his hand while waiting for the mushrooms to take effect. I don't expect too much from these guys, but I'm not going to pay money and listen to cross-dressers tell me about their fucking insect problems because they're too stoned and forgot to close the door last night. Now, I know that no one goes to a Phish concert for the lyrics. They go because the music is funky and they can smoke metric tons of marijuana for hours. But you shouldn't have to sacrifice lyrical content for groovy riffs! Here, take some of this and call me in the morning:

Mos Def
Wear those pretty clothes, drive them pretty cars
You a super hero, you a super star
You a super man, go head fly yo cape
Blowin' in the wind, let them touch the hem
Stand and fight and win, snatch the crown again
Wit' yo mighty swing, and yo flashy smile
Let them see the light
You so black and bright
You so bright you black
Shinin' you cryin' to fight them back.
-"Blue Black Jack"

This is part of a six-and-a-half minute blues/rock song during which Mos Def works his way along an ex-Parliament Funkadelic guitarist's trippy version of an old blues standard. The song slowly loses form throughout, ending up in a loud howling, chant of "yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah" as the guitarist goes to town. Added bonus: the song is about Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight boxing champion, who won the title in 1910 after going fifteen rounds with the previously undefeated, white champion. Race riots followed. But now we can delve into the world of hip-hop without mentioning

Talib Kweli
People thinkin MC is short hand for Mis Conception
Let me meditate, set it straight, came to the conclusion
that most of these cats is featherweight, let me demonstrate
Walkin the streets is like battlin, be careful with your body
You must know karate or think your soul is bulletproof like Sade
Stop actin like a bitch already, be a visionary
And maybe you can see your name in the column of obituary
-"Definition"

Talib Kweli and Mos Def both spring forth from a place where rap isn't about ho's and ho-related things like benjamins and yachts. They actually have something to say in their songs and express it creatively in a way that most cannot hold a candle to. Lastly, let's look at two more artists, one who sucks at writing lyrics and the other who doesn't.

Jason Mraz
I’m just a curbside prophet
with my hand in my pocket
and I’m waiting for my rocket y'all
-"Curbside Prophet"

Jesus Christ shut the fuck up.

Bruce Springsteen
Now Tom said, 'Mom, wherever there's a cop beatin' a guy
Wherever a hungry newborn baby cries
Where there's a fight against the blood and hatred in the air
Look for me Ma, I'll be there.
Wherever there's somebody fightin' for a place to stand
Or a decent job or a helpin' hand
Wherever somebody's strugglin' to be free
Look in their eyes Mom - you'll see me'
-"The Ghost of Tom Joad"

I mean, come on, it's no contest.

Now don't think I don't enjoy lyrical nonsense. I mean, I have a song about a guy throwing an awesome pool party in my regular rotation. Anyway, I've been doing this for an hour and a half now so I'm leaving for dinner. Welcome back to me!