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Originally Posted by Boogster
There's nothing wrong with it, I suppose. It just sometimes feels a bit like cross-contamination. Music can evoke powerful, primeval feelings extra-linguistically. It's something through which form and content can be blended completely: meaning is contained in the thing itself, innately, without the need for context or clarification. I find that lyrics sometimes confuse matters because it's not possible to pay attention to good (or atrocious, as is more often the case) poetry and good music at the same time. The presence of two conflicting forms of expression blurs the emotional impact of the music.
I love good poetry. I try to read as much of it as I can. But unfortunately I'm not sure I've ever come across lyrics that I would unreservedly call good poetry in their own right. Even if such a thing existed, I don't think it would work. Poetry is most effective when it stands in the shadow of music, and it can have a similar effect, but it is fundamentally a different thing altogether.
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Most pop music relies heavily on repitition which requires the melody provided by singing and lyrics to maintain interest after more than a couple of listens. Could you listen to all of Nevermind by Nirvana if it were purely instrumental? What about Bob Dylan with songs like 'It's OK Ma, (I'm Only Bleeding)' which is seven+ minutes long and has only a couple of variations in the music.