Jello Biafra is the best lyricist in my opinion. He perfected the art of writing controversial lyrics that got people interested and following them up with blistering tirades against the flaws in society that still have relevance today. He was singing MTV Get Off THe Air before it was cool to hate MTV. He used wit and humour to get his point across. If you haven't heard or experienced his lyrics you really should.

For examples of good Jello Biafra lyrics:

[URL=http://www.letssingit.com/dead-kennedys-california-uber-alles-vghg95h.html]California Uber Alles[/URL]
[URL=http://www.letssingit.com/dead-kennedys-kill-the-poor-lsks733.html]Kill The Poor[/URL]
[URL=http://www.letssingit.com/dead-kennedys-moral-majority-fnwj1x5.html]Moral Majority[/URL]
[URL=http://www.letssingit.com/dead-kennedys-riot-nmncjt1.html]Riot[/URL]
[URL=http://www.letssingit.com/dead-kennedys-well-paid-scientist-v1t1g7j.html]Well Paid Scientist[/URL]
[URL=http://www.letssingit.com/dead-kennedys-forest-fire-76pq5nr.html]Forest Fire[/URL]
[URL=http://www.letssingit.com/dead-kennedys-chicken-farm-z5fcbhh.html]Chicken Farm[/URL]
[URL=http://www.letssingit.com/dead-kennedys-stars-and-stripes-of-corruption-2dsgbsn.html]Stars And Stripes Of Corruption[/URL]
[URL=http://www.letssingit.com/dead-kennedys-this-could-be-anywhere-this-could-be-everywhere-pnh4h47.html]This Could Be Anywhere[/URL]
[URL=http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/MTV-Get-Off-The-Air-lyrics-Dead-Kennedys/20325F96BD196BB548256EAB0008620C]MTV Get Off The Air[/URL]
[URL=http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Pull-My-Strings-lyrics-Dead-Kennedys/1054164F20FAE7C948256AD6002C35FE]Pull My Strings[/URL]

soundgarden/audioslave...chris cornell, layne staley wrote very well and jerry cantrell has learnt well from him. also rob zombie, just for the sheer parodyness(!) of his lyrics

taking back sunday and brand new and i like how green day always uses metaphors and contradicts themselves in songs

Green Day
Tool
A Perfect Circle
Godsmack(some songs, like spiral)

I think System of a Down does hands down. When Serj sings there is such Simplicity and flow, yet the lyrical meanings are so cryptic and have many hidden meanings to them. In addition they sing about very relavant things. not to say other bands don't but lately it seems to me that lots of bands are whining about getting pop quizes and not being able to get the hot girl in jr. high. Just my opinion please dont flame me

[QUOTE=HelterSkelter]In addition they sing about very relavant things. not to say other bands don't but lately it seems to me that lots of bands are whining about getting pop quizes and not being able to get the hot girl in jr. high.[/QUOTE]
You need to look a bit further than MTV in my opinion.

Dani Filth writes awsome lyrics i also like Atreyu's and Satyricon

corey taylor...speaks the real truth about life

Underoath
Boys Night Out
Atreyu
Thursday

I think The libertines are one of the best bands lyrically

my top 5 (at the moment)
 

This is only a list of (semi) current lyricists:

1. Maynard James Keenan (Tool)
2. Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins)
3. Jack White (White Stripes)
4. Billy Howerdel (A Perfect Circle)
5. Brandon Boyd (Incubus)

Metallicas James hetfield have some great lyrics.. And everytime he comes out with a different idea from life.. i think good lyrics comes out from somewhere inside a dark history of the writer.

eve 6, they know how to play on words and it adds a new style to their music
goo goo dolls, not a fan of their music but i do like their lyrics
Stratovarius, well written lyrics in the sense that they write about love but the words actually say something different
Atomship, a metaphorically talented band
Bloodhound Gang, yes bloodhound, they have a comedic way to say things but what they say is put together very inteligantly(sp?)

In no particular order: Maynard James Keenan, Jewel, Billy Howerdell, Chad Gray, Corey Taylor, and Troy Sanders.

My personal favorites but I'm sure there are more out there who are on par or better than these.

I happen to think Maynard James Keene is almost underrated in a way. It's because most people don't truly understand the implications of his lyrics, because they are worded very simply, but meaning-wise they are about as deep as it gets, talking about higher states of consciousness, the dehumanization of society through the nationalization of world religions, and a kid who pissed him off (lol) Seriously, read these lyrics, think about them for a second, and realize this song is about accepting the world around you and learning and feeding your consciousness.


With my feet upon the ground I lose myself
between the sounds and open wide to suck it in,
I feel it move across my skin.
I'm reaching up and reaching out,
I'm reaching for the random or what ever will bewilder me.
And following our will and wind we may just go where no one's been.
We'll ride the spiral to the end and may just go where no one's been.

Every band that has come out in the last 4 years sings teh same **** song. So please, don't tell me they are great. Rob Thomas (Matchbox 20's first album) and Travis Tritt ****ing rule. Also does Delbert McClinton. All the new bands sing about **** that high school conformists go through.

my bands havent come out in the last 4 years......SO HA

There are five.........
 

- Robert Plant of "Led Zeppelin"
- Jimi Hendrix of "The Jimi Hendrix Experience"
- Jim Morrison of "The Doors"
- Kurt Cobain of "Nirvana"
- Pete Townsend of "The Who"

Have you ever actually READ Nirvana lyrics? And zeppelin might have SOME good lyrics, but most of them are about as lame as Van Halen's or AC/DC's

I could go on for a very long time about how much i hate nirvana...but i'll save you all that intense pleasure.

bands with lyrics i doo like...
Taking Back Sunday - ah, they rule.
Funeral for a Friend - i'd forgotten how much i love 'casually dressed..' til i listened to it the other week.
Brand New - they've been mentioned lots of times
From Autumn to Ashes
Coheed and Cambria
Goo Goo Dolls
A Static Lullaby

aand more
yes, im a big fan of emo, and proud :D

emo represent! :thumb:

Meh, for the sake of posting, Ill add Everytime I Die if I havent already...

[b]Everytime I Die - Ebolarama[/b] (not to bad for having no actual meaning and being half drunk at 5 am when he wrote it ;).

Boys: Shoot to thrill from the hip. It's time we put the "act" in action. We've tricked the pigs into thinking that this auction is a pageant. In no time there will be makeup on our new set of cutlery. The livestock is star struck. They're all salivating like ravenous cartoons. God**** animal. You'd better watch where you spit. Squeal like soft music. If it helps, we'll dim the lights on the floor. Neon bulbs are the cosmetics of swine. Everybody looks quite dazzling, trussed up in there formal attire. You'd make a great secret if i could keep you, but we all spill out guts. We're locked and loaded. Drip fed and bloated. Our trigger fingers snagged in the mouse trap of the moment. Turn the lights off on us, like a moth left in the cold. In the dark, begging for more. When the urgency strikes, you'd better not lose your nerve. It's the rush that the cockroaches get at the end of the world. It's alright. There's a pail by the bed if you need it (but you're doing just fine). When in Rome we shall do a the Romans, when in Hell we do shots at the bar. Last call, kill it. We don't think in terms of mornings afters and we don't utter a single word of the night befores. In the meantime we're just thoughtless incessant buzzing aparatus. Disillusioned and lonelier than the last man stading. It doesn't get any better than this so run like hell. This is a rock and roll takeover. Living each day one night at a time. There were mercy ****s, there was blood. You should have been there by my side. This is passion, this is red handed denial. I have no lover and she hasn't the prettiest eyes. Last call, kill it.

I hate emo.

Oh snap.

/puts on flame retardant shield

You know what is worse then emo?

Pop-punk. My friend is listening to yellow card now... its sad, really.

Sometime I wonder how many of the actions you actually follow through with doing...

[QUOTE=metaliq]You know what is worse then emo?

Pop-punk. My friend is listening to yellow card now... its sad, really.[/QUOTE]
I like pop-punk, asshat. Funny, how I'm a better writer...;)

Seriously though, emo bores me to death, at least pop-punk is catchy...

[QUOTE=morrissey]but I hate led zeppelin *runs out of room as quickly as possible*

*trips and falls on a TBS CD*

*shuts up now*[/QUOTE]
God just told me you're going to hell.

I don't even believe in God, that was a serious offense.

:hate:

Pop punk is great. Power pop sucks.

[QUOTE=sketchyjoe]Pop punk is great. Power pop sucks.[/QUOTE]
Haha, I love your avatar, but which bands do you classify as power pop, everyone in pop punk has different bands they put in that genre.

power pop = all zeppi listens to

I hear it makes you e-gay.

[QUOTE=morrissey]funny how I just happened to have on my God-retardent shield...

No, I did not say God is retarded, for those skimmers in the crowd.


But zeppelin wouldn't mind that, would you?


*shuts up now*[/QUOTE]
I'll say it, god is retarded, I bet his IQ is <70.

God still smote you anyways, he disinvented your retard shield and then smote you.

[QUOTE=metaliq]power pop = all zeppi listens to

I hear it makes you e-gay.[/QUOTE]
I'm listening to a7x now...so...gg :upset:

;)

Never listened to a7x, but i hear alot of people hate them.

So they must hate you, because your a mxicoian.

[QUOTE=metaliq]Never listened to a7x, but i hear alot of people hate them.

So they must hate you, because your a mxicoian.[/QUOTE]
Nah, i'm a ******aguan ho.

tool, tbs, brand new, < brand new .... love them.... cake, but, **** i don't know... i think the execution of lyrics is pretty much just as important to me as the actual lyrics... so that makes me think a lot harder.... because now i just have to think about the lyrics themselves.,,,, lets see, death cab for cutie... the execute the lyrics extremely well too...

[QUOTE=zeppelinfan2k3]Nah, i'm a ******aguan ho.[/QUOTE]

You didnt pick up on it. Your slow. MX'ican... MX'icoian... MX is this forum...

Sheesh. N00B13

[QUOTE=metaliq]You didnt pick up on it. Your slow. MX'ican... MX'icoian... MX is this forum...

Sheesh. N00B13[/QUOTE]
I did pick up on it...I go to the pit remember, it is just lame, and overused in the pit at least :rolleyes:

boob turned inside out is obbo

boob turned upsides down is poop :amaze:

[QUOTE=zeppelinfan2k3]Haha, I love your avatar, but which bands do you classify as power pop, everyone in pop punk has different bands they put in that genre.[/QUOTE]
IMO Pop-Punk is bands like Bouncing Souls, NOFX, Smash-era Offspring, earlier Green Day that's punk with pop hooks.
Power POp is the stuff you see on MTV like GC, Blink, Yellowcard, NFG that is really just pop with guitars.