I just read Smatteronnat's "WSP Jack" post, and something occurred to me. Not only do I not know all of the lyrics to all of the songs by my favorite bands, if I do know them, I don't seek out their true meaning if they're veiled. I'm certain that I'm in the minority, but is there anyone else to whom lyryics take a back seat to the instrumental construction of a song?
Don't misunderstand, I'm not saying it's not awesome to decipher deep lyrics, I'm just saying I'm pre-occupied by great musicianship.
Some examples are ; Steely Dan, Mule, and the aforementioned Widespread Panic.
I don't think you're in the minority here squabs- I too am a fan of the music first and foremost. Lyrics for the most part are usually fairly straight forward and sometimes overlooked however, in some cases, I consider vocals to be as equal an instrument as a guitar. I guess it depends upon the particular song. Perhaps the lyrics themselves are the instrument with the actual vocals being the "expression pedals" used by a singer.
In songs where the meaning is not so clear, it's wonderful to be able to manipulate them to something personal and make them your own so-to-speak.
I very much enjoy and respect lyricists.
