My favourite recording artiste at the minute is a harp player called Joanna Newsom.... now i've been influenced by a few musicians in my time who have gone on to be classed as 'poets'...Bob Dylan and Kurt Cobaine being the most notable.
In my opinion a guy called Jeff Magmum from a scuzz folk band called Neutral Milk Hotel has written some of the best lyrics ever to date, his concept album, loosely based on the diaries of Anne Frank (Aeroplane over the sea) ( i'll send you a copy if you give me an address) must rank alongside some of the best dialogue ever... and i include william s. burroughs and james joyce in this comparison)

However the young Ms Newsom has surpassed him,
My topic starter is this, if a piece of writing is accompanied by a piece of music, does it cease to be poetry?

It's just a question.

Joanna's phrasing on her latest album is outstanding, as long as i live, i will never write anything close to it, i read it cold before i put the album on, and then after hearing it with the slightly disjointed but still captivating melodies i felt humbled.

Are Lyrics poetry or not?

Hope i don't look like a knob for starting this topic, but i like this site, nothing wrong with healthy debate

x

Yes, I agree with you -- she writes terrific lyrics and they are poetry. They do that wonderful thing: raise the hairs on the back of your neck. She also has an eye for comedic undertones that don't undermine the intent. Lovely stuff.

Yes, lyrics are sometimes poetry and since the dawn of time, ballard lyrics have been published as poetry. Given the unwritten rule that any one city can only erect one statue to one of its poets (seems to be the case in most places), I hope Manchester will settle for Morissey someday. A classic example of lyrics that are also definitely poems.

Let me be the first to twirl the gladioli.

Wow, I can't believe I never saw this topic.
I think many lyrics can be classed as poetry and many lyricists can be classed as poetry.
For example, one reason why I took up performance poetry was because I couldn't sing.
A lot of the song lyrics penned by The Angelic Upstarts can be easily converted to poetry, in fact Mensi (former lead singer of The Angelic Upstarts) once performed a poetry set at Adam and Eves in Leeds in the 80's

Yeah. Couldn't agree more. I am a poet who definitely can't sing. Dylan talks well too.

Well I think its safe to say that Dylan influenced both poets and songwriters, same can be said about Woody Guthrie as well I suppose

Dylan gargles. Then gets hiccups. His voice seems to be on a volume randomiser. Woodie Guthrie's first name was actually Metally but he eschewed rock. No he would have been called Granite Guthrie but he eschewed something else and, besides, being polite never cost nobody nothing except world domination.

I like Dylan, and Woody/Stoney/Metally Guthrie.
I also like Bruce Springsteen mainly because I was named after a song by him!
Joe Strummer could write some good songs too

Bruce Springsteen works part time as a Beefeater in the Tower of London. He has taught the ravens to sing Born In An Egg On Tower Hill yey yey yey.' He has drawn stars and stripes under their wings. One of his own feet -- the left -- is really a bird talon and very small so he has to pack his trainers with budgie cage lining paper and grit and polystyrene extruded bits so his tiny bird foot doesn't come out of his trainers.

Mincemuncher Springsteen

Joe Strummer used a plectrum. That's not strumming. That's plectrumming. He should have been honest about it and called himself Joe Plectrummer. He did a good splits, though. But why did he put up with having his microphone stand so low to the ground? Is he playing cricket with that guitar? Is the soundbox delivering cricketballs like a cricketball delivery apparatus as used in cricket training schools? And why did London call? Was it the wrong number? He'd have made a brilliant Dr Who. He could've just spat at the daleks and made their electronics malfunction.