The Best Poets

Post Reply
Trellis
Posts: 981
Joined: Mon Jun 14, 2004 11:49 am
Location: Peterborough, ON

Post by Trellis »

For me: Springsteen, Stipe, Farrar, Cat Power, some Band of Horses songs... Gord Downie of The Tragically Hip occasionally does this kind of work... and though some friends of mine aren't fans, Tracy Chapman

Redsun
Posts: 85
Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2014 12:14 pm
Location: Where the sunset smiles
Contact:

Post by Redsun »

barna howard. great lyrics great tunes...

MozellAnderson

Post by MozellAnderson »

Kara Claudy is a good singer and a good song writer too.

turpentim
Posts: 882
Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2008 12:23 pm
Location: Kamloops, BC Canada

Post by turpentim »

What a misogynist I am. Just realized that Lucinda Williams and Emmylou Harris are glaringly absent from my list. Two of the best writers on the planet.

Leonard Cohen should be on any list of poets too.

Tim in the ATL

Love Jackson
Posts: 81
Joined: Tue Jul 11, 2006 6:04 pm
Location: Frankfort

Post by Love Jackson »

Yeah, Steve Earle might fall into the storyteller category better than the poet. Same could be said for Springsteen.

turpentim
Posts: 882
Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2008 12:23 pm
Location: Kamloops, BC Canada

Post by turpentim »

Love Jackson wrote:I'd add Steve Earle, Ben Gibbard, the guy from Dawes to that list.
Good call on Taylor Goldsmith from Dawes. So freaking good.

Steve Earle was one I wrestled with and ultimately decided to exclude from my list. In my book, he's a brilliant songwriter and a great lyricist, but not quite a poet in the strict sense of the word.

Tim in the ATL

Love Jackson
Posts: 81
Joined: Tue Jul 11, 2006 6:04 pm
Location: Frankfort

Post by Love Jackson »

I'd add Steve Earle, Ben Gibbard, the guy from Dawes to that list.

Left A Slide
Posts: 824
Joined: Wed Mar 14, 2007 8:43 am

Post by Left A Slide »

Great list so far.
My addition: Neko Case

turpentim
Posts: 882
Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2008 12:23 pm
Location: Kamloops, BC Canada

Post by turpentim »

Also, how in hell John Moreland was omitted from my list I have no idea. He has as much right to such a list as does anyone else in them.

Tim in the ATL

turpentim
Posts: 882
Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2008 12:23 pm
Location: Kamloops, BC Canada

Post by turpentim »

el caballo loco wrote:
Redsun wrote:Blaze Foley
Very nice.
Yes, that's one that damn-well shoulda made my list.

Tim in the ATL

ThrasherBear
Posts: 132
Joined: Mon Nov 17, 2014 9:17 am

Post by ThrasherBear »

Warren Zevon
Robert Hunter
Roger Waters

el caballo loco
Posts: 1472
Joined: Fri Jun 06, 2008 4:31 pm

Post by el caballo loco »

Redsun wrote:Blaze Foley
Very nice.

Redsun
Posts: 85
Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2014 12:14 pm
Location: Where the sunset smiles
Contact:

Post by Redsun »

Woody Guthrie, Arlo Guthrie, Blaze Foley, Bruce Springsteen, George Jones, Townes Van Zandt, Gene Clark, Dylan, Pete Seeger, Neil Young, Skip Spence, Andrew Bird, Ryan Adams... there are many more... of course Jay Farrar is out there...

turpentim
Posts: 882
Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2008 12:23 pm
Location: Kamloops, BC Canada

The Best Poets

Post by turpentim »

It occurs to me that there are only a handful of songwriters out there that I consider to be true poets. Not just good songwriters or even just good lyricists... I'm talking about songwriters whose lyrics stand alone without the music, that evoke such powerful images and emotion to near about knock the wind out of you.

I've listed mine below (in no particular order, but I'm pretty sure exhaustive). Folks may disagree with some of these, but that's what's great about art -- it's subjective. Who are yours?

Townes Van Zandt
James McMurtry
John K. Samson
Greg Brown
Jay Farrar
Bob Dylan
Bruce Springsteen
Joe Pug
Conor Oberst
Tom Waits
Craig Finn


Tim in the ATL

Post Reply