Writing a good lyric has got to be one of the most difficult aspects of music-making to master. The ones that work for me (as a listener) are those that give me an "aha!" experience -- either things I can relate to from my experience, or that make me see or think about something in a new way.

Clever wordplay can be attractive, as well, but can also work against the song (see countless country lyrics). There's a kid named Josh Joplin, who has a song on the radio with the line "I am not the only cowboy in this one-horse metaphor". I thought it a clever phrase the first time I heard it, but now it seems sort of precious.

Clunky rhymes and colloqialisms are a turnoff for me, as is overt sentimentality, and most references to Jesus.

Cheers,
Michael

(Hi Alan, how are things in Koln?)