This thread has fluctuated from one point of view to the other.
I can fully understand both points of view and I think both are equally relevant.
I'll try to explain.
I don't really think we as writers make a decision which way to approach writing, at least not initially. Perhaps later to get past a block or explore new areas, but fundamentally we are either musicians or poets.
I can only speak for myself, but the kind of music that influenced me had lyrics like " Ah wop ba ba loo ba ah wop bam boo... Tuttie fruitie.... oh rootie!" or "Come on feel the noise.....girls grab the boys....we get wild wild wild!" or "She loves you yeah yeah yeah!" Hardly Wordsworth or Byron!
Even John Lennon's later Beatles wordplay did not, for me, live outside the music that went with it. Try reading "I am the Walrus" as a poem...
In traditional ballad folk music, the tune was only there as an aid to remembering the words. It allowed a story telling tradition to spread. The same tune could have many sets of lyrics over a period of time.
But in the Western Classical tradition the music itself can carry the story.....no..... the emotion without the need for lyrics.
More modern styles such as North American Country or Blues brought more emotion into the ballad tradition.
So to me...modern popular music is a synthesis of Western Classical and Ballad (as defined above).
So however you get there....just get there....Musician or poet...Both aspects are important so make them both the best you can.
Musicians become better poets and poets become better musicians.....Master both and you'll rule the world.
Mihkay
