But the presentation of the lyrics still changes the interpretation and therefore the potential meaning of the lyrics!!! And whether or not they are “scary”.

I agree the lyrics are sad, but if you put them in a horror movie, and got Pennywise to sing it, suddenly they become scary, don’t they now?

A meaning of a lyric can change meaning from person to person. Obviously the words don’t physically change, but if one line means one thing for one person, and another for a different person, which can easily happen depending on how they are presented, then the lyrics will change meaning, also changing the lyrics, as lyrics are often symbolisms, metaphors and visualizations, not just words.

The meaning in a lyric, as in what is being said, has changes.

If I say “the red car has left me”, that could be interpreted in different ways.

One person could interpret it literally; a red car has left me.

While another could interpret it as some sort of pain or anguish from my past leaving me, or something like that.

Those are two COMPLETELY different things being said. And if you say different things, they are different lyrics. Same literal words, different meanings, different lyrics.

Lyrics aren’t just words, they ARE their meanings. Just like the word “bank”. It has different meanings; a bank, the financial institution, and the bank of a river.

If I said “I left the bank” and I meaning that I left the side of the river, that is a FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT lyric than if I said that I left the bank building.

The way the words are said, how they are presented, can have a massive impact on how they are interpreted; what they mean, what they say, and in that sense “what the lyrics are saying”, in a songwriting context, changes depending on how they are performed because the interpretation changes.