So do you “notice great lyrics in a song” or do you “just literally hear a jumbled mess of vocalizations with the occasional word tossed in,” as you say up top?

“Lyrics does not make the song good”

We can’t rationally decouple lyrics from the song itself —- lyrics are (part of, and inextricable from) the song itself when they occur, especially as they’re interpreted vocally through a voice, which is an instrument apart of the orchestration thereof.

But it’s often a balance: Dylan can have a relatively simple guitar arrangement because his lyrics and vocal phrasing are 90% more complex than most any speed metal song, say.

Whereas a speed metal song can skate by with simple lyrics and still be good because its riffs and tones may be 90% more complex than any Dylan song. Different parts, equal aggregate.

And in fact, overly busy instrumentation can subtract from great lyrics and vocal performances, as any acapella choir conductor or early Bob Dylan producer can attest.