Words to Song

I have a collection of favorite  vinyl albums I  enjoy listening to on my vintage   turntable when I'm doing chores around the house,  sitting at the PC, or  on our well worn  wingback chair doing nothing.   Some  I play over and over, like today with Frank, Ella and Bing. Besides their voice and style,  I like the music and words they sing.  Especially the songs with words by Lorenz Hart, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Gershwin, Mercer, Sondheim (and so many more).  I'm awed and amazed at the flow of their lyrics; the phrasing and prose.

I've heard some say, " The lyric is nothing  without the music",  but  one can  also pose,  "What is the music without the words?"   Yes. Yes. Of course,    many songs  are beautifully arranged as  instrumentals only,  helping to sooth the soul and lift the spirit,  and  I appreciate those arrangements greatly, but  suggest even when listening to the' instrumental only'  arrangement, what pops into your mind are the words !

A perfect example of   a great  lyricist's  poetic flare  is   Johnny Mercer's " I Remember You" :

'When my life is through,
And the angels ask me to recall
The thrill of them all,
Then I shall tell them
I remember you'

or Hart's - any of Hart's - "Mountain Greenery", There's a Small Hotel" , I Could Write a Book", " I Didn't Know What  Time It Was", "My Funny Valentine", "Blue Moon" :

'And then there suddenly appeared before me,
the only one my arms will ever hold
I heard somebody whisper, "Please adore me",
and when I looked,
the moon had turned to gold.'

And the more contemporary Paul Simon:

'When you're weary, feelin' small,
When tears are in your eyes,
I'll dry them all;  I'm on your side.
Oh, when times get rough,
And friends just can't be found
Like a  bridge
over troubled water
I will lay me down.'

Song words. Poetic words. Beautifully written  words. Not just for a time, but timeless .