I can't say every song I listen to has eloquent, meaningful, clever lyrics and by no means does a song absolutely have to, but let's talk about a few artists that do have great lyrics.
Ed Sheeran: Do I even need to explain this one? He has so many songs and they flow so well and he gets his ideas across in such a great way and though some (pretentious) people think love songs are dumb, he can make you wanna fall in love. And in his songs that aren't about girls, he has a message. Whether it's about staying true to himself, the media etc. he spouts out genius rhymes and such clever one-liners I mean "they say I'm up and coming like I'm fucking in an elevator" is a classic. His metaphors and similies and in general all of his poetic devices (hey I learned something in high school English class) are on point. If I were you I'd go ahead and download all of his stuff. If you were wondering, my personal favourites are Cold Coffee, Drunk, Sofa, and Fire Alarms.
"She's like cold coffee in the morning, I'm drunk off last night's whiskey and coke"
"On cold days cold plays out like the band's name"
"Resembling cutlery on the sofa where we lay"
"We were young were were foolish, school books in our arms. Dodging homework, dodging classes"
*And an honourable mention to the songs he's written for One Direction as those are worth mentioning.
Passenger: He went on tour with Ed Sheeran, y'all. His stuff is much like Ed's, he just doesn't speak as fast as often. Again, his songs are stories which makes a better song (lyrically) than something vague that could relate to anyone. You're just trying to sell when you do that. Unless you just have really vague thoughts? Anyways, it's clear he's has some struggles in his life and there are songs explaining those as well as songs about things he's heard, witnessed, seen. The favourites: I Hate, Travelling Alone, The Wrong Direction, and Do What You Like (I was just looking through all his songs and I had to stop myself at 4 favourites because each title I saw I'd think 'that's a good one too!' but just listen for yourself) I just feel emotionally attached to these ones. And he's been picked up on the radio recently and I'm beaming like a proud mum, seriously. No matter where I am or who I'm with, if it comes on I will turn it up. (The song on the radio is Let Her Go which I didn't put in my list but really it's heartbreakingly real and beautiful)
"I hate when I go outside for a smoke and some guy coughs like my lungs are his" (actually this entire song is brilliant it even has my dad's approval. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll laugh)
"It was my wife's idea but she's no longer here, she left me travelling alone"
"The first cut is the deepest but the rest will flippin' hurt"
"You treat me like dirt but your hands stay clean"
Paradise Fears: They've described their music as "inspirational rock" or something like that. They have gotten me through some tough times and they write fabulous lyrics. They know the impact they have on people and they use it to their advantage, they want to make a difference, and yeah, not every single song of theirs has deep meaning, the majority do. Sam Miller is brilliant and he does a bit of spoken word in the occasional song and it's perfect for laying under the stars on a summer night with your friends (and crying). Favourites: Sanctuary, Who You Are, What Are You Waiting For?, Advice.
"You lost the words but you found the rhyme" (I can't listen to this whole song without sobbing so this bit is from the first verse, the bridge is flawless)
"For once in my life, I need someone else to tell me everything will be alright"
"You love it? Embrace it. You want it? Then chase it"
"Why do I get so bored? Why can't I just find a love that's worth the wait instead of wasting time"
The Scene Aesthetic: I've loved these guys for so long and they're working on new music so let's just appreciate them for a second. I'm running out of descriptive words, to be honest so I don't know what to say about them. They make me happy. Favourites: Humans, Never Gonna Let This Go
"You cover it up but the pain never stops, sometimes I wish that you would just listen"
"She doesn't judge me when I sleep until 11 o'clock"
I hope you're getting the trend, cutesy or serious these people know how to write. And now for some brief mentions of other great lyricists!
Something Corporate, Stephen Jerzak (Cute wins all the awards for most corny pick-up lines in one song), Tayler Buono, The Wonder Years, Brad Paisley, Man Overboard, Joshua Hyslop (Canadian!!), and of course, the queen, Taylor Swift (say what you want about her, I don't care. I might have to make a separate post about my strong feelings for her)