While I would never pin Dylan to a genre, at any time (though understand it to be useful when discussing his career in the broad context of different periods), there are many songs from him that blow me away. It's not just his social commentaries or political protests that I find rousing. His use of language in general is unparalleled, to my knowledge, by anybody.

A few more earlier picks:
"All I Really Wanna Do" (Another Side)
"Ballad in Plain D" (Another Side)
"I Shall Be Free, No. 10" (Another Side)
"Bob Dylan's 115th Dream" (Bringing It All Back Home)
"Gates of Eden" (Bringing It All Back Home)
"It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" (Bringing It All Back Home)
"As I Went Out One Morning" (John Wesley Harding)
"Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest" (John Wesley Harding)

Since John Wesley Harding is full of fantastic lyrics, I'll stop there; venturing any further and I'll be here all day.

edit: but before I go, another recommendation, which is Dylan's "Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie", recorded 12th April 1963 at the New York Town Hall. It's seven minutes of mesmerising stuff, and Eric Clapton called it "the sum of his life's work so far." You can hear it on the first disc of The Bootleg Series, Vol. 1-3.

"Last Thoughts on Woodie Guthrie" is outstanding.

Some of my Dylan favorites:
"Shelter from the Storm"
"Visions of Johanna"
"Chimes of Freedom"
"Love Minus Zero/No Limit"
"A Hard Rains Gonna Fall"
"When the Ship Comes In"
"My Back Pages"

Such a creepy song.

Every breath you take
Every move you make
Every bond you break
Every step you take
Ill be watching you

Every single day
Every word you say
Every game you play
Every night you stay
Ill be watching you

Oh, cant you see
You belong to me
How my poor heart aches
With every step you take

Every move you make
Every vow you break
Every smile you fake
Every claim you stake
Ill be watching you

Since youve gone I been lost without a trace
I dream at night I can only see your face
I look around but its you I cant replace
I feel so cold and I long for your embrace
I keep crying baby, baby, please...

Oh, cant you see
You belong to me
How my poor heart aches
With every breath you take

Every move you make
Every vow you break
Every smile you fake
Every claim you stake
Ill be watching you

Every move you make
Every step you take
Ill be watching you

Ill be watching you
Ill be watching you
Ill be watching you
Ill be watching you...

This thread is still alive? Wow. May as well participate.

My favorite song (and I promise I am not kidding):

Sir Psycho Sexy - Red Hot Chili Peppers

A long, long, long, long time ago
Before the wind, before the snow
Lived a man, lived a man I know
Lived a freak of nature named Sir Psycho

Sir Psycho Sexy that is me
Sometimes I find I need to scream

He's a freak of nature
But we love him so
He's a freak of nature
But we let him go

Deep inside the garden of Eden
Standing there with my hard on bleedin'
Theres a devil in my dick and some demons in my semen
Good God no that would be treason
Believe me Eve she gave good reason
Botty looking too good not to be squeezin'
Creamy beaver hotter than a fever
I'm a givin' 'cause she's the reciever
I won't and I don't hang up until I please her
Makin' her feel like an over achiever
I take it away for a minute just to tease her
Then I give it back a little bit deeper

[Chorus]
Sir Psycho Sir Psycho yea he's the man that I met 1 time
Sir Psycho Sir Psycho yea he's the man that left me blind
Sir Psycho Sir Psycho yea he's the man he's the man he's the man

He's a freak of nature
But we love him so
He's a freak of nature
But we let him go

I got stopped by a lady cop
In my automobile
She said get out and spead your legs
And then she tried to cop a feel
That cop she was all dressed in blue
Was she pretty? Boy I'm tellin' you
She stuck my butt with her big black stick
I said "what's up?" now suck my dick
Like a ram getting ready to jam the lamb
She whimpered just a little when she felt my hand
On her crotch so very warm
I could feel her getting wet through her uniform
Proppin' her up on the black and white
Unzipped and slipped "ooo that's tight"
I swatted her like no swat team can
Turned a cherry pie right into jam

[Chorus]

Hello young woman that I love
Pretty punk rock mamma that I'm thinking of
Hold me naked if you will
In your arms in your legs in your pussy I'd kill
To be with you, to kiss with you, I do miss you
I love you

Lay me down ....
Descending waves of graceful pleasure
For your love there is no measure
Her curves they bend with subtle splendor

Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the funk will make me freak
If I should die before I waked
Allow me Lord to rock out naked
Bored by the ordinary time to take a trip
Calling up a little girl with a bull whip
Lickety split go snap "snap"
Girl gettin' off all in my lap
The tallest tree the sweetest sap
Blowin' my ass right off the map
Ooo and it's nice out here
I think I'll stay for a while

Brick - Ben Folds Five

"She's a brick and I'm drowning slowly
off the coast and I'm headed nowhere"

El Scorcho - Weezer

"I'll bring home the turkey if you bring home the bacon"

Two of Us - The Beatles

"I dig a Pygmy by Charles Hawtrey and the Deaf Aids.
Phase One in which Doris gets her oats"

Tom Waits - Misery Is the River of the World

The higher that the monkey can climb
The more he shows his tail
Call no man happy 'til he dies
There's no milk at the bottom of the pail

God builds a church
The devil builds a chapel
Like the thistles that are growing
'Round the trunk of a tree
All the good in the world
You can put inside a thimble
And still have room for you and me

If there's one thing you can say about Mankind
There's nothing kind about man
You can drive out nature with a pitch fork
But it always comes roaring back again

Misery's the river of the world
Misery's the river of the world
Misery's the river of the world

The higher that the monkey can climb
The more he shows his tail
Call no man happy till he dies
There's no milk at the bottom of the pail

God tempers all the winds for the new shorn lambs
The devil knows the bible like the back of his hand
All the good in the world
You can put inside a thimble
And still have room for you and me

If there's one thing you can say about Mankind
There's nothing kind about man
You can drive out nature with a pitch fork
But it always comes roaring back again

For want of a bird
The sky was lost
For want of a nail
A shoe was lost
For want of a life
A knife was lost
For want of a toy
A child was lost

And misery's the river of the world
Misery's the river of the world
Everybody row, everybody row
Misery's the river of the world
Misery's the river of the world
Misery's the river of the world
Everybody row, everybody row
Everybody row, everybody row
Misery's the river of the world
Misery's the river of the world
Everybody row, everybody row
Everybody row, everybody row
Everybody row
Misery's the river of the world
Misery's the river of the world
Misery's the river of the world
Misery's the river of the world
Everybody row, everybody row
Everybody row

Johnny Cash-Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie

Oh, bury me not on the lone prairie These words came low and mournfully From the pallid lips of a youth who lay On his dying bed at the close of day

Oh, bury me not and his voice failed there But we took no heed to his dying prayer In a shallow grave just six by three We buried him there on the lone prairie.

In My Life - The Beatles

"There are places I'll remember
All my life though some have changed
Some forever not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All these places have their moments
With lovers and friends I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life I've loved them all

But of all these friends and lovers
There is no one compares with you
And these memories lose their meaning
When I think of love as something new
Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more

Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more
In my life I love you more"

One I feel like singing to this girl who broke my heart who has just had her heart broken by her new ex-boyfriend.

Goody Goody - Frank Sinatra

"So you met someone who set you back on your heels
Goody Goody!
So you met someone and now you know how it feels
Goody Goody!
So you gave him your heart too
Just as I gave mine to you
And he broke it in little pieces
Now how do you do?
So you lie awake just singing the blues all night
Goody Goody!
So you think that love's just a barrel of dynomite
Well herray and halleluyah
You had it coming to ya
Goody Goody for him
Goody Goody for me
And I hope you're satisfied you rascal you!"

Pearl Jam song Black


"I know some day you'll have a beautiful life, I know you'll be a star, but in somebody eles sky but why .... why ....why cant it be, oh cant it be mine"

ds

Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the funk will make me freak
If I should die before I waked
Allow me lord to rock out naked

...

Theres a devil in my dick, and some demons in my semen

- Both from my alltime favorite RHCP song, Sir Psycho Sexy

Mind Sex - Dead Prez (Read the lyrics before you pass judgement. Such a great song. Hahaha..)

[chorus]
Its time for some mind sex, we aint got to take our clothes off yet
We can burn the incense, and just chat
Relax, I got the good vibrations
Before we make love lets have a good conversation

[verse 1]
Pardon me love but you seem like my type
What you doin tonight? you should stop by the site
We could, roll some weed play some records and talk
I got a fly spot downtown brooklyn, new york
Now I know you think I wanna fuck, no doubt
But tonight well try a different route, how bout we start
With a salad, a fresh bed of lettuce with croutons
Later we can play a game of chess on the futon
See I aint got to get in your blouse
Its your eye contact, that be getting me aroused
When you show me your mind, it make me wanna show you mines
Reflecting my light, when it shines, just takin our time
Before the nights through, we could get physical too
I aint tryin to say I dont wanna fuck, cause I do
But for me boo, makin love is just as much mental
I like to know what Im gettin into

[chorus]
We could have mind sex, we aint got to take our clothes off yet
We can burn the incense, and just chat
Relax, I got the good vibrations
Before we make love lets have a good conversation

Its time for some mind sex, we aint got to take our clothes off yet
We can burn the incense, and just chat
Relax, I got the good vibrations
Before we make love lets have a good conversation
Time for some mind sex...

(singing): before we make love

Yeah, what you know about mind sex?

(singing): before we make love

[verse 2]
African princess, tell me yo interests
Wait, let me guess boo, you probably like poetry
Heres a little something I jotted down in case I spotted you around
So let me take this opportunity
Would you share a moment with me, over herbal tea?
Take a walk verbally, make a bond certaintly
Cuz in my hand I bet your hand fit perfectly
And its like we floatin out in space when you flirtin wit me
Cmon, a little foreplay dont hurt (hmmm)
Imagine my chest under this shirt, your ass under your skirt
Its like walking the hot sands and finding an oasis
Opposites attract thats the basis
Our sex is the wind that seperates the yin from the yang
The balance that means complete change, our aim
Is to touch you in a delicate spot
And once we get it started I aint trying to stop

[chorus]
But first we have mind sex, we aint got to take our clothes off yet
We can burn the incense, and just chat
Relax, I got the good vibrations
Before we make love lets have a good conversation

Its time for some mind sex, we aint got to take our clothes off yet
We can burn the incense, and just chat
Relax, I got the good vibrations
Before we make love lets have a good conversation
Mind sex...

[spoken]
She smiles, I smile
She walks, no she glides softly by me changing night into day
She opens her mouth to speak, and so sounds ring in my head
She speaks, and I want to dance to her rhythm
She moves ever so gently, increasing my desires,
As I place my arms around her waist,
Hold and squeeze unto me,
I want to melt into her body, and discover the base of her warmth
Her beautiful black body that, no human mind could ever conceive
Shes love
Shes truth
Shes real, as real as the stars that shine in the heavens
As real as the sun that bathes her body,
As real as the moon that glows and the birds that sing and the rose
That blossoms in spring for she is that rose
And not just any rose,
But a black rose,
Black rose stands tall and stronger than any other plant
A black rose, that stands as creator, of nations of
Black rose
That never loses her petals, and blossoms all year round
Black rose,
Sweet rose,
Thornless rose
Eternal rose
Please look my way,
Please look my way
Please look my way
Black rose

...
And that last part with the black rose.. its all spoken.. such a ridiculous song.

Then of course there's always "House of Mojive" by Right Said Fred.

With A Little Help From My Friends - The Beatles

"What would you think if I sang out of tune
Would you stand up and walk out on me?
Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song
And I'll try not to sing out of key"

James Blunt - Goodbye my lover

Did I disappoint you or let you down?
Should I be feeling guilty or let the judges frown?
'Cause I saw the end before we'd begun,
Yes I saw you were blinded and I knew I had won.
So I took what's mine by eternal right.
Took your soul out into the night.
It may be over but it won't stop there,
I am here for you if you'd only care.
You touched my heart you touched my soul.
You changed my life and all my goals.
And love is blind and that I knew when,
My heart was blinded by you.
I've kissed your lips and held your head.
Shared your dreams and shared your bed.
I know you well, I know your smell.
I've been addicted to you.

Goodbye my lover.
Goodbye my friend.
You have been the one.
You have been the one for me.

I am a dreamer but when I wake,
You can't break my spirit - it's my dreams you take.
And as you move on, remember me,
Remember us and all we used to be
I've seen you cry, I've seen you smile.
I've watched you sleeping for a while.
I'd be the father of your child.
I'd spend a lifetime with you.
I know your fears and you know mine.
We've had our doubts but now we're fine,
And I love you, I swear that's true.
I cannot live without you.

Goodbye my lover.
Goodbye my friend.
You have been the one.
You have been the one for me.

And I still hold your hand in mine.
In mine when I'm asleep.
And I will bear my soul in time,
When I'm kneeling at your feet.
Goodbye my lover.
Goodbye my friend.
You have been the one.
You have been the one for me.
I'm so hollow, baby, I'm so hollow.
I'm so, I'm so, I'm so hollow.




if your heart doesn't break at these lines, you are heartless and should not even be alive....

"Love Hate Love" - Alice in Chains

I tried to love you I thought I could
I tried to own you I thought I would
I want to peel the skin from your face
Before the real you lays to waste

You told me Im the only one
Sweet little angel you should have run
Lying, crying, dying to leave
Innocence creates my hell

Cheating myself still you know more
It would be so easy with a whore
Try to understand me little girl
My twisted passion to be your world

Lost inside my sick head
I live for you but Im not alive
Take my hand before I kill
I still love you, but, I still burn

Yeah, love, hate, love (3x)
Oooh, love, hate, love
Yeah, love, hate, love

"In My Country there is a Problem" by Borat

In my country there is problem,
And that problem is transport.
It take very very long,
Because Kazakhstan is big.

Throw transport down the well (repeat line)
So my country can be free (repeat line)
We must make travel easy (repeat line)
Then we’ll have a big party (repeat line)

In my country there is problem
And that problem is the Jew
They take everybody money
And they never give it back

Throw the jew down the well (repeat line)
So my country can be free (repeat line)
You must grab him by his horns (repeat line)
Then we have a big party (repeat line)

If you see the Jew coming
You must be carefull of his teeth
You must grab him by his money
And I tell you what to do

Here's a good one:

You put your left foot in
You take your left foot out
You put your left foot in and you shake it all about.
You do the Hokey Pokey and you turn yourself around
That's what it's all about.

Rocky Raccoon - The Beatles

"Now the doctor came in stinking of gin
And proceeded to lie on the table
He said Rocky you met your match
And Rocky said, Doc it's only a scratch
And I'll be better I'll be better doc as soon as I am able.

Now Rocky Raccoon he fell back in his room
Only to find Gideon's bible
Gideon checked out and he left it no doubt
To help with good Rocky's revival"

One of my Fav Songs on the "white Album"

Leningrad - Billy Joel

"I was born in '49
A cold war kid in McCarthy time
Stop 'em at the 38th Parallel
Blast those yellow reds to hell
And cold war kids were hard to kill
Under their desk in an air raid drill
Haven't they heard we won the war
What do they keep on fighting for?"