In the sixties and seventies there was a measure of musical artists that went "...yes, but do they have anything to say?" This was certainly applied to Dylan and many of the song writers mentioned in this thread. And many of them did. History may well decide that that period was a cultural renaissance and that we were blessed with a lot of music that not only entertained but also spoke to the political times and the human experience on many levels. It seems much of the lyrical content today only seeks to entertain.
In 1970 Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter wrote ‘Ripple’, ‘Brokedown Palace’, and ‘To Lay Me Down’ in a single day! As he himself said: "Oh would that those days would come again. Oh, they will-but not for me."