I'm with Mark, about a poem being a poem, written to be expressed verbally, and lyrics written to be expressed through the medium of singing, within the constraints of a musical environment.

But it can happen that a lyric can be a poem as well. I'd argue some lyrics written by the late, great Richey Edwards formerly of the Manic Street Preachers stand up as great poems and, put to music by James Dean Bradfield, as great song lyrics in great songs, such as Motorcycle Emptiness and Faster.

And, interestingly, Richey Edwards, had very limited musical knowledge and just handed his words to JDB to see if he could make songs from them. It didn't always work, and some of their early songs suffered from this restrictive method of working, but when worked, it REALLY worked. So it can be done that way around, but I think you have to be genuine bona-fide great writer for it to.

These days the Manics' lyrics are written by bassist Nicky Wire, not in the same class a writer as Richey Edwards, but he is a musician and can sing a bit, so the results are more fluid songs, which has brought them wider commercial success, but without the same power and depth of their earlier songs.

So there isn't really a definitive way of doing things, just one that works for you.

Lucian