Turn of Phrase?

Great music is more than just a combination of words and music. Sometimes it's all of that and more. Or less, depending on the circumstance.

Good songwriters will often come up with lyrics that will make your head spin; that will make you think; change your perception on something or some issue maybe, or write something that seems such an obvious lyric, but then take a sharp left turn. They'll do it in such a clever way that you often come away from it somehow changed.

So, who are all the great songwriters, particularly those who can turn a phrase better than most? And what are their finest examples? We're not talking about the hacks who trade in "Moon/June/Spoon" style rhyming couplets and cliches of the nature either.

For example, Bob Dylan has written many lyrics that make me sit up and take notice. To get you started, here's one of a long list of my favourites, from "Desolation Row":

"...Yes I received your letter yesterday,
About the time the doorknob broke,
When you asked me how I was doing,
Is that some kind of joke?
All those people that you mentioned,
Yes I know them. They're quite lame.
I've had to rearrange their faces,
and give them all another name..."

Now it's over to you. Post a comment and I'll post more of mine choices later...