AH yes, the age old question … Are rock lyrics poetry? As a wide-eyed teenager, I had a rather ill-judged poster of The Doors frontman Jim Morrison standing topless with the words An American Poet typed underneath. It was a bold statement then as now. He was certainly a hypnotic, charismatic frontman with a lascivious croon, nice set of cheekbones and curly locks; but was he a poet worth any salt?

Rock’n’roll started with limited themes, albeit some of the most instinctive and important – girls and boys, booze, cars and saying no (or worse) to your teachers or parents. Although meaningless gobbledygook to the ears of many when originally released, Little Richard screaming "A wop bop a loo bop a lop bam boom!" at the top of his lungs was a call to arms for the 1950s counter-culture.

That inane proclamation set to a frantic backbeat still sounds astonishing, and I firmly support its validity as art, and as some kind of poetry. It may not be as eloquent as Wordsworth or Burns, but it conveys a universal message to anyone listening. A "hey hey hey" or "yeah yeah yeah" can also work wonders too.

Pop music has come a long way since then, with every possible tangent and micro-genre explored. The classic aforementioned lyrical motifs still stand, but musicians have used their platform to express far more besides. The art form itself is almost 60 years old and should be collecting its old-age pension soon, but has given us a rich and varied set of texts along the way.

Bob Dylan is still seen as the master, with lyrics often overshadowing the music itself. His words are praised by all and sundry, whereas his voice often resembles a chainsaw starting up. Socio-political, intimate and collective ideas are all covered in his songs and for that he is rightly lauded. To Dylan fans he is most certainly a poet.

In other examples, Detroit rockers MC5 used their words and aesthetic as a quasi-religious testimonial to the revolutionary power of rock’n’roll; Mick Jagger and Iggy Pop accentuated the wild and salacious; Ray Davies of The Kinks espoused an observational, cynical and very British take on songwriting; while John Lydon has embraced individual and confrontational opinions.

Others have used wider brush-strokes in their compositions. Nick Cave and Tom Waits have proven themselves to be wondrous, characterful storytellers; David Bowie experimented with cut’n’paste techniques learnt from William Burroughs; Kurt Cobain played with surrealism and symbolism; and singers such as Bob Marley, Joe Strummer and Patti Smith embraced incendiary rhymes and provocative performance to rally and empower audiences.

But should lyrics should ever actually be outwardly and obviously political? Hip-hop – perhaps the music that most relies on heavyweight lyrical content – definitely hasn’t shied away from that topic. Listen to Public Enemy, KRS 1 or originators such as The Last Poets and Gil Scott Heron for proof of an angry, despondent, occasionally militant, black perspective. The words, delivery and attitude unquestionably form the basis of a modern poetry.

When songwriting is less about simplistic sloganeering and a little more subtle in approach – when it is inclusive and personal – it tends to be most successful. Take an eclectic selection of writers such as Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen or Morrissey. You are never in doubt as to which political side they’re on, and yet their verse simultaneously invokes romance, melancholy and longing.

I interview Billy Bragg this Thursday at Word Power as part of Scottish Book Week and look forward to quizzing him on A New England, Levi Stubbs’ Tears and Sexuality: all published in a new collection of over 70 songs in Billy Bragg – A Lover Sings. These are songs that straddle the personal and the political, identity, race and social conscience. As poems, they read well while also sounding emotive in music.

Despite the sometimes humorous, usually woeful, lyrical output of Oasis, the political but hypocritical U2, and the downright bland Coldplay, songwriters do still strive to be original, unique wordsmiths and utilise non-cliched imagery. It is deep within our own folk culture to keep evolving our song-craft.

Never short of something to say in Scotland, we’ve encountered admirable lyrical offerings in recent years from the late Michael Marra, Stuart Murdoch of Belle & Sebastian, James Yorkston, King Creosote, Scott Hutchison of Frightened Rabbit, Lauren Mayberry of Chvrches and a myriad local rappers. Idlewild even coined the phrase, "support your local poet", in their The Remote Part album artwork and on T-shirts of the time. Partly self-effacing and tongue-in-cheek, it was unapologetic in standing up for those who take lyrics seriously.

I’m increasingly asked to host events that bring together words and music, whether at Edinburgh International Book Festival, Aye Write! and now Scot:Lands during Edinburgh’s New Year 2016 celebrations. Roddy Woomble, C Duncan, Kathryn Joseph, Supermoon and Neu Reekie spokesman and talented, young poet Michael Pederson will all take part, creating an effortless blend as part of "Lyrical:Land" on January 1.

From the 1950s explosion, through 1960s protest singers, 1970s punks, 1980s indie-kids and 1990s rappers to the present day; pop lyrics are taken more and more seriously. They have to be. They now connect with more people than written poetry could ever do. If rock’n’roll was the 20th century’s greatest art form, and the finely-crafted, poetic song its finest showcase; then so far in the 21st century, despite the technology, endless gadgets and shortening attention spans, I would say it remains so.

Vic Galloway presents on BBC Radio Scotland from 9-11pm on Mondays; tomorrow he has the Strange Blue Dreams in session. His book Songs In The Key Of Fife is published by Polygon