How important are lyrics in prog?

I don't pay attention to lyrics most of the time, unless something odd stands out at me. It just all blends in for me. Lyrics that can be offending don't offend me. It's the music that matters.

i concur.

Interesting idea, this thing about not having much control over one's tastes and preferences, or at least that some of it is up to outside stimuli.

It also reminds me: I remember reading a newspaper article referencing a scientific finding that the biggest factor in people's musical preferences is their first language.... no, not as much what language we prefer lyrics in, as in that the scales and rhythms we prefer are those most common in the everyday speech patterns of our respective first languages. So there might be something to it.

However... is it possible that tastes and standards could react to outside influences both conscious and unconscious, but still follow the rules of this internally consistent set of principles? I mean, just because you sometimes are in the mood for upbeat music and sometimes in the mood for downbeat music (to pick just one set of opposite traits) does not mean that you change your mind about whether one is objectively better than the other.

Dr. Occulator wrote: Lyrics are as important as a band's fan needs them to be. If they're important to you than you pick a band that does it for you, if they're not important you still pick a band that does it for you too.

A question: How objective or subjective do you think matters of taste are? Just curious.

I didn't think I listened to lyrics and then I remembered that I don't like Sigur Ros.

I don't listen to the lyrics. I'm a HUGE prog fan, i can't think of one song that i know all the lyrics to.

BUT!
i go ape for vocal harmonies. listen to Moon Safari, you'll know what i'm talkin' about~

it really varies, but in general they just have to be delivered well and not cheesy enough for the listener to be unable to look beyond them.  

 One benefit of  lyrics, at least to me, is during the course of the day, someone will say something that matches a particular song phrase, causing me to remember the song itself. Not too many people are humming prog songs causing the same reaction.
 Seriously, I believe the music and the lyrics go hand in hand, in conveying the feeling or tone, emotion of the song.  I think this particularly true with metal.
 

In my own songs I often find the lyrics and vocals sometimes hinder the music and I end up dropping them out and making an instrumental.  I would say that if the song needs lyrics, then they better be well written, otherwise why are they there? try omitting them...  I hear a lot of songs that are vocally driven with poor lyrics, mostly from the last decade or so.  A prog band with amazing lyrics is Magellan.

I don't really care for the lyrics, they add a great dimension for the concept, but English is not my first language and very often I don't take the time to understand the lyrics of a song. Even when I listen to a french (my native language) song, I don't put many attention into the lyrics.