I'm not entirely convinced the distinction carries a difference, but if I were to attempt defining one, I'd probably have to line up some different cats that I would consider great examples for each side of the fence, and then see what the similarities and differences were.

So, consider Baerwald on one side of the fence, and (just for kicks), someone like Jeff Lynne on the other.

With Baerwald, you're getting lyrical grit. He's telling stories based in keen observations, getting into the heads of characters.

With Lynne, not so much. As much as I love listening to the work, it does not at all seem to delve into the characters evoked--and that's not to say I find Lynne superficial; instead, I think he holds meanings private, where Baerwald (I think) really wants the listener to "get it," where the meaning of what is said is public for all to see.

Maybe someone will correct me here, but I don't think Baerwald is the type to say "the song means whatever the listener would take it to mean." Lynne--I think leans that way. (And knowing that Lynne always writes his lyrics once the other tracks have already been done contributes to my feeling this way.)

So I suppose what I've done is I've backed the question up a little bit into the territory of writers who have "public meanings" vs writers who have "private meanings."

With Baerwald, Springsteen, Chris Knight, I think you're supposed to "get it." The meaning of the song lyrics is visible to the public eye.

With Jeff Lynne, Alan Parsons, Tears for Fears, I think it doesn't matter so much if you "get it." The meaning can just as well sit in the corner of the studio & go undiscovered by the public.

It's a pretty simplistic approach, what I've outlined above, and immediately I can think of artists whose work could straddle the categories pretty easily. Are the meanings of Elton John's songs public or private? Linda Perry's? Lowen & Navarro's? Lyle Lovett's? Jethro Tull's?

But I suppose if I had to attempt to nail down a difference between "songwriters" and "storytellers," I'd start by looking for the "grit content," and place the grittier (public meanings) on the side of the sliding meter that was labeled "storyteller," and the less gritty (private meanings, possibly not even having "a single meaning"), on the "songwriter" side.

So-- "Took a ride with a sadist on a Saturday night / his teeth were like diamonds in the dashboard light"--storyteller

vs.

"making believe this is what you conceived from your first day / when you / and your sweet desire / took me / higher and higher"--songwriter

or

"I need your kiss / but love and duty called you someplace high / somewhere up the stairs."--storyteller

vs.

"I am the eye in the sky, looking at you / I can read your mind."--songwriter

or

Bb F Well I remember William Eb Bb We weren't much more than kids Eb Bb His family lived in a run down shack F Eb Like the rest of the white trash did Bb F Now me and ole William Eb Bb We used to smoke out behind the barn Eb Bb Til his daddy caught him stealing cigarettes F Bb I still think he broke William's arm Bb F When I was drinkin my first beer Eb Bb Ole William was getting high Eb Bb He got kicked out of school for fightin and drugs F Eb And he stayed out late at night Bb F He never said too much about home Eb Bb Or the bruises on his back Eb Bb I asked him about em one time F Eb But he never answered back ----storyteller

vs.

Bathe in another man's grave In time we'll follow Save all your thoughts for these days Don't steal, just borrow

Well, a high wire is a dangerous game But a hard act to follow If I fly high like a moth to a flame Would your eyes be the size of sorrow?

Pain, I can understand pain Sometimes you just swallow Say we can make it okay Don't steal, just borrow

Well, the high wire is a dangerous game But a hard act to follow If I fly high like a moth to a flame Would your eyes be the size of sorrow? ----songwriter

Herring405