Oscar himself was ambivalent about whether lyrics could properly be considered poetry. Though written in verse, a lyric’s words are not meant to be read silently or recited aloud, but sung—and their cumulative power is inextricably linked to the music that accompanies them, and that inevitably heightens their effect (or exposes their weaknesses). In his best work, Hammerstein seemed to understand this instinctively, keeping the words as simple and conversational as possible, allowing the music to do the work.
