The reading of the song is vital. The written word is first always . . . first. Not belittling the music, but it really is a backdrop. To convey the meaning of a song you need to look at the lyric and understand it.

Las Vegas is the only place I know where money really talks--it says, Goodbye.

And now the end is near, and so I face the final curtain.

Don’t hide your scars. They make you who you are

You gotta love livin', baby, 'cause dyin' is a pain in the ass.

The cigarettes you light one after another won’t help you forget her.

What's [the Beatles'] I Am the Walrus all about?