Poetry is a huge part of literary history. 2It is also a part of musical history. 3From the lyrics of ancient folk songs to those of modern-day rap, musicians have used words in their art to express life, love, and culture. 4Whether the melody comes first or the words do, it is a poet's job to make them work together. 5The music and words become partners in the goal of expressing ideas or affecting the listener in some way. 6We have all been turned into mush by a beautiful song with a sad message, and we have the musical poets to thank for that.