Is Dylan the Bradman of Songwriters?

 The question of whether or not Dylan "deserves" the Nobel for literature depends on if songs are "literature", which depends on what you think "literature" is. If we grant the premise, then Dylan should get a Nobel, without a doubt. Should other songwriters get the Nobel or is Dylan in his own category? Candidates include, inter alia,: Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Oscar Hamerstein, Paul Simon, Randy Newman, Leonard Cohen, Tom Paxton, Richard Thompson and Loudon Wainwright III. On balance, despite great respect for these, I conclude that Dylan is the Bradman. His lyrics encompass several genres and styles, showing knowledge and respect for the various forms while unsurpassed as an innovator. In particular there are the, mainly 60s and 70s, songs that bear the imprint of the French Surrealist poets that no-one else has been able match - Visions of Johanna, It's Allright Ma I'm only Bleeding, Mr Tambourine Man, When the Ship Comes In, Highway 61 Revisited, etc..