Haha, I enjoy that I never saw this thread today yet it repeatedly talks about me.
My problem with PT lyrics such as those quoted is that they're just so blunt, but not in a GOOD way. Lyrics discussing shocking situations or something, like say, Tori Amos's "me and a gun," work fine as blunt, but something like this is like the heart pangs of the average college student and aren't at all describing some devastating incident. They're too boring to live without some sprucing up. They're the lyrical equivalent of a three-chord folk rock song. They just come across as lazy to me. It's not that I can't identify with the situation, it's that if I want to listen to lyrics about extremely pedestrian hurtful situations that have happened to me in my extremely pedestrian life, I want to listen to lyrics written by someone who has a more interesting command of the english language than myself, otherwise what is the point? Same deal with music! For an example of the RIGHT way to write breakup lyrics, see Jeff Buckley's "Lover You Should Have Come Over."
In Absentia had pretty good lyrics. Fear of a Blank Planet's were intermittently terrible and alright.
I now expect to read some more of these flame posts this topic is devolving into accusing anyone who doesn't like every porcupine tree lyric ever written of being a troll.