It's become so easy and enjoyable to throw together a new song in Sonar. 
 
I've noticed I've accumulated a heck of a lot of unfinished songs because the music arrived first and I never got back to the lyrics, so I had nothing to sing, so I have a big pile of backing tracks abandoned ideas.
 
I'm turning a new leaf.  Lyrics really aren't that hard to come up with, I just need to allocate the time to write them.
 
So my new idea is, I'm going to resist the temptation to just jump into Sonar and start creating.
 
Instead, I'm going to start anything new by first sitting down and banging out some lyrics.
 
Once I have lyrics that seem like they are worthy enough to build a song around, I'll then start playing with my regular music instruments and/or experimenting with ideas in Sonar - to support the lyrics.
 
So my motto of the moment is, "lyrics first".
 
I've just tried it for the first time today and it seems to be working as a practical concept for me.
 
Of course, I'll use the same motto if I want to rework or revisit one of my ample supply of backing track songs.  First I'll come up with lyrics for the song I want to work on, then as my reward for doing my lyric duty, I'll go back into the song and start making it fit with the lyrics or vice versa, get the lyrics to fit the song.
 
So lyrics first.  That's my motto of the day, or of 2015 I hope.
 
 
 
 

When Daryl and I write together it's lyrics first then music.
 
When the CHB was together and wrote, all but one tune was music first then lyric. The final song was lyric first then music.
 

I am definitely in the same boat as the OP. Lyrics give key, rough chord progression, bpm (+/-), and "intent." A much clearer pathway from A->B for me starting off on this foot. Best of luck with the new resolution!

Thanks Bapu and mettelus for the morale booster.  I was starting to think there was something wrong with me, but I'm glad to hear others can sympathize with my plight.
 
I'm feeling upbeat.  It's almost like going on a diet or giving up sugar or something like that.  It's going to take willpower.

I always came up with the music first. Did that for many many years. But I would always think, "I should write about" this or that, but never got around to it.
 
So to expand my skills, I set out to write some lyrics first. Some times it's just short pieces, not complete song. But I did finally do a whole song.
 
One day I was going to sleep when the thought of an idea for words to a song came to me. So I got up and wrote the idea only down. I forget how long it was after that, but I finished the music of a song and had no lyrics. Then I remembered the idea that I had wrote down. So I found that paper with the idea wrote down on it, took that idea and wrote all the lyrics to the song in about 30 minutes. And they fit the music.
 
So now if I have an idea to write lyrics, I just write as much as I can. No limit on how much it has to be. Just write.
 
I have gone back through these pieces of papers and I come up with lyrics to songs fairly quickly. The words that I write down may not be whole songs, but I get enough of an idea from what I wrote previously that I can flesh it out to make it do.
 
Push yourself out of your comfort zone. Don't accept any limits!

bapu
When Daryl and I write together it's lyrics first then music.
 
 

Is this the shameless pre-plug of the shameless plug of the upcoming shameless plug ?
 
 
 
 
As for the OP, I should probably do that, but I don't, hence lots of lyricless pieces also nestling on my HDD. I'm particularly useless at the lyrical content, so I tend to put it off.

With me, it's often music first followed closely and together with the lyrics.
 
I get a chord progression and a groove..... then a lyric that might be as sparse as a single line or a title, and it grows from there.  Sometimes I will start with that title or line and build from there, but for all intents and purposes, it's pretty much together at the same time.

Guitarhacker
With me, it's often music first followed closely and together with the lyrics.
 
I get a chord progression and a groove..... then a lyric that might be as sparse as a single line or a title, and it grows from there.  Sometimes I will start with that title or line and build from there, but for all intents and purposes, it's pretty much together at the same time.

This...is basically how I write as well. Almost always a chord progression first, but often at the same time and often just a few verses or a chorus idea to build around. Then the actual "work" begins, to flush the rest out.

I will first work on some chords in tempo and then add a scratch vocal where I am singing notes buy no real words. 
I use placement holders for words while I record melody. 
I then will go back and start to work on lyrics based on the rough ideas.
 
I very seldom can start with lyrics. I need the melody and beat in my head first. 

This post made me smile. Same here: tons of songs without lyrics.
 
Funny thing is: when I start with the lyrics first, it´s more likely for me to have it finished. There are none of my songs with lyrics that hasn´t the final instrumental accompaniment yet. On the other hand I have dozens of songs, "ready for lyrics" since ages, but no idea what to sing :-P
Most of these unfinished songs I have always with me, listen to them whenever I can. Some of them are a few years old already. And sometimes while listening to one random song, suddenly there´re some lyrics in my mind which I record instantly (thank you mobile phone ;-)) and later record in the studio.
 
Soooo... I´d agree. Lyrics first is, based on my own expirences, the most effective way to get a song done. But that doesn´t mean that it is not a huge ton of fun to just open Sonar and start being creative.
 
Thank you all for sharing your thoughts. Had a fun time reading them :-)