Johnny Depp and his musical collaborator Jeff Beck are accused of stealing several lyrics of their song “Sad Motherf-in’ Parade” from a “toast” performed by Missouri State Penitentiary inmate Slim Wilson and released by folklorist Bruce Jackson, according to Rolling stone.
In Wilson’s toast “Hobo Ben”, featured in Jackson’s 1974 book Get your A– in the water and swim like methe poem reads: “‘Ladies of culture and beauty so refined, is there any among you who will pour me wine? / I am ragged, I know, but I have no stench / And God bless the lady who will buy me a drink’/ Hattie with heavy hips turned to Nadine with a smile/ and said, ‘What that funky mother really needs, kid, is a bath.’”
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“Sad Motherf-in’ Parade,” from Depp and Beck’s new album, 18contains some lines seemingly pulled from “Hobo Ben” including “I’m ragged, I know, but I ain’t got no stench / God bless a lady who’ll buy me a drink” and “What that funky mom, kid , really needs is a bath.’
The song is credited to Depp and Beck, with no mention of Wilson or Jackson, according to rolling stone and the description of the official video on YouTube.
“The only two lines I could find in the whole piece that” [Depp and Beck] contributed are ‘Big time motherf–ker’ and ‘Bust it down to my level,’” Jackson told the publication. “Everything else is from Slim’s performance in my book. I’ve never come across anything like this. I’ve been publishing stuff for 50 years, and this is the first time someone has scammed something and put their own name on it.”
Billboard has reached out to representatives for Depp and Beck for comment.
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