"Been catching a lot of L's lately": Internet reacts as Johnny Depp and Jeff Beck are accused of stealing lyrics from incarcerated man's poem

According to a recent report by Rolling Stone, Johnny Depp and Jeff Beck were accused of stealing lyrics for their track Sad Motherf***in' Parade. As per the accusation, the lyrics were allegedly lifted from Slim Wilson (not to be confused with Slim Pickens Wilson), who was reportedly incarcerated in the Missouri State Penitentiary in the mid-1960s.

Per the article, Rolling Stone's Jon Blistein refers to the book and audio recordings of Get Your A** in the Water and Swim Like Me from folklorist and scholar Bruce Jackson. The book, published in 1974, includes toasts from Slim Wilson. According to the article, Depp and Beck's album 18 has a song that resembles Wilson's toast called Hobo Ben.

For the uninitiated, toasts refer to the Black folk narrative, which often enforced the usage of dark humor and profanities. As the Rolling Stone article showcased the uncredited inspiration behind Depp and Beck's song, numerous netizens reacted to the claims. One reply to the publication's tweet pointed out how Depp has been in constant legal troubles for the past few years. The tweet mentioned:

"Johnny has been catching a lot of Ls lately."

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What seems to be the issue with Johnny Depp and Jeff Beck's Sad Motherf***in' Parade? Lyrics theft allegations explored

As evident in Bruce Jackson's 1974 book Get Your A** In the Water and Swim Like Me and the associated album, Depp and Beck's track contains multiple lines from Slim Wilson's toast. According to Jackson's statement to Rolling Stone:

"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…Everything else is from Slim's performance in my book. I've never encountered anything like this. I've been publishing stuff for 50 years, and this is the first time anybody has just ripped something off and put his own name on it."

It appears that the following lines from Johnny Depp and Jeff Beck's Sad Motherf****in' Parade have been lifted from Slim Wilson's toast:

"Ladies of culture and beauty so refined, is there one among you that would grant me wine?/I'm raggedy I know, but I have no stink/and God bless the lady that'll buy me a drink.'/Heavy-hipted Hattie turned to Nadine with a laugh/and said, 'What that funky motherf***er really need, child, is a bath.'"

According to Genius' lyrics database, Johnny Depp and Jeff Beck are the only two credited writers of the song, which was released on July 15, 2022.

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Netizens react to lyrics theft accusations against Johnny Depp and Jeff Beck

While a legion of tweets mocked the situation and pointed out the support that Depp received during his defamation trial against Amber Heard, others pointed out previous allegations against Beck of borrowing lyrics. Some tried to defend the duo, citing the folklore nature of Wilson's toast that was likely passed around by word of mouth. Thus, they claim that it might not have been his original either.

A few tweets also pointed out the negative reviews that Depp and Beck's album received since its release.

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Who was Slim Wilson?

The name Slim Wilson was reportedly a pseudonym Bruce Jackson gave to the incarcerated individual. It seems that most of the prisoners featured in Jackson's book were given pseudonyms to prevent them from being in any additional trouble for their contribution to the Get Your A** In the Water and Swim Like Me.

Jackson told Rolling Stone that Slim Wilson's real name was "either Willy or Willie Davis." He was reportedly in his 50s when Jackson approached him for the book. No other information about Davis is available, except for the fact that he was in prison for robbery-related charges.

As of now, Johnny Depp and Jeff Beck have not responded to Bruce Jackson's claims. Jackson is likely seeking legal action against the touring rock duo.