A Tradition of ‘Borrowing’

Twenty years ago, a wise man wrote: “Steal a little and they throw you in jail, steal a lot and they make you king.” That’s a pretty clear statement from cultural shape-shifter Bob Dylan, but it doesn’t say anything about what constitutes stealing. Inquiring minds therefore want to know what Dylan has to say about striking similarities between “Confessions of a Yakuza,” an oral history of Japan’s criminal underworld compiled by writer and physician Junichi Saga, and “Love and Theft,” Dylan’s 2001 Grammy Award-winning album.

There are critics who see it as another chapter in the accusations of plagiarism that have hounded some serious authors in recent years. Dylanists, however, sniff that the album’s title shouts out that the songwriter borrowed the goods -- but returned them in a beautiful package. Only a dozen or so lines are involved, and even Saga hasn’t objected.

Dylan sings: “My old man, he’s like some feudal lord.” Saga writes, on the very first page of the book based on one of his patients: “My old man would sit there like a feudal lord.” Dylan sings: “What good are you anyway, if you can’t stand up to some old businessman.” Saga writes: “D’you think I could call myself a yakuza if I couldn’t stand up to some old businessman.” Saga politely suggested that Dylan include a reference to his book in subsequent pressings.

Defenders say Dylan, who’s written more than 500 songs and filled more than 40 albums, is guilty only of working in a blues and folk tradition that encourages writers to lean on the past to gain stronger purchase on the future. The Times’ Randy Lewis put Dylan’s possible sins into perspective by reporting that the suspicious lines are among 508 total lines on the album and that half of the lines are in a single song.

Dylan, touring in several Western states and with a movie about to premiere, isn’t talking for public consumption. What a surprise -- Dylan not talking. However, he still speaks for himself. Go to bobdylan.com and type “steal” (or, for that matter, “shame,” “forgiveness” or “sorrow”) into the search engine and you’ll find any number of lyrics that hint at an answer. The line at the top of this editorial is from his 1983 song “Sweetheart Like You.” Dylan also explains his silence with “Well I’m tired of talking; I’m tired of trying to explain / My attempts to please you were all in vain” (“ ‘Til I Fell in Love With You,” 1997).

And as for avoiding his public and the media, “I’m not sorry for nothin’ I’ve done” (“Honest With Me,” 2001).