Bob Dylan and the Supreme Court
Monday June 30, 2008
In further evidence that folk musit permeates every facet of American life, U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Roberts recently quoted a Bob Dylan song in one of his Supreme Court opinions. Oddly, it was a suit between pay phone companies and a long distance company. According to About.com Weird News Guide Buck Wolf:
In a legal battle between pay phone companies and a long distance company that reached the high court, Justice Roberts inserts song lyrics in his opinion where a legal citation and footnotes usually goes, writing "'When you’ve got nothing you’ve got nothing to lose.' Bob Dylan, 'Like a Rolling Stone,' on Highway 61 Revisited (Columbia Records 1965)."Of course, the actual lyrics are "When you ain't got nothing, you've got nothing to lose," but that's fine. You've got to give Justice Roberts credit for going there. I'd imagine this isn't something that happens often in the Supreme Court.
Comments
It’s worth remembering that the line is an old one taken from the blues–but I don’t think Bob Dylan would quarrel with that, as he is fond of stealing from other songs, and I don’t mean that pejoratively–what did Peter Seeger say? “He steals from me, but I steal from everybody.” That’s music!