Shame on you Jonah; a hip cat like yourself should know better than to keep pawning off the myth that B. Dylan wrote the lyrics: “To live outside the law you must be honest.” (“Funny Figures,” Rolling Papers, Nov. 25)
Even a fool like myself knows they were said by Robert Keith (Brian’s pappy) in the 1958 film, The Lineup, directed by Don Segal.
The story goes, after watching the movie and listening to Robert Keith utter the line: “When you live outside the law you have to eliminate dishonesty,” Bob got a big one and after cleaning it up a bit, used it in “Absolutely Sweet Marie.”
But as Paul McCartney once said, “Everybody pinches something from someone.”
I say everybody is right.
David Dale
Sonoma Valley, Sonoma
