Bob Dylan’s handwritten draft lyrics for his iconic 1965 song “Mr. Tambourine Man” have been sold at auction for $508,000 (£417,471) in the United States. The lyrics, written on two yellow sheets of paper, include three typewritten drafts of the song, though they aren’t the final version. Dylan also made handwritten notes in the margins.
The song is one of his most well-known hits, and the draft was part of a collection of 60 items belonging to Dylan that were auctioned off in Nashville. Among the other items were a 1968 oil painting created and signed by Dylan, as well as a 1983 Fender Telecaster electric guitar that he owned and played.
The third draft of Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man,” which was close to the final version, still featured notable differences from the finished lyrics, according to Julien’s Auctions, where the sale took place.
Also included in the auction was a firsthand account from music journalist Al Aronowitz, who recalled Dylan writing the song at Aronowitz’s home, likely in March 1964. Aronowitz shared that Dylan had spent the night composing and revising the song on his typewriter. In his article, Bob Dylan: The Champ Has No Contenders, Aronowitz described finding a wastebasket full of crumpled drafts, including what would become the “Mr. Tambourine Man” lyrics. He later smoothed out the sheets, read the rough lines, and filed them away.
A month after Dylan released the song, The Byrds’ version came out, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and in the UK, becoming the first Dylan-penned song to top both charts.
Other items from the sale exceeded expectations, including a sketch by Dylan that was estimated to sell for $1,500 to $2,500 but went for $88,900. A Levi’s jacket worn by Dylan in the 1987 film Hearts of Fire sold for $25,400. In total, nearly $1.5 million was raised from the auction.
The auction coincided with the release of A Complete Unknown, a biopic about Dylan’s rise to fame, featuring Timothée Chalamet, which hit theaters in December 2024.
