Bob Dylan’s version of ‘Mr. Tambourine Man lyrics sell at auction for $508,000

Bob Dylan’s legendary “Mr. Tambourine Man,” one of the defining folk-rock songs of the 1960s, has once again attracted attention, but this time it’s not through a song recording.

The original versions of the song’s lyrics, which offer a rare glimpse into Dylan’s creative process, recently sold at auction for $508,000. The sale, held by Julien’s auctions in Nashville, contributes to the increased interest in Dylan’s legacy, especially after the recent release of A complete unknowna biopic about Dylan’s rise in 1960s New York.

The two sheets of yellowed paper, which sold for over half a million dollars, feature three typed versions of the iconic song. These drafts are not the final version, but offer unique insights into Dylan’s songwriting methods. Handwritten notes and changes in the margins show the evolution of the texts, with one draft even approaching the final version, although significant variations remain. For fans and experts alike, these concepts offer a chance to see how one of the most influential songwriters of the 20th century crafted his work.

“It’s absolutely mind-boggling and a confirmation that this is how genius works,” Richard Thomas, a classics scholar at Harvard University who also teaches a course on Dylan’s writing, told Ali Watkins of the New York Times.

Bob Dylan – Mr. Tambourine Man (official audio)

The concepts were part of the personal collection of Al Aronowitz, a renowned rock journalist who was a close confidant of Dylan in the 1960s. Dylan wrote: ‘Mr. Tambourine Man” in early 1964 at Aronowitz’s home in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, where he spent a night at the journalist’s breakfast bar, writing on a portable typewriter while listening to Marvin Gaye’s “Can I Get A Witness.”

Aronowitz later remembered that after Dylan left, he found a trash can full of crumpled pages, the discarded versions of the song. But after Aronowitz’s death in 2005, his family could not find the text and believed the drafts had been lost. His son, Myles Aronowitz, who played a key role in finding the text pages, said the discovery came after years of searching through family archives.

“This was family history,” Myles told David Browne Rolling stone in December. “My father talked about it, but he had no idea where they were. He thought he had lost them or someone had stolen them. It took us years of searching through the archives, folder by folder, to find them.”

In total, the Aronowitz Archive sold for $1.5 million, while other items fetched impressive sums. Under the highlights were one Fender Telecaster from 1983 owned by Dylan, sold for $222,250, and an original Oil painting from 1968 by Dylan, which raised $260,000.

“My family and I are very pleased with the auction,” Myles said in a statement, according to Daniel Kreps of Rolling stone. “These items were testament to my father’s unique and intimate place in music and cultural history, along with his good friend Bob Dylan and all the other iconic artists of his time.”

Myles and his wife hope to organize another auction and eventually place the entire collection in a library or museum, said Ali Watkins of the New York Times.

Dylan’s ‘Mr. Tambourine Man,” which was eventually released on his album in 1965 Bring it all back homebecame a milestone in the folk rock genre. Although the Byrds’ 1965 cover of the song was a hit, Dylan’s version would become one of his most celebrated songs.