Bob Dylan's rare handwritten 1996 notes for 'Blonde On Blonde' album could fetch $19,000

Bob Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture for more than 50 years. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when songs such as Blowin' in the Wind and The Times They Are A-Changin became anthems for the civil rights and anti-war movements. Recently, a 1966 manuscript on which Bob Dylan typed and wrote lyrics for a track of his Blonde on Blonde album and another abandoned song, went on sale at Sotheby’s auction house.

There are many different verses in this manuscript written by the singer which later moulded into different songs of his popular album. The manuscript is valued at £12,000 - £15,000 ($15,000 -$19,000) and will be open to bidding online until May 12. The combination of typescript and manuscript is typical of Dylan's mid-60s drafts.

Also Read| Bob Dylan's 'The Times They Are A-Changin' handwritten lyrics go on sale for $2.2 million

The page features lyrics to the song Most Likely You Go Your Way and I’ll Go Mine, a breakup song whose narrator can’t deal with the unpredictability and lack of commitment from their partner. The handwritten notes feature alternate lines such as: “You say disturb me & you don’t deserve / well honey sometimes you lie / you say you’re sorry … well, I’ll go at last / let you pass.” The manuscript has been handwritten over a typed page that features lyric Dylan has never recorded. The song opens with words, “Like a rich man’s son / like a poor fool in his prime / how come you treat me so cruel”, lines that ended up being adapted for Blonde on Blonde’s Temporary Like Achilles.

Also Read| Bob Dylan drops new song 'I Contain Multitudes'; leaves fans awestruck

It also contains a repeated refrain about "running with the devil," before ending in fragments with the words: "It's just me and you. Far from home/ there, we were far from calvery". In another section of the song, there is a phrase, “I got five fevers and fourteen believers”, these lines were eventually twisted for the song Obviously Five Believers.  The 78-year-old singer-songwriter is regarded as the voice of a generation for songs that captured the 1960s spirit of rebellion and independence. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016 for "having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.

Also Read| Bob Dylan releases new song 'Murder Most Foul', track inspired by John F Kennedy’s death

Also Read| Herschelle Gibbs To Auction His World Record Run Chasing Bat To Raise Funds For COVID-19