A lyric sheet for Bob Dylan’s 1965 hit song ‘Like a Rolling Stone’ has sold for $2.045 million.
The draft was bought by an unidentified bidder at auction house Sotheby’s on Tuesday (24.06.14) and the sale is reportedly a world record for a popular music manuscript, according to Associated Press.
The lyrics are written in pencil on four sheets of stationary from Roger Smith Hotel in Washington D.C and Sotheby’s described the item as "the only known surviving draft of the final lyrics for this transformative rock anthem."
However, the sheets do feature some lyrics that were eventually taken out of the song, including the phrase, "…dry vermouth/You’ll tell the truth" and a line about Al Capone, which also didn’t make the cut.
The lyrics show Dylan’s attempts to build a rhyme off of the "How does it feel" line with phrases like, "it feels real," "does it feel real," "get down and kneel," "raw deal" and "shut up and deal."
The draft also features some of the star’s thoughts and doodles and was already expected to sell for between $1 million and $2 million at Sotheby’s rock and pop sale, entitled, "History of Rock and Roll From Presley to Punk."
Although the seller was not identified, he bought the manuscript directly from Dylan and is said to be a "longtime fan from California".
Bob Dylan lyric sheet sold for $2.045 million
