Here’s your chance to own a piece of music history. Just be prepared to write a six-figure check.
Memorabilia dealer Moments In Time is selling Bob Dylan’s handwritten lyrics to “Desolation Row,” a fan-favorite record that appeared on his 1965 album Highway 61 Revisited. The manuscript has been listed with a $425,000 price tag, an unsurprising figure when you consider the item’s rarity.
According to Moments In Time, there is only one example of handwritten “Desolation Row” lyrics, unlike other Dylan songs, such as “Hard Rain,” “Blowin’ in the Wind,” and “The Times They are A Changing.” Handwritten lyrics for the latter hit were sold in 2020 for a whopping $2.2 million; while lyrics for “Blowin’ in the Wind” were purchased that same year for nearly half a million dollars.
The poetic lyrics for “Desolation Row,” which runs more than 11 minutes, were scribbled on two pieces of paper that also included several edits by Dylan. Sources told TMZ the unidentified seller has been friends with the legendary folk singer since they were children, and received the lyrics sheet more than two decades ago.
“Desolation Row” came as Dylan was transitioning from traditional folk music to electronic. The song, which serves as Highway 61 Revisited closer, centers on a large cast of characters living in a chaotic and unpleasant place. During a 1965 press conference, Dylan was asked where Desolation Row was located.
“Where? Oh, that’s some place in Mexico,” he told a TV station. “It’s across the border. It’s noted for its coke factory. Coca-Cola machines … sell a lot of Coca-Cola down there.”
You can check out the “Desolation Row” listing at the Moments in Time website.
