The manuscript dates to the early 1980s
A rare and extraordinary piece of Bob Dylan’s creative legacy, featuring unpublished handwritten religious lyrics filled with Biblical allusion and accompanied by a harmonica, sold for $25,000, in RR Auction’s recent Fine Autographs and Artifacts auction. The lyrical musings—penned on Ritz-Carlton New York letterhead—delve into themes of faith and moral conflict, including the poignant line: “You do good deeds to hasten the coming of the Messiah.”
The unsigned one-page manuscript, dating to the early 1980s, reflects Dylan’s spiritual exploration during a transformative period in his career, when he blended his Evangelical Christian beliefs with his Jewish heritage. The lyrics discuss the coexistence of good and evil, encapsulated in a metaphor about two plants growing side by side—one yielding beautiful plants, the other poisonous fruit.
The manuscript, purportedly gifted by Dylan along with a Hohner Special 20 Marine Band harmonica, was sold alongside the instrument in its original case, making this lot a captivating insight into the musician’s inner spiritual life and creative process.
Dylan, born Robert Zimmerman, has long been recognized for infusing his lyrics with Biblical and religious imagery, as seen in his songs “God Knows,” “Nettie Moore,” and “Things Have Changed.” This newly uncovered manuscript echoes such themes, offering a glimpse into Dylan’s exploration of faith and morality during the recording of his 1983 album Infidels.
Other notable sales from the auction include John Lennon’s signed royalties contract for “Dear Prudence sold for $19,899. Lennon inked this one during the Beatles’ White Album days, and it shows he was as much a businessman as a musician. Also, the first pressing of The Beatles’ “Love Me Do / P.S. I Love You” 45 RPM single record, signed the day after its release, sold for $14,641.
