Poem To Be Auctioned: Jim Morrison Handwritten Poem, ‘Last Words’ Up For Bid

A handwritten poem by Jim Morrison has been placed up for auction. The “Last Words” poem was found inside a Paris hotel room where The Doors singer was staying at the time of his death in 1971. The thick notebook the poem was written in was once intact, but Morrison’s journal has had pages removed and placed up for bid in recent years.

The Jim Morrison poem auction “went live” on Thursday with bids being accepted through June 23. The handwritten poem is expected to garner up to $80,000 by the time the gavel pounds on the podium, according to Paddle8, the auctioneer.

Paddle8 staffer Simeon Lipman believes Jim Morrison was “kind of obsessed” by the theme of death. “Obviously, we don’t know if it’s the last thing he ever wrote … but it was among the last things he ever wrote – certainly.”

Jim Morrison died at the age of 27 – the exact cause of The Doors singer’s death was never determined and still sparks heated debate among fans. Some feel that Morrison faked his own death and is living out his days in anonymous seclusion.

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The “Last Words” poem to be auctioned was reportedly found inside Jim Morrison’s “fascination trunk” where he houses other personal belongings. The poem currently up for auction is numbered, but not dated, so it will remain forever unknown if the prose were truly the legendary 1960s singer’s last words.

Some of The Doors biggest hits include “Light My Fire,” “L.A. Woman,” “Alabama Song – Whiskey Bar,” “The End,” and “Riders on the Storm.” Morrison wrote lyrics which were often considered poetry, the dark prose often became songs or inspiration for songs.

Simeon Lipman shared some insight on the other writings in the Jim Morrison notebook.

“What stands out is the fact that the one on page 152 was indeed the last page of the notebook. I actually saw the notebook when it was intact years ago and I remember seeing that last page and those last words and thinking, ‘Wow, this is pretty powerful stuff.’ His writings can be taken so many different ways. Personally I like to visualize what he’s saying. … That’s what makes his songs and poems so relevant today because people can envision them,’ he added.”

Jim Morriosn died 44 years ago, but his voice and words live on. His poetry and the music of The Doors is as fresh and relevant today as it was when it was first recorded almost 50 years ago.

This verse featuring Jim Morrison from a published poem about the 1960s entitled “I Was There” expresses the triumph and tragedy of The Lizard King’s short life.

“Jim opened new doors and felt our desire
he fanned the flames and lit the fire
on his excesses we all could depend
what a shame they took his life in the end”

[Image Via Elektra Records]

Poem “I Was There” Copyright Wolff Bachner 1998 and 2007