Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Man of the World’ Lyrics Up for Auction: A Glimpse into Peter Green’s Legacy

Peter Green's handwritten Fleetwood Mac lyrics will be auctioned off next week. Experts think the sale might fetch between £12,000 and £15,000 (roughly between $16,000 and $20,000).

The auction piece shows the creative process behind the 1969 hit "Man of the World." Initially written in blue ink, then tweaked with black pen marks, the sheet captures Green's songwriting method in action. Musical notations are scattered across the page, giving a glimpse into his mind at work.

"Few musicians can claim to have been as talented and as important to the development of rock music from the blues and folk movements as Peter Green," John Silke, specialist at Ewbank's, told Band Premier, as reported by NME. 

After Green's exit in 1970, the song wasn't played again until the band's Australian shows in 2019. Mick Fleetwood spoke about the track's hidden meanings to Rolling Stone in 2020, as reported by Yahoo News, "It's a very prophetic song. When he made those songs, we had no idea that he was suffering internally as much as he was. But if you listen to the words, it's crucifyingly obvious what was going on," said Fleetwood. 

The Entertainment + Memorabilia Music event will also put Rolling Stones items up for grabs. A standout piece: Mick Jagger's unseen draft statement about a 1967 drug raid. Bidders can join the action through Ewbank's website starting August 21.