The handwritten, working lyrics to David Bowie’s ‘Starman’ (left), the Thin White Duke (right); Photo: Julien’s 

The legend of Ziggy Stardust grows daily, which has made any Bowie-related ephemera a hot ticket item.

Recently a document has emerged containing the working lyrics for his 1972 hit single “Starman.” The document is up for sale through famed auction house Julien’s Auctions, and is expected to fetch up to $6,000.

The hit was a pivotal moment for Bowie. It was the lead single from The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, which is considered by many to be his breakout album and peak rock chameleon moment. “Starman” reached number 10 on the UK charts and is one of Bowie’s most celebrated songs.

If you’ve forgotten the mass singalongs across the world when Bowie passed last January, heavily featuring the ‘Starman’ narrative, here’s a reminder.

Though what makes this auction unique is that there are noticeable edits made that offer a rare glimpse into Bowie’s creative process.

For example in the first verse Bowie writes:

Some cat was layin’ down some rock ‘n’ roll, ‘lotta soul, he said

The rough version was slightly different:

Some cat was layin’ down some get it on rock ‘n’ roll, he said

Another edit can be found in the same verse. The line, “Came back like a slow voice on a wave of phase” was originally, “Came back on a wave of phase.”

“‘Starman’ was one of the most important songs of Bowie’s career and was his first hit in the 1970s,” said auctioneer Darren Julien. “Shortly after he scored a position on Top of the Pops in July 1972 and this performance was credited as being his first UK TV performance of the song.”

For Bowie fans the document is a gold nugget, a chance to get a little deeper into the mind of one of pop’s most enigmatic stars. The lyrics represent a crucial juncture in Bowie’s career.

And while the average joe may scoff at the hefty price tag, the fanatic will look at it as a small price to pay for a piece of pop culture history.

Listen to “Starman” below, and the full image of the handwritten lyrics up for auction, below: