Queen: here are the original lyrics (and title) of “Bohemian Rhapsody”

It is one of Queen’s most iconic songs, among the best known of the legendary British rock band, so much so that it also inspired the title of Bryan Singer’s film which in 2018 told the parable of Freddie Mercury and co. But did you know that “Bohemian Rhapsody” originally had another title and even another lyrics? The unreleased verses of the 1975 hit, contained in the album “A night at the Opera”, will be revealed in a book created by collecting Mercury’s personal notes. The project bears the signature of Mary Austin, ex-girlfriend and close friend of the late singer.

“A life in lyrics”, this is the title of the book, expected for 2026, in addition to the discarded verses of “Bohemian Rhapsody” it will also contain the draft lyrics of other Queen hits, such as “Don’t stop me now”. “At the beginning of 2023, while cataloging the contents of Garden Lodge, this wonderful home that Freddie had left me, I began to leaf through the papers that my family and I had collected together, where they had remained undisturbed and invisible for over 30 years”, said Austin, who inherited his archive from Mercury, from his beginnings with Queen to his last solo projects, before the premature death of Freddie. 1991. Austin said he had found drafts of Mercury’s lyrics on “scattered” sheets of paper and in “simple notebooks”.

Austin believes that Mercury’s handwritten notes offer “a window into her brilliant and creative mind” and, for her, “have awakened many memories of decades past, of conversations, occasions and emotions”: “I hope that by sharing his manuscripts now, in context, I will be able to shed light on the extraordinary creative force of my dear friend, to the delight of all those whom he continues to delight and inspire, even after all these years.”

Back in 2023, it was revealed at an auction that “Bohemian Rhapsody” was originally supposed to be titled “Mongolian Rhapsody”, before Mercury canceled “Mongolian” and replaced it with “Bohemian”. The line “Mama, I just killed a man” originally read “Mama, a war has started, I have to leave tonight.” The original manuscript of the lyrics of “Bohemian Rhapsody”, containing Freddie Mercury’s first drafts and notes, was sold at auction by Sotheby’s for 1 million 380 thousand pounds.