Exceedingly rare set of handwritten working lyrics by Jimi Hendrix for his song ‘Room Full of Mirrors,’ the first recording of which was made at the Record Plant in New York on August 12, 1968. Although Hendrix made subsequent recordings of the song over the next couple of years, ‘Room Full of Mirrors’ was never placed on an official Hendrix album during his lifetime; an unaltered rough mix of the song, recorded one month before Hendrix’s death on August 20, 1970, was released on the posthumous compilation album Rainbow Bridge in October 1971. A live version of the song, recorded at the Royal Albert Hall on February 24, 1969, was included on the posthumous live album Experience that was released in August 1971.
The lyrics, unsigned, no date (circa March 1970 or August 1970), are handwritten in black felt tip on two off-white 8.25 x 11.75 sheets of Londonderry Hotel letterhead, both of which are entitled at the top by Hendrix in faded red and green felt tip, “Room full of Mirrors,” and “Page I” and “Page II.” The lyrics, in full (spelling and grammar retained):
“I. I use to live in a room full of mirrors – / All I could see was me. / But then Love, came on so strong, that it broke the mirror prison, She set my poor heart free
II. Broken glass use to be all in my head / Jangling, screaming, cutting in my brain / Broken glass was all in my head – it used to fall out my dreams and cut me in my bed – / But love and Hope came and saved me from the dead –
III. I said How can I ever repay you / She said just remember It’s love that will never die / And remember friend and lover…/ the sooner you discover, the sooner our heart’s will come alive / and then She kissed and wiped the tears from my eyes –
So now we fly over the mountains / and we sail over the seas / We’re rideing up through the Vallies together – / you know the whole world is here for us to see / My Lady, my love and me.” In very good to fine condition, with staple holes, small tears, and overall creasing.
‘Room Full of Mirrors’ remains one of Jimi Hendrix’s most introspective works, a vivid metaphor for the emotional turbulence and self-confrontation that shadowed his final years. First written and recorded in 1968, the song and its difficult themes followed Hendrix through a period marked by relentless work, strained relationships, and growing psychological pressure. Though Hendrix returned to the song repeatedly in the studio and onstage, it remained unreleased in his lifetime—its lyrics, which changed ultimately offering a vision of clarity and escape, a solution to the inner conflict that Hendrix himself, tragically, never found. The song's title was later used for the name of a 2005 biography by author Charles R. Cross.
Although undated, the Londonderry Hotel letterhead indicates that the lyrics may date to either March 1970 or August 1970. Not long after receiving news that his former girlfriend, Kathy Etchingham, had married, Hendrix left America for England and checked into the Londonderry on March 19, 1970. He brought Etchingham to the hotel to convince her to leave her new husband—he was unsuccessful.
Hendrix met Etchingham four years earlier when he first arrived in London on September 24, 1966, at The Scotch of St. James nightclub. They became a couple during his rise to stardom, and Etchingham served as the inspiration for famous songs like ‘The Wind Cries Mary' and ‘Foxy Lady.' By April 1969, the couple had drifted apart. During his short stay at the Londonderry, Hendrix met routinely with Etchingham, went to nightclubs, jammed with fellow musicians, and returned to Olympic Studios, where he recorded his first two albums: Are You Experienced and Axis: Bold as Love.
Five months later, Hendrix returned to London from New York on August 27, 1970, booking the Park Suite at the Londonderry Hotel, where he spent two days giving press interviews before performing at the historic Isle of Wight Festival in the early morning hours of August 31st. Hendrix, who was also preparing for a major European tour, would die just 22 days after his return.
During this final stay at the Londonderry, Hendrix suffered an infamous meltdown. Etchingham discovered that Hendrix was back in London when Angie Burdon called her in distress, saying that she and a friend were in Hendrix’s suite and that he had ‘gone mad.’ When Etchingham arrived, she found the living area wrecked, the two women in their underwear, and Hendrix locked in the bedroom after becoming violent and erratic.
The hotel expelled Hendrix after discovering the damage, prompting him to move to The Cumberland—his last known address. He then traveled to the Isle of Wight for his final UK performance and continued to several troubled European shows before returning to London. Just days later, on September 18, 1970, Hendrix tragically died at the age of 27.
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