Inspired by Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 1997

I made what felt like a breakthrough observation a few days ago that one of the earliest songs that I ever wrote and recorded was actually inspired by a National Park and should be included in this project. I wrote “Into the Wild” at a time when I was frequently camping and backpacking in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The title was definitely influenced by the 1996 book by Jon Krakauer, which I had read around the same time but part of why I found the book fascinating was that it hinted at the allure of the outdoors that drove me to want to visit the first park that I became familiar with as an adult.

NPT001: “Into the Wild”

• Demos
• Lyrics

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Demos

I’m going to share my 1997 4-track demo as well as a new 2016 demo of the same song.

07/10/1997
I recorded this demo on a TASCAM PortaStudio that I purchased in 1996. It was the 6th song I ever recorded on it and one of the very first originals. I shared it, along with other home recording, with friends on a cassette tape and CD-R labeled All My Mistakes in 1998.

01/30/2016
After realizing that this song should be part of the Trailsongs project, I decided to start a new demo and see how that felt almost 20 years later. I’m playing a Fender Stratocaster on this one.

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Lyrics

“Into the Wild”
Written by Kendall Bruns

I’m goin’ into the wild
I’m goin’ for quite a while
I’m goin’ with no one
I’m goin’ for myself
I’m goin’ into the wild

I don’t need anything that I can’t carry
I don’t need anything at all
I know I’ll be alone but please don’t worry
I might slip but I will not fall

Chorus

I’m goin’ into the wild
I’m goin’ into the wild
I’m goin’ into the wild
Into the wild
Into the wild

I’m going
I’m going
I’m going
I’m going

I’m goin’ into the wild
Into the wild
Into the wild

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