Bound to Roam - Vocals and other thoughts. (Patreon)

Wow! Here is a little vocal thing for you. What is this little vocal thing? Glad you asked!

I often visit the woods all over Arkansas to find quiet beautiful places where it's just the trees and me, as well as possibly a little river (because there are many little rivers that wander and sometimes lazily pool in mossy grottos), and finding these places is relatively easy because everywhere in Nature is beautiful! However, finding specific places can be really difficult sometimes, especially when the roads are unmarked and you're just roaming along until suddenly you're somewhere you don't want to forget, but you've forgotten how you arrived.

Back in 2018 I visited such a place, and I have photos from such a place (on a dslr that did NOT have gps coordinate recording RIP), but have since been unable to find that place. That particular sequence of "wandering from here to there" was so beautiful to me that almost as soon as I had left, a little melody crept into my head and within the next couple of days, it had lyrics, and that was that. A little song had been born! But I never recorded the song anywhere: I just kept it in my heart, as you do with things which are precious to you. And for years I have sung the song in many showers, many times when I am alone, and often when I am out of doors in beautiful places.

Lately I have been considering how few of my musical releases lately have vocals, and that's mainly because: I'm fucking tired! Recording vocals is an absolutely exhausting process. The number of songs I have written in the last 8 years that haven't seen the light of day purely because I have not had the energy to record, process, edit, mix and polish vocals is definitely more than I could count on both hands. I've also been considering lately how I could make that process easier - Or, just do something different to express myself vocally, because I do miss singing very much.

So, this is just a little exploration of that feeling. These vocals have been minimally processed and only edited to remove noise. Why? I am TIRED! But also, they sound fine. My constant obsessing over details can't catch up if I make stuff without overcomplicating it. I wanted to share it here because it's not something I would post anywhere else. Eventually I'd like to do an album of just vocal work in the same vein, but for now, enjoy this. Perhaps you can keep this song in your heart and sing it, too.

Oh, I should also say, this song is connected to Arana Sleeps at this point - It's not why it was written, but I very much associate it with the game, and I wanted you to know that.

Thank you for reading, and listening - and I hope your 2024 stays beautiful!

---

In my heart,

I have known:

This is where I'm bound to roam.

But if I go too far,

I'll just look up at the stars,

and know that I am home.

To your dreams

I have been,

Waking time and time again.

But if I carry on,

I can find where you have gone,

And maybe we'll be friends.