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Wilderness
Compiled from the literary estate of the singer who brought a wildly lyrical poetry of the damned to the world of rock 'n' roll. Includes unpublished poems, drawings, photos, and a candid self-interview.
305 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
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About the author
Jim Morrison
115 books1,113 followersJames Douglas Morrison was an American singer, poet, songwriter, writer, and film director. He is best known as the lead singer and lyricist of The Doors, and is widely considered to be one of the most charismatic and influential frontmen in rock music. He was also the author of several books of poetry and the director of a documentary and short film.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 225 reviews
October 15, 2017
I rate Jim Morrison's poetry the way I do John Lennon's famous doodles. Technically they're borderline atrocious to fair with the occasional flicker of craft and insight. However, it's their creator that makes them so intriguing.
Replete with copies of Morrison's handwritten work and photos, Wilderness: The Lost Writings is a collection of simple-but-enigmatic phrasings made more interesting due to the writer's fame and infamy. This is best read by Morrison fans, especially if they're still young and still open to basic couplets about the various facets of love, lust and elementary existentialism.
What are you doing here?
What do you want?
Is it music?
We can play music.
But you want more.
You want something & someone new.
Am I right?
Of course I am.
I know what you want.
You want ecstasy
Desire & dreams.
Things not exactly what they seem.
I lead you this way, he pulls that way.
I'm not singing to an imaginary girl.
I'm talking to you, my self.
Let's recreate the world.
The palace of conception is burning.
Look. See it burn.
Bask in the warm hot coals.
You're too young to be old
You don't need to be told
You want to see things as they are.
You know exactly what I do
Everything
When I was a teenaged, diehard Doors fan I gobbled this up. Now, not so much.
Replete with copies of Morrison's handwritten work and photos, Wilderness: The Lost Writings is a collection of simple-but-enigmatic phrasings made more interesting due to the writer's fame and infamy. This is best read by Morrison fans, especially if they're still young and still open to basic couplets about the various facets of love, lust and elementary existentialism.
What are you doing here?
What do you want?
Is it music?
We can play music.
But you want more.
You want something & someone new.
Am I right?
Of course I am.
I know what you want.
You want ecstasy
Desire & dreams.
Things not exactly what they seem.
I lead you this way, he pulls that way.
I'm not singing to an imaginary girl.
I'm talking to you, my self.
Let's recreate the world.
The palace of conception is burning.
Look. See it burn.
Bask in the warm hot coals.
You're too young to be old
You don't need to be told
You want to see things as they are.
You know exactly what I do
Everything
When I was a teenaged, diehard Doors fan I gobbled this up. Now, not so much.
April 29, 2023
I wouldn't say his poetry was brilliant or anything, but it's intriguing.
The poems in this book are from 1966-1971, and they were unpublished until the release of this book. It's not the best of his work, hence why it was left unpublished by him.
Wilderness lets you see a little more into the mind of one of the greatest songwriters.
Only for die-hard fans.
The poems in this book are from 1966-1971, and they were unpublished until the release of this book. It's not the best of his work, hence why it was left unpublished by him.
Wilderness lets you see a little more into the mind of one of the greatest songwriters.
Only for die-hard fans.
January 4, 2009
Jim Morrison changed my life in college. Ironically, he was dead at the time, but it's true. I love so many of the poems in this volume but one stands out right now, after I've experienced fall and am experiencing winter for the first time in years:
A man rakes leaves into
a heap in his yard, a pile,
& leans on his rake &
burns them utterly.
The fragrance fills the forest
children pause & heed the
smell, which will become
nostalgia in several years
A man rakes leaves into
a heap in his yard, a pile,
& leans on his rake &
burns them utterly.
The fragrance fills the forest
children pause & heed the
smell, which will become
nostalgia in several years
December 18, 2012
While flipping though the pages of Wilderness at a local book store, I found these lines:
“I am troubled, immeasurably
by your eyes.
I am struck by the feather
of your soft reply.
The sound of glass
speaks quick, disdain
and conceals
what your eyes fight
to explain.”
Morrison is an amazing poet, a legend, a rascal, a prophet.
“I am troubled, immeasurably
by your eyes.
I am struck by the feather
of your soft reply.
The sound of glass
speaks quick, disdain
and conceals
what your eyes fight
to explain.”
Morrison is an amazing poet, a legend, a rascal, a prophet.
January 10, 2024
Raw poems that give you a glimpse of the creative process of JM. A talent that left us too soon. His poems reflect the way he expressed himself through his music: the outsider who can see what (we) insiders are too busy to see. I have no doubt that he would have continued to write poetry if he had stayed with us longer.
December 13, 2019
He's the only one (so far) I can respect as a poet. I can see the effect of film and theater on his poetry: it's like he's directing our collective unconsciousness, marching out these archetypes and letting them act out his scenarios while simultaneously allowing for the influence of the Old Man, the Joker, the Shaman and the Whore. It's all about coniunctio oppositorum, baby. Atmosphere, inside the magic circle... (It's all lost in translation.) He was a conjurer. But is it the words or the rhythm? With his eyes I could see.
People need Connectors
Writers, heroes, stars,
leaders
To give life form.
A child’s sand boat facing
the sun.
Plastic soldiers in the miniature
dirt war. Forts.
Garage Rocket Ships
Ceremonies, theatre, dances
To reassert Tribal needs & memories
a call to worship, uniting
above all, a reversion,
a longing for family & the
safety magic of childhood.
People need Connectors
Writers, heroes, stars,
leaders
To give life form.
A child’s sand boat facing
the sun.
Plastic soldiers in the miniature
dirt war. Forts.
Garage Rocket Ships
Ceremonies, theatre, dances
To reassert Tribal needs & memories
a call to worship, uniting
above all, a reversion,
a longing for family & the
safety magic of childhood.
November 14, 2016
JIM!!!!! Why do all the good guys have to croak? I love this man so much. He writes like a drugged-out god, which is exactly what it is. Some might interpret this as the ramblings of some freak high off his ass, but it is only obvious to the faithful that it is much more than that, this is the writing of a man, in touch with a high intelligence, whether that connection was found in drugs or just Jim's sheer intellect is inconsequential, it is simply the state of being with Morrison, he knows what he's doing and every word is a poem in itself, everything is something and nothing at the same time, and he was genius enough to see it.
April 10, 2019
Hallucinatory poetry.
Read
November 16, 2011Like The American Night: The Writings of Jim Morrison Volume 2, Wilderness provides readers with the inspiring, albeit often confusing, hallucinatory poetry of Morrison. The rhythm of the pieces often themselves intoxicating, one can almost feel as if the phonemic structure of Morrison's work has an underlying pattern that the average person just cannot quite articulate. For aspiring poets, this collection of poems is an extraordinary example of the affects of sound on poetry and how important it is for a word's sound to make an impact on the reader.
November 15, 2009
I have been a fan of the Doors since watching Oliver Stone's biopic and I've since been intrigued by the persona of Jim Morrison. While Stone's film and other critics often view Morrison as a drunken buffoon, I could see there was more to him. I've read a handful of biographies and it has only helped increase my awe and respect of the 60's music icon. The man was a genius and had great appreciation for art, hoping to segue his music career into that as a writer/poet/filmmaker. Wilderness is the first volume in a collection from Morrison's personal notebooks with poetry collected throughout the years.
Reading through Morrison's poetry, it was easy to spot the common themes attributed to his writing/music: life in Los Angeles, death, Native Americans and shamanism, and his experiences on the road touring with the Doors. There were some great pieces included though there were also a great bit where I couldn't quite follow what Morrison was feeling. Some of the included poems struck me as word association exercises he may have happened to jot down in his notebooks. Morrison had, in interviews, mentioned he had hoped there would be points where he would write "automatically", in which he puts pen to paper and lets his subconscious guide it, though he admitted it never worked that way; I felt a couple of the poems in the collection seemed to be possible attempts at "automatic" writing and were merely his flow of consciousness at the time of writing.
Part insight, part mystery. While I may not had understood Morrison's poetry in it's entirety, there was enough in the collection that could sense what he was feeling that it gave me a deeper understanding of the man behind the lyrics. If you've ever been intrigued by the self-proclaimed "Lizard King" and the autobiographies don't cut it, I strongly suggest your take a moment to glance over some of his poetry and let Morrison invite you into his mind in his own words.
Reading through Morrison's poetry, it was easy to spot the common themes attributed to his writing/music: life in Los Angeles, death, Native Americans and shamanism, and his experiences on the road touring with the Doors. There were some great pieces included though there were also a great bit where I couldn't quite follow what Morrison was feeling. Some of the included poems struck me as word association exercises he may have happened to jot down in his notebooks. Morrison had, in interviews, mentioned he had hoped there would be points where he would write "automatically", in which he puts pen to paper and lets his subconscious guide it, though he admitted it never worked that way; I felt a couple of the poems in the collection seemed to be possible attempts at "automatic" writing and were merely his flow of consciousness at the time of writing.
Part insight, part mystery. While I may not had understood Morrison's poetry in it's entirety, there was enough in the collection that could sense what he was feeling that it gave me a deeper understanding of the man behind the lyrics. If you've ever been intrigued by the self-proclaimed "Lizard King" and the autobiographies don't cut it, I strongly suggest your take a moment to glance over some of his poetry and let Morrison invite you into his mind in his own words.
March 27, 2018
'The Voice of the Serpent
dry hiss of age and steam
& leaves of gold
old book in ruined
Temples
The pages break like ash
I will not disturb
I will not go
Come, he says softly
an old man appears &
moves in tired dance
amid the scattered dead
gently they stir'
'No wise men now
each on his own
Grab your daughter and run'
'Where'd you learn about
Satan-out of a book
Love?-out of a box'
dry hiss of age and steam
& leaves of gold
old book in ruined
Temples
The pages break like ash
I will not disturb
I will not go
Come, he says softly
an old man appears &
moves in tired dance
amid the scattered dead
gently they stir'
'No wise men now
each on his own
Grab your daughter and run'
'Where'd you learn about
Satan-out of a book
Love?-out of a box'
May 16, 2018
I enjoyed this book for the most part and it was a quick read. There were good things here, as well as some not so good things - but I think a lot of it was left unfinished and may have been presented in a way Jim might not have put forth publicly himself. I think those behind the book seemed honest about that, though.
That said, unless you like poetry and/or are a Jim Morrison fan, this may not be for you.
That said, unless you like poetry and/or are a Jim Morrison fan, this may not be for you.
May 10, 2025
”There was preserved in her the fresh miracle of surprise.”
I was on a cruise when I read this book, up basking in the sun, watching the waves tossing and turning as they try to kiss the sky and tempt the clouds.
Jim Morrison is by no means a poet in the simple sense of “poetry”… he’s like a gaping wound splattering blood upon a white canvas, but the blood doesn’t dry, it instead rolls and stains and sinks as it tracks along a white, blank world. Jim is like a bloodstain on a snowbank, loud, striking, disturbing in the sense of intrigue. He is art.
It felt like Jim was talking to me. Like I was lying in a haze of secondhand smoke, the lights and faces and voices of his mind swirling before my eyes in this glimpse into wherever he resided between consciousness and creativity.
It had no beginning, it had no end, each poem and section was a confusing question whether it had ended or began or continued. It was painting a picture without direction, written words that have no meaning accept for the meaning you attach to it. It made him feel alive through the pages.
I loved how it felt so alive.
I was on a cruise when I read this book, up basking in the sun, watching the waves tossing and turning as they try to kiss the sky and tempt the clouds.
Jim Morrison is by no means a poet in the simple sense of “poetry”… he’s like a gaping wound splattering blood upon a white canvas, but the blood doesn’t dry, it instead rolls and stains and sinks as it tracks along a white, blank world. Jim is like a bloodstain on a snowbank, loud, striking, disturbing in the sense of intrigue. He is art.
It felt like Jim was talking to me. Like I was lying in a haze of secondhand smoke, the lights and faces and voices of his mind swirling before my eyes in this glimpse into wherever he resided between consciousness and creativity.
It had no beginning, it had no end, each poem and section was a confusing question whether it had ended or began or continued. It was painting a picture without direction, written words that have no meaning accept for the meaning you attach to it. It made him feel alive through the pages.
I loved how it felt so alive.
October 4, 2007
I guess I'm a biased reviewer here. I am a passionate Doors fan. If you're a casual Doors listener, you'll find Morrison's writing rough sledding. But if you're like me, you'll love this collection of previously unpublished poems and ephemera.
Perhaps Jim wasn't the most polished poet in the world. His work often smacks of the high school English star drunk on words. But he's got some wonderful imagery in here, and seems to be aware of the wonderful SOUND words can make when they're played off each other. "Winter photography---our love's in jeopardy..." He was a songwriter, after all.
The "Self-Interview" is also a highlight. It gives the reader an idea of what was going on between Morrison's ears, what he was striving for in his writing.
Of course, WILDERNESS does not provide the satisfaction of a finished book, like THE LORDS AND THE NEW CREATURES does. But it does yield some fine, fascinating writing by a well-read man who valued words. That alone makes WILDERNESS worthwhile.
Perhaps Jim wasn't the most polished poet in the world. His work often smacks of the high school English star drunk on words. But he's got some wonderful imagery in here, and seems to be aware of the wonderful SOUND words can make when they're played off each other. "Winter photography---our love's in jeopardy..." He was a songwriter, after all.
The "Self-Interview" is also a highlight. It gives the reader an idea of what was going on between Morrison's ears, what he was striving for in his writing.
Of course, WILDERNESS does not provide the satisfaction of a finished book, like THE LORDS AND THE NEW CREATURES does. But it does yield some fine, fascinating writing by a well-read man who valued words. That alone makes WILDERNESS worthwhile.
August 6, 2010
If you think you know Jim Morrison from the classic rock station and the Oliver Stone movie, think again. Some deep stuff here.
September 13, 2016
I bought this volume of Jim Morrison’s poetry at Starrlight Books, a great shop in Flagstaff, Arizona. I’ve been fascinated with Morrison since I first started listened to the Doors back in high school in the 80s. This is a wonderful collection that goes, in my opinion, far beyond his writings with that band. I’m so glad to have picked it up and will place it among my other treasured books.
I read this volume straight through it on the plane ride home a few days later. A few of my recent reading selections haven’t grabbed my interest. I’ve even resorted to skimming through parts. That wasn’t the case with this work. I read every word of each poem, sometimes flipping back a few pages to reread one that was echoing in the back of my mind. I scribbled a quick note saying that he wasn’t like most modern poets I’ve read. Morrison reminded me more of 18th and 19th century poets. Perhaps that’s because of what I mostly read nowadays, but I think it’s also since he drew a lot of inspiration from poets of that era, such as Blake and Rimbaud.
While everything resonated with me, there were a few lines that stood out. Echoing the second generation of Romantics (e.g. Shelley and Keats), Morrison writes: “Shrill demented sparrows bark / The sun into being. They rule / dawn’s Kingdom” (p. 35). In a poignant commentary on social relationships, he says
I read this volume straight through it on the plane ride home a few days later. A few of my recent reading selections haven’t grabbed my interest. I’ve even resorted to skimming through parts. That wasn’t the case with this work. I read every word of each poem, sometimes flipping back a few pages to reread one that was echoing in the back of my mind. I scribbled a quick note saying that he wasn’t like most modern poets I’ve read. Morrison reminded me more of 18th and 19th century poets. Perhaps that’s because of what I mostly read nowadays, but I think it’s also since he drew a lot of inspiration from poets of that era, such as Blake and Rimbaud.
While everything resonated with me, there were a few lines that stood out. Echoing the second generation of Romantics (e.g. Shelley and Keats), Morrison writes: “Shrill demented sparrows bark / The sun into being. They rule / dawn’s Kingdom” (p. 35). In a poignant commentary on social relationships, he says
Actors must make us thinkReminding me of my own youth, when we didn’t have 24-hour radio or online streaming: “When radio dark night existed / & assumed control, & we rocked in its web / consumed by static, & stroked with fear / we were drawn down long from / a deep sleep” (p. 135). Finally, from his poem “As I Look Back” (p. 201):
they’re real
Our friends must not
make us think we’re acting
(p. 117)
As I look back
over my life
I am struck by post
cards
Ruined Snap shots
faded posters
Of a time, I can’t recall
January 28, 2025
Rating Jim Morrison's poetry presents a challenge for me, and here's why: while some view him as merely intoxicated on stage, rambling without depth, I see a complexity beneath his persona. Yet, I can't shake the feeling that he often tries too hard to be distinctive. Does his fame make his writing seem better than it is, or does he actually deserve the praise? As you can tell, I'm torn.
His passion for art and expression is worth acknowledging. Putting words out into the world that hold deep meaning for you in that moment—that’s something truly beautiful. At the beginning of this book is a self-interview in which he writes, “…and that’s why poetry appeals to me so much – because it’s so eternal. As long as there are people, they can remember words and combinations of words. Nothing else can survive a holocaust but poetry and songs. No one can remember an entire novel. No one can describe a film, a piece of sculpture, a painting, but so long as there are human beings, songs and poetry can continue. If my poetry aims to achieve anything, it’s to deliver people from the limited ways in which they see and feel.”
There are moments where his words feel profound, vibing with that eternal quality he speaks of, and others where they fall flat, lost in his image. Maybe that’s the point: a mixture of brilliance and incoherence, much like Morrison himself. Regardless of how you feel about his work, it’s undeniable that he left a mark—and isn’t that what all poets hope for?
His passion for art and expression is worth acknowledging. Putting words out into the world that hold deep meaning for you in that moment—that’s something truly beautiful. At the beginning of this book is a self-interview in which he writes, “…and that’s why poetry appeals to me so much – because it’s so eternal. As long as there are people, they can remember words and combinations of words. Nothing else can survive a holocaust but poetry and songs. No one can remember an entire novel. No one can describe a film, a piece of sculpture, a painting, but so long as there are human beings, songs and poetry can continue. If my poetry aims to achieve anything, it’s to deliver people from the limited ways in which they see and feel.”
There are moments where his words feel profound, vibing with that eternal quality he speaks of, and others where they fall flat, lost in his image. Maybe that’s the point: a mixture of brilliance and incoherence, much like Morrison himself. Regardless of how you feel about his work, it’s undeniable that he left a mark—and isn’t that what all poets hope for?
November 11, 2024
Un peu maboul le Jimmy
August 15, 2025
Je ne m’attendais à rien de vraiment « transcendant », mais je suis quand même un peu déçue. 🥲
Pas grave, je me contenterai seulement de sa musique à l’avenir !
Pas grave, je me contenterai seulement de sa musique à l’avenir !
June 23, 2014
Though it may be difficult for some readers to understand where Jim was coming from in his poems, they were overall visionary and beautiful in their own right. Some poems were purely observation, but that was what he saw in society from his perspective. While some may shudder at the grotesque and scoff at the pedestrian poems, that is his artistic expression in its rawest form. I feel his poems are the lyrics that didn't quite cut it for the rest of the doors. A marvelous read for any Doors or modern poetry fanatic.
January 17, 2020
Indians, people knocking on doors, and telephones. These seem to be the bulk images of Morrison's poetry. The man could carry a verse, for sure, but most of these "poems" were nothing more than vignettes, like images conjured up in a daydream, or that hazy time when you are falling asleep or first awaken.
Interesting little read, but nothing profound here. I believe Morrison was a better musician/lyricist than he was a poet.
Interesting little read, but nothing profound here. I believe Morrison was a better musician/lyricist than he was a poet.
July 6, 2017
I had high expections on this poetry book and was disappointed that it wasn't that great. I love Jim Morrison and the Doors but a lot of his poetry and writings in this book didn't quite make sense to me and seemed boring to me. I am disappointed that I wasted my money on this.
July 29, 2013
Gorgeous, inspiring, filled with the beauty of destruction and creation. Limitless. A milestone in my life.
Read
October 18, 2024Pas facile de rentrer dans la tête de cet homme. Il y a des moments de grâce et des moments d'obscurité totale. C'est toute une expérience de lire Jim Morrison
October 25, 2019
Many things have been said about Jim Morrison. The truth is that most of them are bullshit.
This volume doesn’t give us the whole. It doesn’t even give us the half. Nor does it contain a fraction of his greatest works. But whereas the music gave us the Dionysian scream; these poems give us the bare bones of the butterfly itself.
At the time of his untimely death (still largely unexplained), he was already one of the greatest American poets and thinkers to have ever existed. If he had lived beyond that point one can only imagine just how great he would have become.
Listen to him. Read him. Recite him.
This volume doesn’t give us the whole. It doesn’t even give us the half. Nor does it contain a fraction of his greatest works. But whereas the music gave us the Dionysian scream; these poems give us the bare bones of the butterfly itself.
At the time of his untimely death (still largely unexplained), he was already one of the greatest American poets and thinkers to have ever existed. If he had lived beyond that point one can only imagine just how great he would have become.
Listen to him. Read him. Recite him.
March 13, 2024
As a fifteen year old I adored Morrison. I smoked a smidge of mouldy weed and pined for a lizard king to whisk me away into the night, away from my stale, farmland highschool, away from my perfect, doting homelife, and away from my peers who I felt little connection to. I was meek and quiet, bored and uninspired. In Jim Morrison and other musicians of his time I found unbridled lust, passion, and excitement to an extent I couldn't yet comprehend.
Many of these are laughably bad. A plethora of tender odes to lovers and lsd. Babitz wrote an obliterating essay on Jim which pretty much sums it up: "He could get away with it because his audience was all college kids who thought the Doors were cool because they had lyrics you could understand about stuff they learned in Psychology 101 and Art History."
And yet, I have a soft spot for bad rockstar poetry. I can't bring myself to hate it.
Many of these are laughably bad. A plethora of tender odes to lovers and lsd. Babitz wrote an obliterating essay on Jim which pretty much sums it up: "He could get away with it because his audience was all college kids who thought the Doors were cool because they had lyrics you could understand about stuff they learned in Psychology 101 and Art History."
And yet, I have a soft spot for bad rockstar poetry. I can't bring myself to hate it.
"I am troubled
Immeasurably
By your eyes
I am struck
By the feather
of your soft
Reply"
January 20, 2020
A Rockstar, a poet, a American heartthrob, and a member of the 27 club; Jim Morrison left a big impact of creative thinking and the culture of American music. This collection of poems were taken from Morrison's travel journals (or anything he could write on) and gives us an intimate look at how he saw society. There is room for debate whether Morrison would have liked to publish these himself since many were left unfinished, but for what it is, these works showcase his skills as a poet. Some of them create feeling of bliss or joy while others make us question the way things are and of course some make very little sense. I recommend any fan of Morrison to give this collection a try purely for the brand and poets should check it out to see what the mind does when left alone far from home.
July 4, 2022
Well, this wasn't what I was expecting (maybe I expected too much). I think, I might be too young or maybe already too old for these writings. Some lines were really beautiful and stuck to my head. For example:
"Soon enough we shall walk
the walls of time. We shall
miss nothing
except each other."
----
"Are you her
Do you look like that
How could you be when
no one ever could."
I found a few poems that I loved, but mostly (and I can't figure out why) this book just didn't made me feel any strong or deep feelings. And probably, I will never know why.
"but as long as there are human being, songs and poetry can continue."
"Soon enough we shall walk
the walls of time. We shall
miss nothing
except each other."
----
"Are you her
Do you look like that
How could you be when
no one ever could."
I found a few poems that I loved, but mostly (and I can't figure out why) this book just didn't made me feel any strong or deep feelings. And probably, I will never know why.
"but as long as there are human being, songs and poetry can continue."
February 2, 2015
The grand highway is crowded with lovers & searchers & leavers so eager to please & forget. Wilderness.
How to rate someones poetry and quotes other than five stars? I loved every page and every words and every feeling that it gaved me.
Come
for all the world lies hushed & fallen
green ships dangle
on the surface of
Ocean & sky- birds
glide smugly among
the planes
Gaunt crippled houses
Strangle the cliffs
In the East, in the cities
a hum of life
begins, now come.
Morrison <3
How to rate someones poetry and quotes other than five stars? I loved every page and every words and every feeling that it gaved me.
Come
for all the world lies hushed & fallen
green ships dangle
on the surface of
Ocean & sky- birds
glide smugly among
the planes
Gaunt crippled houses
Strangle the cliffs
In the East, in the cities
a hum of life
begins, now come.
Morrison <3
December 18, 2008
I suppose if I died today and some bunch of jackasses published my notebooks full of unpolished, rambling or snippets poetry, I'd be embarrassed as hell, but I'd hope they would have the profound affect on someone that these did on me. Obsessed as a teen, I am still haunted today by his words, and he probably influenced my writing style more than any other poet.
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