Lanegan began his musical career in 1984 with Screaming Trees, with whom he released seven studio albums and five EPs before their disbandment in 2000. During his time with the band, he also started a solo career and released his first solo studio album, The Winding Sheet, in 1990. He subsequently released a further 10 solo albums, which received critical recognition but only moderate commercial success. Following the end of Screaming Trees, he became a frequent collaborator of Queens of the Stone Age, and was a full-time member between 2001 and 2005 during the Songs for the Deaf and Lullabies to Paralyze eras.
Lanegan collaborated with various artists throughout his career. In the 1990s, he and Kurt Cobain recorded an album of Lead Belly covers that was ultimately never released. He also joined Layne Staley and Mike McCready in the band Mad Season, and formed the alternative rock group The Gutter Twins with Greg Dulli in 2003, as well as contributing to releases by Moby, Bomb the Bass, Soulsavers, Tinariwen, The Twilight Singers, Manic Street Preachers, and Unkle, among others.
Lanegan struggled with addiction to drugs and alcohol throughout his life, but had been sober for over a decade at the time of his death. Encouraged by his friend Anthony Bourdain, he released the memoir Sing Backwards and Weep in 2020. He followed this up in 2021 with the memoir Devil in a Coma, which focused on his near-death experience with COVID-19. He and his wife Shelley Brien left the U.S. in 2020 and settled in the Irish town of Killarney, where he died two years later at the age of 57. No cause of death was revealed.
Studio albums
The Winding Sheet (1990)
Whiskey for the Holy Ghost (1994)
Scraps at Midnight (1998)
I'll Take Care of You (1999)
Field Songs (2001)
Bubblegum (2004)
Blues Funeral (2012)
Imitations (2013)
Phantom Radio (2014)
Gargoyle (2017)
Somebody's Knocking (2019)
Straight Songs of Sorrow (2020)
Death Trip To Tulsa
Mark Lanegan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Waiting for your doctor
Are you gonna come?
My my my rumor in the song,
Think about you baby
Are you gonna drown?
Went down to the station
Find a horror scene,
Fell into the strangers,
Lonely lonely
Lord made me a poor man,
Lord made me a thief
A thousand miles in midnight,
To shine beyond belief
It's my last trip to the corner,
Now how am I gonna breathe?
A child upon his waste land
With teeth of a disease
Went down on the location
Find a horror scene,
Fell into the strangers,
Lonely lonely
Hi-high up in the air,
Look what you made me
You ain't never there
Death trip to Tulsa,
Know my supper son
Waiting for your doctor
Are you gonna come?
Went down to the nation,
Find a horror scene,
Fell into the strangers,
Lonely lonely
Lonely lonely
I-I-I-I would been the son,
Waiting in the sun
Would been the son
Would been the son
The lyrics of Death Trip To Tulsa by Mark Lanegan are open to interpretation, but some themes can be gleaned from the words. The first verse appears to be a plea for attention, from someone who has been waiting for their "doctor" but is unsure if they will come. They're thinking about a person they care for ("think about you baby"), but there's a sense of danger or urgency ("are you gonna drown?"). The second verse contains more vivid imagery, with the singer describing a journey to a location where they find a "horror scene" and fall in with "strangers" while reflecting on their own hardships ("lord made me a poor man, lord made me a thief"). The final lines of the verse give a sense of desperation, as the singer wonders "how am I gonna breathe?" There's a sense of nihilism or despair present in the song, with lines like "teeth of a disease" and "my last trip to the corner."
Line by Line Meaning
I-I-I-I would been the son,
The singer imagines himself as someone important, waiting for attention.
Waiting for your doctor
Waiting for someone to provide a solution or relief.
Are you gonna come?
Questioning the reliability of the person being waited for.
My my my rumor in the song,
Referring to a circulating story or gossip.
Think about you baby
Reflecting on thoughts of a significant other.
Are you gonna drown?
Questioning the ability of the significant other to handle a situation.
Went down to the station
Going somewhere for a purpose.
Find a horror scene,
Discovering a disturbing or unpleasant situation.
Fell into the strangers,
Entering into unknown territory.
Lonely lonely
Emphasizing the solitude of the artist.
Lord made me a poor man,
Acknowledging difficulties faced in life.
Lord made me a thief
Considering illegal or immoral actions to get by.
A thousand miles in midnight,
Traveling a long distance in difficult circumstances.
To shine beyond belief
Hoping to find something great at the end of the journey.
It's my last trip to the corner,
Implying a finality or desperation in the situation.
Now how am I gonna breathe?
Feeling overwhelmed and uncertain about the future.
A child upon his waste land
Feeling lost and alone, like being forced to grow up too fast.
With teeth of a disease
Suffering from unhealthy or destructive habits or lifestyles.
Hi-high up in the air,
Feeling elevated, either physically or emotionally.
Look what you made me
Implying a negative action taken in response to the actions of someone else.
You ain't never there
Feeling abandoned or unsupported by someone important.
Death trip to Tulsa,
Using a metaphor to describe a dangerous and uncertain journey.
Know my supper son
Acknowledging a connection or relationship to someone else.
Waiting for your doctor
Waiting for someone to provide answers or solutions.
Are you gonna come?
Questioning the dependability of the person being waited on.
Went down to the nation,
Traveling somewhere with a purpose.
Find a horror scene,
Discovering something unsettling or scary.
Fell into the strangers,
Being exposed to unfamiliar people or situations.
Lonely lonely
Again emphasizing the loneliness and isolation of the artist.
I-I-I-I would been the son,
Repeating the idea of being someone important or special.
Waiting in the sun
Waiting for something positive or optimistic to happen.
Would been the son
Continuing the idea of being special or important.
Lyrics © Red Brick Music Publishing
Written by: Mark Lanegan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind