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)
When Your Number Isn't Up
Mark Lanegan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You smell the blood running warm
I stay close to this frozen border, so close I can hit it with a stone
Now something crawls right up my spine
That I always got to follow
Turn out the lights
Don't see me drawn and hollow
Just blood running warm
No one needs to tell you that
There's no use for ya here anymore
And where are your friends?
They've gone away
It's a different world, they left you to this
To janitor
The emptiness
So let's get it on
When the sun is finally going down, and you're overdue to follow
But you're still above the ground
What ya got comin' is hard to swallow
Like blood running warm
Did they call for the night porter
And smell the blood, blood running warm
Well I've been waitin at this frozen border, so close you could hit it with a stone
The lyrics of Mark Lanegan's "When Your Number Is Up" are somber and reflective, painting a picture of someone who is resigned to their fate. The opening lines "Did you call for the night porter? You smell the blood running warm" suggest that someone is nearing the end of their life and that they are aware of it. The imagery of the "frozen border" and the feeling that "something crawls right up my spine" creates a sense of impending doom.
As the song progresses, we witness a struggle between acceptance and fear. The line "I always got to follow" suggests that the singer understands that their time is up, but they still do not want to let go. The chorus speaks of the inevitability of death, and the sense that there is nothing left to be done: "No one needs to tell you that, there's no use for ya here anymore." The final lines, "Did they call for the night porter and smell the blood, blood running warm, well, I've been waiting at this frozen border, so close you could hit it with a stone" harken back to the beginning of the song, suggesting that the singer has finally crossed over to the other side.
This haunting song resonates with anyone who has lost someone close to them or has contemplated their own mortality. The lyrics and slow, mournful melody evoke feelings of sadness and resignation, creating a powerful emotional impact.
Line by Line Meaning
Did you call for the night porter?
Are you ready to face the end of your journey?
You smell the blood running warm
You sense the inevitability of your demise.
I stay close to this frozen border, so close I can hit it with a stone
I'm on the brink of death and can easily cross over.
Now something crawls right up my spine
A feeling of impending doom has crept up my back.
That I always got to follow
Death is something that can't be avoided.
Turn out the lights
The end is near, and there's no need for illumination.
Don't see me drawn and hollow
I don't want to look weak and frail in my final moments.
Just blood running warm
My life is slipping away.
No one needs to tell you that
You know your fate, and there's no need for reassurance.
There's no use for ya here anymore
Your time on this earth has come to an end.
And where are your friends?
The people you thought would always be there have left you alone in your final moments.
They've gone away
Your companions have moved on, leaving you behind.
It's a different world, they left you to this
The world has changed, and you've been left behind to face the end alone.
To janitor
You've been reduced to nothing but a caretaker of your own impending death.
The emptiness
Your final moments are filled with a sense of emptiness and dread.
So let's get it on
There's no avoiding the end, so let's get it over with.
When the sun is finally going down, and you're overdue to follow
Your time is almost up.
But you're still above the ground
Despite everything, you're still alive for the moment.
What ya got comin' is hard to swallow
Your fate is difficult to accept.
Like blood running warm
My life ebbs away as my time draws near.
Did they call for the night porter
Are you ready to face the consequences of your actions?
And smell the blood, blood running warm
Your fate is inescapable, and the end is drawing near.
Well, I've been waitin' at this frozen border, so close you could hit it with a stone
I've been waiting for death to come for me, and now it's just a stone's throw away.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: MARK LANEGAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind