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 Don't Have No Mercy
Mark Lanegan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Death don't have no mercy, in this land
He'll come to your house, and he won't stay long
You look in the bed, and somebody will be gone
Death don't have no mercy... in this land
He won't give you time to get ready, in this land
Won't give you time to get ready, in this land
You look in the bed, and your mother will be gone
There's no time to get ready... in this land
Leave you standin' and cryin', in this land
Death'll leave you standin' and cryin', in this land
He'll come to your house, and he won't stay long
You look in the bed, and your woman will be gone
Death'll leave you standin' and cryin', in this land
No, Death don't have no mercy, in this land
The song Death Don't Have No Mercy by Mark Lanegan is a powerful and haunting blues ballad about mortality and the inevitability of death. The repeated refrain, "Death don't have no mercy, in this land," sets the tone for the rest of the song, as Lanegan describes death as a relentless force that simply takes and does not care for the living. The imagery of Death coming to your house and "not staying long" creates a sense of urgency and fear that is palpable throughout the song. The line "you look in the bed and somebody will be gone" is particularly chilling as it reinforces the idea that death can come for anyone at any time.
The second verse of the song is even more chilling, as Lanegan describes Death as giving no warning and no time to prepare. The line "There's no time to get ready" is a sober reminder that life is fleeting and that we should make the most of every moment we have. The final verse of the song is perhaps the most heartbreaking, as Lanegan sings about Death leaving us standing and crying, alone and bereft. The song is a powerful meditation on the fear of death and the inevitability of mortality.
Line by Line Meaning
Death don't have no mercy, in this land
Death is unforgiving and relentless in this place.
Death don't have no mercy, in this land
Death is unforgiving and relentless in this place.
He'll come to your house, and he won't stay long
Death will come uninvited to your home, swiftly and without warning.
You look in the bed, and somebody will be gone
After Death's brief visit, you will find that someone you knew or loved has disappeared forever.
Death don't have no mercy... in this land
Death is unforgiving and relentless in this place.
He won't give you time to get ready, in this land
Death does not wait for you to prepare yourself or make amends, he strikes when he pleases.
Won't give you time to get ready, in this land
Death does not wait for you to prepare yourself or make amends, he strikes when he pleases.
He come into your house, and he won't stay long
Death will take what he wants and leave quickly, showing no regard for those he leaves behind.
You look in the bed, and your mother will be gone
Death will take those closest to you, leaving you to grieve and struggle without them.
There's no time to get ready... in this land
Death does not wait for you to prepare yourself or make amends, he strikes when he pleases.
Leave you standin' and cryin', in this land
Death will leave you alone and grief-stricken in this harsh and unforgiving place.
Death'll leave you standin' and cryin', in this land
Death will leave you alone and grief-stricken in this harsh and unforgiving place.
You look in the bed, and your woman will be gone
Death will take those closest to you, leaving you to grieve and struggle without them.
Death don't have no mercy, in this land
Death is unforgiving and relentless in this place.
Contributed by Molly L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@cristiansanchezlopez5029
Death don't have no mercy, in this land
Death don't have no mercy, in this land
He'll come to your house, and he won't stay long
You look in the bed, and somebody will be gone
Death don't have no mercy... in this land
He won't give you time to get ready, in this land
Won't give you time to get ready, in this land
He come into your house, and he won't stay long
You look in the bed, and your mother will be gone
There's no time to get ready... in this land
Leave you standin' and cryin', in this land
Death'll leave you standin' and cryin', in this land
He'll come to your house, and he won't stay long
You look in the bed, and your woman will be gone
Death'll leave you standin' and cryin', in this land
No, Death don't have no mercy, in this land
@trisfaz
Death don't have no mercy... R.I.P. Mark, you will be missed...
@missmarx2047
RIP you absolute legend. 🕯
@konosridik8188
R.I.P. MARK....We love you
@ducathomas
One of the best singer in the world. Simply amazing.
@renyapm7051
Thomas Pepe morning song
@rickycarr3428
R.I.P. 😞
@Internalsoundsofmind
He just passed 😢 R.I.P. Mark
@monicaroseleemullings6771
RIP MARK. You were BRILLIANT 💔🖤
@marioski54
You're right, Monica. As brilliant as a gem in the dark
@Eduardo-zp1os
R.I.P legend❤️