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)
Deus Ibi Est
Mark Lanegan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
An unknown force has drawn me
Bound unto a future shaped by ancestors before me
Day on day I march the beat to someone else's drum
I have searched far foreign lands there's nowhere left to run
Impending storm rise up rise up
Oh demons, I shall shame you
Day on day my brothers leave go marching off to war
Yet we never understand for what we're fighting for
ubi caritas et amor
Ubi caritas
Deus ibi est
Worldly desires and worldly gains
Designed for worldly men
I'm a master of the heart with ears and hands to lend
Soldiers come and soldiers go some changed by love for thee
A circle in the chain of life all fighting to be free
ubi caritas et amor
Ubi caritas
Deus ibi est
So come my lord and we shall dance
To God's own private drum
Sweet Jesus and the holy vine
The afterlife to come
Day on day I march the the beat to someone else's drum
I have searched far foreign lands there's nowhere left to run
ubi caritas et amor
Ubi caritas
Deus ibi est
The lyrics of Mark Lanegan's song "Deus Ibi Est" reflect the internal struggles of a person who feels a strong pull to the past and its traditions, yet at the same time wants to break free from them and find their own path in life. The first two lines of the song show the singer's resistance to being in this place, lamenting that it was against their will that they have ended up somewhere that feels sad and unknown. But even though they feel like they have no control over their situation, the singer acknowledges that they are still bound to a future that was shaped by their ancestors before them.
The mood changes in the next stanza as the singer feels that they are ready to fight. The storm is impending, and the demons will be shamed. They feel a sense of empowerment as they name down the people who have wronged them. However, the singer also acknowledges the futility of many wars and the confusion of why so many people are willing to fight for something they don't understand. The song then segues into some Latin phrases, "ubi caritas et amor, ubi caritas, deus ibi est", that roughly translates to "where there is charity and love, there is God". This phrase reinforces the idea that despite the struggles, there are always moments of love and kindness that show the existence of God.
Line by Line Meaning
Against my will to these sad shores
I didn't choose to be here in this sorrowful place
An unknown force has drawn me
Something beyond my control brought me here
Bound unto a future shaped by ancestors before me
My destiny is predetermined by those who came before me
Day on day I march the beat to someone else's drum
I go through the motions of life just following someone else's plan
I have searched far foreign lands there's nowhere left to run
I've tried to escape my fate but there's nowhere left to go
Impending storm rise up rise up
Chaos is coming
Oh demons, I shall shame you
I'll conquer my inner demons and prove them wrong
Look down the barrel of my gun and one by one I'll name you
I'll face my fears head-on and overcome them
Day on day my brothers leave go marching off to war
People keep fighting wars without really understanding why
Yet we never understand for what we're fighting for
We don't know the true purpose of our battles
Worldly desires and worldly gains
The things most people want in life
Designed for worldly men
These things are made for people who are only concerned with this life
I'm a master of the heart with ears and hands to lend
I have a deep understanding of emotions and I'm always ready to help
Soldiers come and soldiers go some changed by love for thee
Some people find a greater purpose in their lives through their love for God
A circle in the chain of life all fighting to be free
We're all connected, and we're all trying to find our own kind of freedom
So come my lord and we shall dance
I invite God to share in my joy
To God's own private drum
We'll dance to the beat of God's plan for us
Sweet Jesus and the holy vine
The goodness of life that comes from God
The afterlife to come
What awaits us beyond this life
ubi caritas et amor
Where charity and love are
Ubi caritas
Where there is charity
Deus ibi est
God is there
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: CAMPBELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mara680
Against my will to these sad shores
An unknown force has drawn me
Bound unto a future shaped by ancestors before me
Day on day I march the beat to someone else's drum
I have searched far foreign lands there's nowhere left to run
Impending storm rise up rise up
Oh demons, I shall shame you
Look down the barrel of my gun and one by one I'll name you
Day on day my brothers leave go marching off to war
Yet we never understand for what we're fighting for
ubi caritas et amor
Ubi caritas
Deus ibi est
Worldly desires and worldly gains
Designed for worldly men
I'm a master of the heart with ears and hands to lend
Soldiers come and soldiers go some changed by love for thee
A circle in the chain of life all fighting to be free
ubi caritas et amor
Ubi caritas
Deus ibi est
So come my lord and we shall dance
To God's own private drum
Sweet Jesus and the holy vine
The afterlife to come
Day on day I march the the beat to someone else's drum
I have searched far foreign lands there's nowhere left to run
ubi caritas et amor
Ubi caritas
Deus ibi est
@MrMarkalynch
RIP Mark Lanegan. You were loved far more than you knew.
@shaunryanbuxton1281
Indeed. R.i.p.
@sgt.bastard101
Today is a sad day brother...
@blackwingvalleylover
My favourite male vocalist and writer 🖤🖤💙💙
@mara680
Against my will to these sad shores
An unknown force has drawn me
Bound unto a future shaped by ancestors before me
Day on day I march the beat to someone else's drum
I have searched far foreign lands there's nowhere left to run
Impending storm rise up rise up
Oh demons, I shall shame you
Look down the barrel of my gun and one by one I'll name you
Day on day my brothers leave go marching off to war
Yet we never understand for what we're fighting for
ubi caritas et amor
Ubi caritas
Deus ibi est
Worldly desires and worldly gains
Designed for worldly men
I'm a master of the heart with ears and hands to lend
Soldiers come and soldiers go some changed by love for thee
A circle in the chain of life all fighting to be free
ubi caritas et amor
Ubi caritas
Deus ibi est
So come my lord and we shall dance
To God's own private drum
Sweet Jesus and the holy vine
The afterlife to come
Day on day I march the the beat to someone else's drum
I have searched far foreign lands there's nowhere left to run
ubi caritas et amor
Ubi caritas
Deus ibi est
@martincargas
"... pourtant, nous ne comprenons jamais ce pourquoi nous nous battons / Ubi caritas et Amor (là où se mêlent soins et amour), Ubi caritas, Deus ibi Est (Dieu est présent)"
@faustbanana
Amazing song.
@riberadelplata3159
love it
@willowwoodcraft3629
He will be missed can't believe I didn't get to see him live🤔🙃rip mark💜
@AlphaVIVI0408
What a Superb song! Mr Whiskey and Lady Melancholy:)