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)
El Sol
Mark Lanegan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No angels in the air
With hearts as good as gold
The closer you stand to the gates
The more the gates are closed
These darkened days
Make somebody's hunger and thirst
The blessed burns the sun
He's throwin' shadows on the earth
The shadow you find at the gate
And all the gates are closed
Oh yeah
Anytime you find your race is run
Felt much colder standin' in the sun
Waitin' for some warmth and comin' down
Felt much older than I really was
Waitin' for some warmth and comin' down
The sun is gone, yeah that's all I really know
No angels in the air
With hearts as good as gold
The closer you stand to the gates
The more the gates are closed
Anytime you find your race is run
Felt much colder standin' in the sun
Waitin' for some warmth and comin' down
Felt much older than I really was
Waitin' for some warmth and comin' down
Felt much older standin' in the sun'
Waitin' for some warmth and comin' down
Waitin' for some warmth and comin' down
Mark Lanegan's song "El Sol" is a melancholic reflection on the fleeting nature of time and the inevitable passage of life. The opening line, "The sun is gone, and that's all I really know," introduces a sense of existential uncertainty, as if the singer is lost in a sea of darkness, both literally and metaphorically. The absence of angels "with hearts as good as gold" suggests a loss of faith or hope, leaving the singer feeling isolated and alone.
The second verse speaks to the notion of mortality, as the "blessed burns the sun" and "throw[s] shadows on the earth." The shadow referred to at the end of the verse represents death or the unknown, which looms closer as one approaches the gates. The repetition of the line "the more the gates are closed" reinforces the finality and inescapable nature of time.
The chorus, with its refrain of "Anytime you find your race is run," emphasizes the fleeting nature of youth and the inevitability of aging. The line "Felt much older than I really was" speaks to the emotional toll that time takes on a person. The final line "Waitin' for some warmth and comin' down" suggests a sense of resignation, as if the singer has come to accept the transience of life and the eventual arrival of death.
Line by Line Meaning
The sun is gone, and that's all I really know
It's nighttime and the singer is uncertain about anything else
No angels in the air
There's no divine or celestial intervention happening
With hearts as good as gold
There are no truly good, morally upright beings present
The closer you stand to the gates
The nearer you are to a goal or objective
The more the gates are closed
The harder it is to achieve the goal or objective
These darkened days
Times are difficult and challenging
Make somebody's hunger and thirst
People are struggling to find sustenance and fulfillment
The blessed burns the sun
The fortunate ones are enjoying the sun's warmth and light
He's throwin' shadows on the earth
The fortunate ones are casting shadows on those less privileged
The shadow you find at the gate
Obstacles or adversity encountered on the path to a goal
And all the gates are closed
Access to desired outcomes is blocked or obstructed
Anytime you find your race is run
When you feel like you've exhausted all efforts
Felt much colder standin' in the sun
Even success can feel unsatisfying or bitter
Waitin' for some warmth and comin' down
Waiting for something that provides solace or comfort
Felt much older than I really was
Situations can age and wear down a person beyond their years
Waitin' for some warmth and comin' down
Hoping for something that can ease the challenges and struggles
Felt much older standin' in the sun'
Achievements or success can still feel hollow or unfulfilling
Waitin' for some warmth and comin' down
Desiring to be comforted or feel relief from the negativity
Waitin' for some warmth and comin' down
Anticipating and hoping for something that can ease struggles
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: MARK LANEGAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind