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)
Flatlands
Mark Lanegan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I never cared about money and all its friends
I want flatlands
I want flatlands
I don't want precious stones
I never cared about anything you've ever owned
I want flatlands
I want simplicity
I want open plains and scattered trees
I want flower fields
I want salty seas
I want flatlands soft and steady breeze
Bringing scents of lined-up orchard trees
Dripping heavy with pears and dancing leaves
I want flatlands will you go there with me
When it's said in the dark and you know it's always there
When it's dead in our heart but your mind is unafraid
When it's said in the dark and you know it's never coming back
When it's there in your heart in your mind you set it free
The lyrics of "Flatlands" by Mark Lanegan reflect a longing for simplicity in life, with the desire for "flatlands" representing a yearning for a life without the complications of materialism and societal pressures. The repeated lines of "I want flatlands" emphasize this longing, with the following lines serving almost as a mantra for the desired lifestyle. The dismissal of money and possessions in favor of simplicity and natural beauty is further emphasized in lines like "I don't want precious stones" and "I want flower fields/I want salty seas."
The request for "your arms wrapped hard around me" shows a need for human connection and love, perhaps as a counterbalance to the disconnection that can come with living in a culture that values material possessions over emotional and relational fulfillment. The imagery of open plains, orchard trees heavy with fruit, and scattered trees reinforce the simple pleasures that are being sought after.
The lyrics take on a darker turn in the last verse, where the ideas of loss and acceptance are explored. Lines like "when it's said in the dark and you know it's never coming back" and "your mind is unafraid" seem to indicate a struggle with acceptance and letting go. Overall, "Flatlands" serves as a yearning for a simpler life without the complications of materialism, but also recognizes the challenge of achieving and maintaining that simplicity.
Line by Line Meaning
I want flatlands
The singer desires a place of simplicity, open spaces, and natural beauty.
I never cared about money and all its friends
The singer has no interest in material possessions or wealth.
I don't want precious stones
The singer has no desire for luxury items or expensive jewelry.
I never cared about anything you've ever owned
The artist values experiences and relationships over material possessions.
I want simplicity
The artist longs for a life free from complication and excessive luxury.
I need your arms wrapped hard around me
The singer desires physical comfort and emotional support from their partner.
I want open plains and scattered trees
The singer seeks natural landscapes and environments, rather than man-made structures.
I want flower fields
The artist seeks the beauty and simplicity of natural landscapes like fields of flowers.
I want salty seas
The artist desires the tranquility and peacefulness of the ocean.
I want flatlands soft and steady breeze
The artist seeks the simple yet beautiful and peaceful environment of flatlands.
Bringing scents of lined-up orchard trees
The singer desires to be surrounded by the sweet smells of fruit trees.
Dripping heavy with pears and dancing leaves
The artist desires to experience the natural beauty and abundance of fruit trees.
I want flatlands will you go there with me
The singer seeks a partner to join them on their journey to find the simple, natural and beautiful place they desire.
When it's said in the dark and you know it's always there
The desire for simplicity and natural beauty is a constant part of the singer's life, and is always present within them.
When it's dead in our heart but your mind is unafraid
Even when the singer might not feel the desire for simplicity in their heart, their mind is not afraid of it and still seeks it.
When it's said in the dark and you know it's never coming back
The artist knows that the world will never be the simple, natural place they desire, yet still hold onto the hope of finding it.
When it's there in your heart in your mind you set it free
When the desire for simplicity and natural beauty is present in both the artist's heart and mind, they can release their worries and set their mind free to pursue it.
Contributed by Maya O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Renato Buzzato
I want flatlands
I never cared about money and all its friends
I want flatlands
I want flatlands
I don't want precious stones
I never cared about anything you've ever owned
I want flatlands
I want simplicity
I need your arms wrapped hard around me
I want open plains and scattered trees
I want flower fields
I want salty seas
I want flatlands soft and steady breeze
bringing scents of lined-up orchard trees
dripping heavy with pears and dancing leaves
I want flatlands
will you go there with me
when it's said in the dark and you know it's always there
when it's dead in our heart but your mind is unafraid
when it's said in the dark and you know it's never coming back
when it's there in your heart in your mind you set it free
Miguel Gracia
Thank you Mark for all the beautiful music you have created and for introducing me to other great artists by praising them. Today is a very sad day.
Sean Salmon
RIP Mark. I know this is a cover but it's definitely your song.
Kenn
It's such a good cover. RIP Mark.
Chelsea Benzing
I came here to listen to this after hearing of his passing. It’s so beautiful. RIP
epicfrog
gives me chills every time i listen
AmokBR
I was fortunate enough to see him perform this live, in a small theather with a small audience. It was great. Rest in peace, Mark.
nicolebecher
he's probably the only one who could do a proper cover of this song .. beautifully done!
TraditionsThe
perfect song for his voice, perfect, chelsea wolfe, the most brilliant new artist out there now
Deadleg
Only discovered this version, damn he knocked it outta the park.
francesco chiummariello
Mark one of the greatest ever....legends never die