Mark William Lanegan (November 25, 1964 – February 22, 2022) was an America… Read Full Bio ↴Mark William Lanegan (November 25, 1964 – February 22, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter, and poet. First becoming prominent as the lead singer for the early grunge band Screaming Trees, he was also known as a member of Queens of the Stone Age and The Gutter Twins. He released 12 solo studio albums, as well as three collaboration albums with Isobel Campbell and two with Duke Garwood. He was known for his baritone voice, which was described as being "as scratchy as a three-day beard yet as supple and pliable as moccasin leather" and has been compared to Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, and Nick Cave.

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)

Grey Goes Black
Mark Lanegan Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Don’t you turn off my radio
Please don’t turn off my radio
Not with the rope still swinging
While eternity’s mouth is singing

So insect I'm in amber
Days go by please don’t forget
Uneven, so enamored

Days go by remember that

Gray goes black

Can’t you hear my radio?
Don’t you hear my radio?
Not with the beast still sleeping
While eternity’s eyes are weeping

So insect I'm in amber
Days go by please don’t forget
Uneven, so enamored
Days go by remember that

Gray goes black

Into the blood we sink and burn
Gray goes black

Overall Meaning

The song "Grey Goes Black" by Mark Lanegan is a haunting and melancholic piece that explores the themes of time, mortality, and the fleeting nature of life. The lyrics are written in the form of a plea to the listener to not turn off the radio, as they are faced with the reality of death. The first verse talks about the rope still swinging and eternity's mouth singing, which can be interpreted as a metaphor for the passage of time and the inevitability of death. The second verse talks about the beast still sleeping and eternity's eyes weeping, which could be a reference to the cyclical nature of life and death and the sadness that comes with it.

The chorus repeats the phrase "Gray goes black," which could be interpreted as a metaphor for the transition from life to death, or the fading of memories as time passes. The bridge of the song has the lyrics "So insect I'm in amber, Days go by please don't forget, Uneven, so enamored, Days go by remember that." This part of the song could be interpreted as a reminder that life is precious and fleeting, and that we should cherish every moment.

Overall, "Grey Goes Black" is a somber and introspective song that encourages the listener to reflect on their mortality and the importance of cherishing every moment of life.

Line by Line Meaning

Don’t you turn off my radio
Please do not turn off the radio I am listening to.

Please don’t turn off my radio
I am enjoying the music and I do not want it to stop.

Not with the rope still swinging
This is not the time to kill me via hanging.

While eternity’s mouth is singing
This is a time of great beauty and I would like to savor it.

So insect I'm in amber
I am trapped and unable to escape.

Days go by please don’t forget
Time is passing by quickly, do not forget about me.

Uneven, so enamored
I may not have everything, but I am still in love with life.

Days go by remember that
Time is fleeting, remember to make the most of it.

Gray goes black
Life can quickly turn from neutral to dark and dreary.

Can’t you hear my radio?
Is my radio too quiet? Can you please make it louder?

Don’t you hear my radio?
I am trying to enjoy my music, do you hear it?