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)
Harvest Home
Mark Lanegan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Walking floors with the ghost all alone
Happy that I'm made of stone
To grieve that I cause is my cause to a tone
Now black is the color
Black is my name
And I used to burn it up
We chased the devil away
On fire
The flame
How wild
Nothing
To say
This girl
So gray
I grieve
I've sold
My harvest
My home
Happy in my harvest home
Walking floors with the ghost all alone
Happy that I'm made of stone
To grieve that I cause is my cause to a tone
Now black is the color
Black is my name
And I used to burn it up
We chased the devil away
The house
On fire
The flame
How wild
Nothing
To say
This guy
So gray
I grieve
I've sold
My harvest
My home
The house
On fire
The flame
How wild
Nothing
To say
This guy
So gray
I grieve
I've sold
My harvest
My home
The opening lines of Mark Lanegan's song "Harvest Home" appear to evoke a sense of longing for a comfortable and happy life. The singer expresses contentment in their "harvest home," yet they are also walking the floors with a ghost, suggesting a sense of loneliness and isolation. The singer confesses that they are "happy that [they're] made of stone" such that they do not feel the grief they cause others. Lanegan might be identifying with a flawed, complex protagonist who is aware of the damage they do but can't help but cause harm. The melancholic tone is further emphasized by the repetition of the last line "my cause to a tone."
The song takes a dark turn with the chorus as the singer declares that black is their color and black is their name. They used to "burn it up," suggesting a past of addiction or self-destructive behavior. The repetition of the phrase "we chased the devil away" adds an ominous layer. The imagery of a house on fire and a wild flame adds intensity to the lyrics. The singer is left with nothing to say, perhaps signifying a sense of powerlessness. The image of a "guy so gray" evokes a sense of despondency, and the final lines reveal that the singer has "sold [their] harvest, [their] home," suggesting that they have given up on the life they once had.
Line by Line Meaning
Happy in my harvest home
Content in my life and surroundings
Walking floors with the ghost all alone
Moving around my house, accompanied by memories of the past, but feeling lonely in the present
Happy that I'm made of stone
Pleased that I am emotionally strong and able to withstand challenging situations
To grieve that I cause is my cause to a tone
Although I sometimes cause sadness for others, I understand that it is important to acknowledge and express my own emotions as well
Now black is the color
My mood has turned dark and somber
Black is my name
I am now associated with negativity and sadness
And I used to burn it up
I used to be more passionate and energetic
We chased the devil away
We worked together to overcome challenges and difficulties
The house
My life and everything I know
On fire
In a state of chaos and disarray
The flame
The intensity of emotion and passion
How wild
It feels overwhelming and uncontrollable
Nothing
There is nothing to be done to fix it
To say
No words can make it better
This guy
I, myself
So gray
Feeling dull and lacking vitality
I grieve
I am melancholic and mourning
I've sold
I've given up or lost
My harvest
The fruits of my labor and hard work
My home
The place where I felt safe and secure
Lyrics © Red Brick Music Publishing
Written by: Mark Lanegan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
darko radulovic
Happy in my harvest home
Walking the floors with the ghosts all alone
Happy that I'm made of stone
The grieve that I cause is my cause to atone
Now black is a color, black is my name
When I need something to help me chase the devil away
The house on fire
The fraying high wire
Nothing to say
The sky so grey
I reap, I sow
My harvest, my home
Happy in my harvest home
Walking the floors with the ghosts all alone
Happy that I'm made of stone
The grieve that I cause is my cause to atone
Now black is a color, black is my name
When I need something to help me chase the devil away
The house on fire
The fraying high wire
Nothing to say
The sky so grey
I reap, I sow
My harvest, my home
The house on fire
The fraying high wire
Nothing to say
The sky so grey
I reap, I sow
My harvest, my home
Susana Fernandes
Woke up last night at 3 clock in the morning and could not sleep again. Pick the phone and saw Lanegan news about his death. I read his book last week Devil in a comma last week… ! Heard this record twice today and its just incredible. I cannot process this sadness. Rest in peace Mark. Love from Portugal 🇵🇹.
lowri spooner
🖤
Ed
RIP, absolute legend.
Deise
R.I.P Mark . Sentirei saudades pra sempre.
Kelley Antolik
Me too 3:01
Ahiba Sabala
One of my favourite of Mark's songs. RIP
RNO R
RIP sir Lanegan and thank you for the music 😢
darko radulovic
Happy in my harvest home
Walking the floors with the ghosts all alone
Happy that I'm made of stone
The grieve that I cause is my cause to atone
Now black is a color, black is my name
When I need something to help me chase the devil away
The house on fire
The fraying high wire
Nothing to say
The sky so grey
I reap, I sow
My harvest, my home
Happy in my harvest home
Walking the floors with the ghosts all alone
Happy that I'm made of stone
The grieve that I cause is my cause to atone
Now black is a color, black is my name
When I need something to help me chase the devil away
The house on fire
The fraying high wire
Nothing to say
The sky so grey
I reap, I sow
My harvest, my home
The house on fire
The fraying high wire
Nothing to say
The sky so grey
I reap, I sow
My harvest, my home
Daz Ross
RIP and thank you Mark. This is but one of so many awesome, awesome creations from you. What a legacy 🙏
IAmKrow
When I need something to help me chase the devil away I listen to Mark Lanegan