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)
Honey Child What Can I Do?
Mark Lanegan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That takes you miles above, yeah it's called love
Would you do it for me?
'Cause I'm feeling lonely
Praying, hoping, and I leave the door wide open
I see you and you catch your spill
But come and sit by me
Maybe I'm a stupid fool
Chasing butterflies like you
On these days they seem so cruel
But honey child, what can I do?
Maybe I'm a stupid fool
Chasing butterflies like you
On these days they seem so cruel
But honey child, what can I do?
Honey child, what can I do
?
The song "Honey Child What Can I Do?" by Mark Lanegan explores the themes of love, longing, and vulnerability. The singer of the song is a person who is feeling lonely and is hoping for the return of a familiar feeling that takes them miles above, which they call love. They wish that someone can make them feel loved and less lonely. They are also in a state of confusion, not knowing what to do, and feeling like a stupid fool for chasing after someone who seems hard to catch. They ask the rhetorical question, "Honey child, what can I do?", expressing their helplessness and hopelessness.
The lyrics of this song are a reflection of the complexities of love and relationships. It shows how love can make us vulnerable and confused, and how we can feel like fools for chasing after someone who may not reciprocate our feelings. The repetition of the phrase "Maybe I'm a stupid fool chasing butterflies like you" emphasizes the singer's self-doubt and frustration, but also their willingness to take risks for love.
Line by Line Meaning
Wishing, hoping, for that old familiar feeling
Longing for the feeling of love that used to be known well
That takes you miles above, yeah it's called love
Love that elevates and lifts you up to great heights
Would you do it for me?
Wondering if the other person is willing to give him that feeling of love
'Cause I'm feeling lonely
Expressing his loneliness and desire for that love
Praying, hoping, and I leave the door wide open
Praying and hoping for the other person to come back and keeping doors open for them
I see you and you catch your spill
Noticing the other person's mistakes but still wanting them around
But come and sit by me
Inviting the other person to be with him
'Cause I'm feeling lonely
Reiterating his intense loneliness
Maybe I'm a stupid fool
Admitting his foolishness and mistakes in chasing after the other person
Chasing butterflies like you
Pursuing someone who is difficult to catch and hard to hold onto
On these days they seem so cruel
Acknowledging the difficulty of living without the other person
But honey child, what can I do?
Expressing a sense of helplessness and the inability to control his feelings
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@shuckification
Wishin', hopin', for that old familiar feeling
That takes you miles above, yeah it's called love
Would you do it for me
'Cause I'm feelin' lonely
Prayin', hopin', and I leave the door wide open
I see you and you catch your spill
But come and sit by me
'Cause I'm feelin' lonely
Maybe I'm a stupid fool
Chasin' butterflies like you
On these days they seem so cruel
But honey, child what can i do
Maybe I'm a stupid fool
Chasin' butterflies like you
On these days they seem so cruel
But honey, child what can I do
Honey, child what can I do
@amilica85
what a sweet song. their voices are so compatible, made for duets
@shuckification
Wishin', hopin', for that old familiar feeling
That takes you miles above, yeah it's called love
Would you do it for me
'Cause I'm feelin' lonely
Prayin', hopin', and I leave the door wide open
I see you and you catch your spill
But come and sit by me
'Cause I'm feelin' lonely
Maybe I'm a stupid fool
Chasin' butterflies like you
On these days they seem so cruel
But honey, child what can i do
Maybe I'm a stupid fool
Chasin' butterflies like you
On these days they seem so cruel
But honey, child what can I do
Honey, child what can I do
@youreonlygreatalways
Incredible
@drunkprincess
Still here enjoying
@zenstars1148
RIP Mark
@minorgray
tender and hopefull - lovely
@mOOese
still in love
@allosenfants
rip mark
@jczother
On cafe 2010 too, please keep me in mind sweetheart. They break and talk of songwriting together dude!!!
@jczother
There's a clear interview with the 2 of them and also one where musics playing form devil dirt.