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)
I'll Take Care of You
Mark Lanegan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
By someone else
I can tell by the way
You carry yourself
But if you'll let me
Here's what I'll do
I'll take care of you
I loved and lost
Same as you
So you see I know
Just what you've been through
So if you'll let me
Here's what I'll do
I got to take care of you
You won't ever have to worry
You won't ever have to cry
I'll be there beside you
To dry your weeping eyes
So darlin' tell me
That you'll be true
'Cause there's no doubt in my mind
I know what I want to do
And just as sure as
One and one are two
I just got to take care of you
I'll take care of you
I'll take care of you
In Mark Lanegan's "I'll Take Care of You," the singer is addressing someone who has been hurt by someone else. The singer can tell that the person has been hurt by the way they carry themselves. In response to this, the singer offers to take care of the person. He has loved and lost in the same way, so he knows what the other person is going through. He promises that the person won't ever have to worry or cry, because he'll be there to dry their weeping eyes. The singer asks the person to tell him that they'll be true, and he says that he knows what he wants to do - take care of them.
The message of this song is one of comfort and protection. The singer wants to be there for someone who has been hurt, to take care of them and shield them from further pain. His offer is a selfless one; he doesn't ask for anything in return, only the assurance that the person will be true to him. The repetition of the line "I'll take care of you" reinforces the singer's commitment to the other person.
Overall, "I'll Take Care of You" is a touching and heartfelt song about the desire to ease someone's pain and offer them love and support.
Line by Line Meaning
I know you've been hurt
I understand that you have experienced pain
By someone else
This was caused by another person
I can tell by the way
I have observed your behavior
You carry yourself
The way you present yourself
But if you'll let me
If you give me permission
Here's what I'll do
This is what I propose
I'll take care of you
I will be there for you to help you through this
I loved and lost
I have also experienced love and losing it
Same as you
Just like you have
So you see I know
I understand your situation
Just what you've been through
I am aware of your experiences
You won't ever have to worry
You won't have to be anxious
You won't ever have to cry
You won't have to shed tears
I'll be there beside you
I will be present for you
To dry your weeping eyes
To provide comfort and support when you are upset
So darlin' tell me
My love, please confirm
That you'll be true
That you will remain faithful
'Cause there's no doubt in my mind
I have no uncertainty about my feelings
I know what I want to do
I am certain about my intentions
And just as sure as
My assurance is like
One and one are two
The indisputable fact that one plus one equals two
I just got to take care of you
I have a compelling urge to care for you
I'll take care of you
I will fulfill my promise to assist you
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BROOK BENTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@joaquinr.bustos371
"Quisiera dormir como un gato
con todos los pelos del tiempo,
con la lengua del pedernal,
con el sexo seco del fuego
y después de no hablar con nadie,
tenderme sobre todo el mundo,
sobre las tejas y la tierra
intensamente dirigido
a cazar las ratas del sueño".
― Pablo Neruda
@joeevans8667
RIP Mark. What a voice.
@LucienneVutleine
Listening to this, I'm transported back 10 years ago to my shitty student apartment pining over a boy and looking at the pre-dawn sky. RIP Mark, so sorry I didn't get to hear this live.
@Stoned.records
i'll take care of you
@kylieh123
RIP to an amazing, gorgeous singer. God damn he was incredible
@jimbojones3292
Best voice ever.. pure whiskey,cigarettes and soul thank you Mark rest easy
@edwardbloome4064
I cannot express with just words, how much I freaking love mark lanegan
@MrMarkonis1986
Rest in peace, master. Thank you for your art.
@Neera_Tau
Heartbroken for your loss. Rest in Magic Lord Mark
@ilonagunszebn2674
when he sings, gives me chills and sometimes tears, take care mark
@robertamarcantoni9524
So sorry for this huge loss. We ll miss you so much