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)
Ketamine
Mark Lanegan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To plant my flag on distant shores and take me through the night
'Cause if I had a razor, I would cut you everywhere
Then I'd walk the whole of Earth with a thousand mile stare
All I got was awful news in every letter I was sent
And all my life my spirit child was broken and was bent
Now, if I was a billionaire, no, it wouldn't make me blue
Yeah Lord, give me some ketamine so I can feel alright
To hide my true dark nature and to keep it out of sight
'Cause if I had a rifle, I'd shoot straight up in the air
And watch you fall back down to Earth with a wild-eye graveyard stare
The lyrics to Mark Lanegan's song Ketamine reference drug use and feelings of isolation and anger. The first line, "Lord, give me some ketamine so I can feel alright," implies that the singer is seeking relief from pain or discomfort through drug use. This may symbolize a deeper need for escape or coping mechanisms in the face of difficult emotions or life circumstances. The second line, "To plant my flag on distant shores and take me through the night," suggests a desire for adventure or escape from reality. The singer may feel stagnant or trapped and desires a way to break free and explore new territory.
The third and fourth lines, " 'Cause if I had a razor, I would cut you everywhere / Then I'd walk the whole of Earth with a thousand mile stare," express feelings of anger or hatred towards someone, potentially a person who has caused the singer pain or disappointment. The image of cutting someone everywhere highlights the intensity of these emotions and a desire for revenge or control. The following line, "All I got was awful news in every letter I was sent," suggests that the singer may be struggling with a difficult situation in their life, potentially the cause of their desire for escape and use of drugs. The next line, "And all my life my spirit child was broken and was bent," hints at a history of emotional pain or trauma that has shaped the singer's world view and suffering.
The final verse, "Yeah Lord, give me some ketamine so I can feel alright / To hide my true dark nature and to keep it out of sight / 'Cause if I had a rifle, I'd shoot straight up in the air / And watch you fall back down to Earth with a wild-eye graveyard stare," continues the themes of drug use and anger. The line "To hide my true dark nature and to keep it out of sight" suggests that the singer may be ashamed or fearful of their darker impulses or emotions. The final two lines express a desire for vengeance and a fascination with death or violence. Overall, the lyrics to Mark Lanegan's song Ketamine are a complex exploration of pain, escape, and the darker aspects of the human psyche.
Line by Line Meaning
Lord, give me some ketamine so I can feel alright
The singer wishes to numb their pain and feel better through the use of ketamine.
To plant my flag on distant shores and take me through the night
The singer desires to escape reality and explore a different life through the use of drugs.
'Cause if I had a razor, I would cut you everywhere
The singer expresses a desire to hurt someone who has caused them pain.
Then I'd walk the whole of Earth with a thousand mile stare
The artist would feel powerful and confident after hurting the person who has hurt them.
All I got was awful news in every letter I was sent
The artist has been receiving bad news constantly, leading to a depressed state of mind.
And all my life my spirit child was broken and was bent
The singer has been dealing with emotional pain and trauma for a long time, causing them to feel broken and damaged.
Now, if I was a billionaire, no, it wouldn't make me blue
Even if the singer had a lot of money, it wouldn't make them happy or fix their problems.
I'd build myself a bullet train and run straight over you
The artist harbors a deep desire for revenge against the person who has hurt them.
Yeah Lord, give me some ketamine so I can feel alright
The artist reiterates their desire to use drugs to escape their emotional pain.
To hide my true dark nature and to keep it out of sight
The artist wants to conceal the negative aspects of their personality through drug use.
'Cause if I had a rifle, I'd shoot straight up in the air
The singer expresses a desire for recklessness and danger.
And watch you fall back down to Earth with a wild-eye graveyard stare
The artist has a gruesome image in their mind of hurting someone and watching them die.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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