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)
Kimiko’s Dream House
Mark Lanegan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We always get lost
Without going very far
It's a matter of time
Like I told you before
Things are alright
If I fall to the floor
It's for closing my eyes
So tired at first
Kimiko's dream house
So many things
The girl's known before
Kimiko's dream house
So many things
That I've known before
To make matters worse
The trains are on time
But we're lost at the station
Still lost in our minds
Thrown to reverse
We kicked and cursed
Kimiko's dream house
So many things
The girl's known before
Kimiko's dream house
So many things
That I've known before
They're swallowing us
But dream we must
Kimiko's dream house
So many things
The girl's known before
Kimiko's dream house
There's so many things
That I've known before
That all the girls have known before
The lyrics of Mark Lanegan's "Kimiko’s Dream House" tell the story of an individual who finds themselves lost and disoriented, both physically and mentally. The song suggests that the individual is lost in their own dreams and is struggling to make sense of reality. The repeated line "It's a matter of time" suggests that time is slipping away, and that the individual is rapidly losing grip on what is real and what is not.
The title of the song, "Kimiko’s Dream House," suggests that the singer is in someone else's dream. The house is Kimiko's, and it is filled with things that both the singer and Kimiko have known before. The mention of trains and stations further implies a sense of displacement and confusion.
As the song progresses, the singer seems to be aware that they are lost, but can't help but be entranced by the dream world around them. They fall to the floor, perhaps overwhelmed by the sensory overload of the dream. The repetition of the phrase "Kimiko's dream house" serves to deepen the feeling of confusion and disorientation.
Overall, "Kimiko's Dream House" is a haunting yet beautiful exploration of the themes of loss and displacement. It captures the sense of being lost in one's own mind, and the ways in which we can find ourselves trapped in dream worlds that are not our own.
Line by Line Meaning
It's a matter of time
Time is a significant factor in this situation
We always get lost
We frequently lose our way
Without going very far
Despite not traveling a great distance
Like I told you before
As I have mentioned previously
Things are alright
The situation is satisfactory
If I fall to the floor
Should I collapse on the ground
It's for closing my eyes
The reason is to shut my eyes
I came to this place
I arrived at this location
So tired at first
Initially fatigued
Kimiko's dream house
The residence dreamed up by Kimiko
So many things
Numerous objects and ideas
The girl's known before
Already familiar to the girl
To make matters worse
Additionally complicating the situation
The trains are on time
The trains are arriving promptly
But we're lost at the station
However, we are disoriented at the station
Still lost in our minds
Mentally confused despite our surroundings
Thrown to reverse
Suddenly reversing our direction
We kicked and cursed
We expressed our frustration physically and verbally
They're swallowing us
We feel overcome by our circumstances
But dream we must
Despite this, we feel compelled to dream
There's so many things
Numerous items and experiences
That I've known before
That I am already familiar with
That all the girls have known before
All women have had similar experiences and knowledge
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JEFFREY LEE PIERCE, MARK WILLIAM LANEGAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@EMPANAO321
It's a matter of time
We always get lost
Without going very far
It's a matter of time
Like I told you before
Things are alright
If I fall to the floor
It's for closing my eyes
I came to this place
So tired at first
Kimiko's dream house
So many things
That girls known before
Kimiko's dream house
There's so many things
That I've known before
To make matters worse
The trains are on time
But we're lost at the station
Still lost in our minds
Thrown the reverse
We kicked and cursed
Kimiko's dream house
So many things
That girls known before
Kimiko's dream house
So many things
That I've known before
It's swallowing us
But dream we must
Kimiko's dream house
So many things
That girls known before
Kimiko's dream house
There's so many things
That I've known before
(Haah, haah, haah)
And all the girls have known before
@thurstongoreyo
I've always found this song to be among the most beautiful I've ever heard, and this is immediately where I came upon learning the news. Thank you Mark. Not just for this, but for everything.
@mitkojordanov2663
So long, Mark!!! You will be missed. So awfully missed!
@tommykeeling7697
ahhh im so sad
@v.mvarga4979
So nice to see Lanegan's music and specially this song is still relevant to a lot of people. Idk what Mark would of like but i think every artist would be pleased to know the art they poured from their hearts still resonates on the lives of many. R.I.P Mark you left us too soon
@MareMeyer
This one hurts. RIP Mark
@halloweenjack95
Man I miss him so much
@tommykeeling7697
Of all the people I never got the chance to meet and express how much of an influence they were on me .. its Mark
@jetcheneau5811
What I'd have given to hear Mark and Jeffrey sing on this song together.
@TubistColony
Well, fuck. There goes yet another unforgettable voice of my generation.
@andino444
Yes 😞