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)
Mirrored
Mark Lanegan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Something strange, something blind
Close the window and lay down to sleep
With graveyard scenes and violent dreams
And love doesn't see a thing
Love makes a marionnette
Dance on silver strings
There's a mirror in your true love's eyes
Remember where those sparks were thrown
Then think of me as well
As the light starts fading and his fingers crawl through your dark hair
Here's where you learn something
What makes a marionette
Dance on silver strings
Dance in the mirror of your true love's eyes
One reflection sees the other blind
Look deep in each
Two tombstones shine
Close the window and lay down to sleep
With graveyard scenes and violent dreams
And everywhere that sparks are thrown
Then think of me as well
As the light starts fading and his fingers crawl through your dark hair
My love is no living thing
My love makes a marionette
Dance on silver strings
And there's a mirror
In my true love's eyes
The lyrics to Mark Lanegan's song "Mirrored" speak of the experience of looking at oneself through the eyes of a lover. The first verse speaks of the strange and blind feeling of seeing oneself mirrored in the eyes of someone else. The second verse expands on this theme by delving into the presence of violent dreams and graveyard scenes. The chorus suggests that love can be a manipulator, turning the object of affection into a marionette that dances on silver strings. The bridge speaks to the idea of reflection and how it can sometimes blind us to the truth. The final verse repeats the themes of the opening verse, but with the added element of the singer proclaiming their love as a force that can make a marionette dance.
Overall, the lyrics in "Mirrored" suggest that love can be a strange and powerful force that can distort our perception of ourselves and others. It warns the listener to be wary of the illusions that come with looking through another person's eyes, and to be mindful of the potentially dangerous consequences. At the same time, the lyrics also celebrate the transformative power of love, suggesting that it can be a force for creativity and beauty, even if it is ultimately fleeting.
Line by Line Meaning
You see yourself in your true love's eyes
You find a reflection of yourself in your lover's eyes
Something strange, something blind
It's a mysterious feeling, somewhat unclear
Close the window and lay down to sleep
You prepare yourself to rest
With graveyard scenes and violent dreams
You have unpleasant and terrifying nightmares
And love doesn't see a thing
Love is blind and unaware of reality
Love makes a marionnette
Love can control and manipulate you like a puppet
Dance on silver strings
Performing actions as instructed by love without a say
There's a mirror in your true love's eyes
Your lover reflects back to you, revealing a truth about yourself
Remember where those sparks were thrown
Recall where the spark and attraction started
Then think of me as well
Consider me in your thoughts alongside your true love
As the light starts fading and his fingers crawl through your dark hair
As the night ends and your lover caresses you
Here's where you learn something
Here's where you gain knowledge and enlightenment
What makes a marionette
What drives the control or manipulation of a person
Dance in the mirror of your true love's eyes
Dance to the tune of your lover's wants in spite of self
One reflection sees the other blind
A reflection's opinion of another is often misguided
Look deep in each
Scrutinize and analyze each reflection
Two tombstones shine
Two lovers are potentially doomed to inevitable death
My love is no living thing
My love is not tangible or alive
And there's a mirror
A reflective surface exists
In my true love's eyes
Located in your lover's gaze
Contributed by Michael N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@pleaseacceptthis1
Thanks Mark
@colinsmith2742
You see yourself
In your true love's eyes
As something strange
Something blind
Close the window
And lay down to sleep
With graveyard scenes
In violent dreams
And love doesn't see a thing
Love makes a marionnette
Dance on silver strings
There's a mirror in your true love's eyes
Remember where those sparks were thrown
Then think of me as well
As the light starts fading
And his fingers crawl through your dark hair
Here's where you learn something
What makes a marionette
Dance on silver strings
Dance in the mirror of your true love's eyes
One reflection sees the other blind
Look deep in each
Two tombstones shine
Close the window and lay down to sleep
With graveyard scenes
In violent dreams
And everywhere that sparks are thrown
Then think of me as well
As the light starts fading
And his fingers crawl through your dark hair
My love is no living thing
My love makes a marionette
Dance on silver strings
And there's a mirror
In my true love's eyes