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)
No Easy Action
Mark Lanegan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And insects nest inside my bones, I see
I stagger in a daze outside my tent
No time for being alone
To bleed
The hopeless singing of a round
That much we know to do
Before we go back underground
No easy action
Sparks fill the air some nights
Crows look for food behind my skin
Beneath
Try our best to dig it in
And keep the cold away, I see
That the sky is a vanishing place
And then there's nothing to miss
No time to get out of the ice
No easy action
Although all else may turn to dust
And insects nest inside my bones, I see
I stagger in a daze to find what you meant
Where it's good to be alone
Bleed
The hopeless singing of a round
Before that vanishing place
Before we're back underground
No easy action
In Mark Lanegan's song No Easy Action, the lyrics appear to be a reflection on mortality and the fleeting nature of life. The first verse speaks of the inevitability of death and the eventual decay of our bodies, with the image of insects nesting inside the singer's bones. The second line suggests a sense of acceptance or resignation as the singer staggers outside their tent with no time for being alone.
The chorus, "no easy action," could refer to the difficulty of coming to terms with mortality and the actions one must take to stave off death. The lines "sparks fill the air some nights" and "crows look for food behind my skin" seem to further the theme of decay and the passage of time.
The second verse marks a shift in perspective as the singer acknowledges that even though everything else may fade away, there is still a search for meaning or understanding. The line "no time to get out of the ice" could refer to a feeling of being frozen or stuck, with no escape from mortality. The song ends where it began, with the repetition of the chorus and the recognition that death is a difficult reality to face.
Line by Line Meaning
When all is done and turned to dust
After everything is finished and has crumbled into nothingness.
And insects nest inside my bones, I see
My body is breaking down and being consumed by nature.
I stagger in a daze outside my tent
I struggle to find my footing and feel disoriented in the world.
No time for being alone
There's no time for isolation and reflection in this difficult world.
To bleed
To suffer and endure immense pain.
The hopeless singing of a round
The endless repetition of a self-destructive pattern.
That much we know to do
We are familiar with and have accepted this destructive behavior as our only option.
Before we go back underground
Before we return to the earth after death.
No easy action
This life is difficult and filled with challenges.
Sparks fill the air some nights
Moments of inspiration and passion can ignite unexpectedly.
Crows look for food behind my skin
My pain is visible and attracts scavengers who wish to take advantage of it.
Beneath
Below the surface and hidden from view.
Try our best to dig it in
We attempt to bury our pain and hide it from the world.
And keep the cold away, I see
We use this method of burying pain to protect ourselves from future hardships.
That the sky is a vanishing place
The world is fleeting and nothing lasts forever.
And then there's nothing to miss
When everything has vanished, all pain and suffering disappears as well.
No time to get out of the ice
It is difficult to escape the frozen and unfeeling state of being.
Although all else may turn to dust
Despite the impermanence of everything, the pain and difficulty of life persists.
I stagger in a daze to find what you meant
I struggle to understand the meaning behind events and life itself.
Where it's good to be alone
Sometimes isolation and introspection can help provide clarity and understanding.
Before that vanishing place
Before everything disappears into nothingness.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: MARK WILLIAM LANEGAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind