Mark William Lanegan (November 25, 1964 – February 22, 2022) was an America… Read Full Bio ↴Mark William Lanegan (November 25, 1964 – February 22, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter, and poet. First becoming prominent as the lead singer for the early grunge band Screaming Trees, he was also known as a member of Queens of the Stone Age and The Gutter Twins. He released 12 solo studio albums, as well as three collaboration albums with Isobel Campbell and two with Duke Garwood. He was known for his baritone voice, which was described as being "as scratchy as a three-day beard yet as supple and pliable as moccasin leather" and has been compared to Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, and Nick Cave.

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)

Nobody Home
Mark Lanegan Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I′ve got a little black book with my poems in
Got a bag with a toothbrush and a comb in
When I'm a good dog they sometimes throw me a bone in

I got elastic bands keeping my shoes on
Got those swollen hand blues
Got 13 channels of shit on the TV to choose from

I′ve got electric light
And I've got second sight
Got amazing powers of observation

And that is how I know
When I try to get through
On the telephone to you
There'll be nobody home

I′ve got the obligatory Hendrix perm
And the inevitable pinhole burns
All down the front of my favorite satin shirt

I′ve got nicotine stains on my fingers
I've got a silver spoon on a chain
I′ve got a grand piano to prop up my mortal remains

I've got wild staring eyes
And I′ve got a strong urge to fly
But I've got nowhere to fly to

Ooh babe, when I pick up the phone
There′s still nobody home

I've got a pair of Gohills boots
But I've got fading roots

Overall Meaning

The opening lines of Mark Lanegan's song Nobody Home describe in simple terms the spartan life of his protagonist. He has very few possessions with him- only a book of his poetry, a toothbrush, and a comb. The small luxury he enjoys is the occasional treat when he is a good dog, showing he is possibly institutionalized or is used to being in a submissive position. The next few lines suggest that he has well-worn shoes, and his hands are swollen- possibly from manual labor- as well as a choice of 13 channels of terrible TV.

The character claims to have electric light and second sight, implying that he is attuned to his surroundings, and accurately observe the experience of others. This skill turns out to be futile when he tries to reach the person he is trying to call, but, as he knows from experience, there will be nobody home. Mark Lanegan's character then describes his physical attributes; a Hendrix hairstyle, pinhole burns, and nicotine stains. He also admits to having access to wealth markers - a grand piano and a silver spoon necklace- but being haunted by "wild staring eyes" and "a strong urge to fly," but "no where to fly to." This final thought reinforces the theme of the lyrics, the sense of loneliness, and the idea that the character feels homeless, adrift, and forgotten.

Line by Line Meaning

I've got a little black book with my poems in
I keep my poems in a small notebook.

Got a bag with a toothbrush and a comb in
I carry my toiletries in my bag.

When I'm a good dog they sometimes throw me a bone in
Sometimes, if I behave well, people give me a reward.

I got elastic bands keeping my shoes on
I use elastic bands to keep my shoes from falling apart.

Got those swollen hand blues
My hands are swollen and painful.

Got 13 channels of shit on the TV to choose from
I have many TV channels to choose from, but they're all terrible.

I've got electric light
I have access to electricity and lighting.

And I've got second sight
I have strong intuition and a good sense of perception.

Got amazing powers of observation
I am very observant and aware of my surroundings.

And that is how I know
I am aware of what's going on around me.

When I try to get through
When I attempt to contact someone.

On the telephone to you
To talk to you over the phone.

There'll be nobody home
Nobody will answer the phone, and I'll be unable to talk to you.

I've got the obligatory Hendrix perm
I have a hairstyle inspired by Jimi Hendrix.

And the inevitable pinhole burns
There are small holes burnt into my clothing.

All down the front of my favorite satin shirt
There are burnt holes all over my favorite satin shirt.

I've got nicotine stains on my fingers
My fingers are yellowed from smoking cigarettes.

I've got a silver spoon on a chain
I wear a silver spoon on a chain around my neck.

I've got a grand piano to prop up my mortal remains
I have a grand piano that will support my heavy, lifeless body after I die.

I've got wild staring eyes
My eyes are large and intense, conveying a sense of madness or desperation.

And I've got a strong urge to fly
I feel the overwhelming desire to fly, to escape my current reality.

But I've got nowhere to fly to
I don't have a destination or a place to go if I do manage to fly.

Ooh babe, when I pick up the phone
Oh, when I try to call you.

There's still nobody home
You're not available to talk, and there's no response on the other end of the line.

I've got a pair of Gohills boots
I own a pair of Gohills boots.

But I've got fading roots
I'm losing touch with my past, my origins, or my cultural identity.

Writer(s): David Gilmour, Nick Mason, Richard Wright, Roger Waters

Contributed by Maria D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Comments from YouTube:

MVC

3y↑1

Mr. Mark Lanegan can do no wrong. Amazing cover

Magnetic Eye Records

3y↑1

you´re welcome

I'm Adequate

This is almost better than the original, Mark was, and very much is a legend, rest in peace brother 🤘

I am happy I bought The Wall Redux vinyl on release, the Nobody Home done by Mark and Thin Ice by low flying hawks are absolutely epic covers by themselves.