Nocturne
Mark Lanegan Lyrics


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Red lights
X-ray vision
That lowly drug is in my veins
Blood stained
Indecision
And holiness is burned away
Midnight, midnight calling
To color me insane

Still life with roses in a vase
Thorn is in your hand
Unsent letters in a box
Frozen where you stand

Do you miss me, miss me, darling?
God knows, I′m missing you
Somewhere there's two trains colliding
That′s what this sickness brought me to
Dead right
All night
When you feel the serpent strike
Nocturne

Blacklight
House of mirrors
The heavens open up and bleed
Face down
Drifting backwards
A lonely river to the sea
Midnight, midnight calling
Coloring my dreams

Anchor chained around your neck
Christ is in your hands
Whispering behind your back
Falling where you stand

Do you miss me, miss me, darling?
God knows I'm missing you
I can see two cars colliding
That's what this sickness brought me to

Do you miss me, miss me, darling?
Do you know I′m missing you
Can′t you see the world is ending
That's what this damage took me to
Dead right
All night
When you feel the spider bite
Nocturne
Nocturne

Do you miss me, miss me, darling?
God knows I′m missing you
I can see two worlds colliding
That's what the sickness brought me to
Dead right
All night
When you feel the serpent strike
Nocturne




Nocturne
Nocturne

Overall Meaning

The song "Nocturne" by Mark Lanegan is a haunting and introspective exploration of addiction, isolation, and a longing for connection with a loved one who is no longer present. The verses are filled with vivid and often unsettling imagery, drawing the listener into the dark and troubled inner world of the singer. The opening lines speak of "red lights" and "x-ray vision," suggesting a sense of hyper-awareness and heightened perception that comes with drug use. The lyrics are ambiguous, leaving it up to the listener to interpret whether the drug in question is a source of pleasure or pain, and whether it is a symptom of the singer's troubles, or a form of self-medication.


The chorus is a repeated plea to a lost love, asking if they miss the singer as much as he misses them. The language is simple and direct, contrasting with the surreal and symbolic imagery of the verses. The repeated lines "Do you miss me, miss me, darling?" and "God knows I'm missing you" suggest a desperate and intense longing for connection, even as the singer recognizes the futility of his search.


The final lines of the song bring together the different threads of imagery and theme, linking the "two trains colliding," "serpent strike," and "world-ending" damage to the central metaphor of the "nocturne" - a night piece of music that is often associated with sadness or melancholy. The repeated refrain of "Dead right, all night" echoes this sense of inevitability and resignation, as the singer recognizes that he is trapped in a cycle of self-destructive behavior that he cannot escape.


Line by Line Meaning

Red lights
The atmosphere around me is overwhelming and suffocating


X-ray vision
I am seeing through my physical reality to a darker, more ominous world beneath the surface


That lowly drug is in my veins
I am consumed by a destructive addiction that I cannot shake


Blood stained
My demons and vices have caused irreparable damage to my soul


Indecision
I am paralyzed by fear and cannot make decisive choices for myself


And holiness is burned away
In the face of my addiction and fear, any goodness or purity within me has been destroyed or corrupted


Midnight, midnight calling
The intense isolation and darkness of the night are calling out to me, beckoning me towards my own destruction


To color me insane
The night and my demons are utterly overwhelming me, and I am being driven to madness and insanity


Still life with roses in a vase
Despite the stagnant and unchanging nature of my surroundings, there is an ominous and painful presence


Thorn is in your hand
You are in pain, and that pain is manifesting through me, infecting me with a sense of guilt and sorrow


Unsent letters in a box
There are things we need to say to each other, but we are unable to communicate


Frozen where you stand
We are both frozen in place and unable to move forward or move past our own demons and flaws


Do you miss me, miss me, darling?
I ache for your presence and your love, even as I know I am too broken to truly be worthy of it


God knows, I'm missing you
I am consumed by a sense of longing and loss for you, even as I am struggling to overcome my own demons


Somewhere there's two trains colliding
Our lives are on a collision course, and I cannot shake the sense of doomed inevitability that hangs over our relationship


That's what this sickness brought me to
This darkness and sorrow has consumed me completely and is driving me towards my own destruction


Dead right
My path is set and I am beyond redemption


All night
I am trapped in this darkness and there is no escape


When you feel the serpent strike
The poison of my addiction is consuming me and I am powerless to resist it


Nocturne
This darkness and sorrow is a lullaby that is singing me towards my own destruction


Blacklight
The world is painted in a sickly, otherworldly glow


House of mirrors
Everywhere I look, I am confronted with images of myself and my flaws


The heavens open up and bleed
Even the divine is suffering and writhing in pain, unable to offer any solace or salvation


Face down
I am drowning in this sorrow and unable to lift my head and face my demons


Drifting backwards
I am slipping further and further away from reality, lost in this darkness and pain


A lonely river to the sea
I am adrift on this current of pain and sorrow, heading towards a fate that cannot be escaped


Midnight, midnight calling
The darkness and sorrow of the night are all-consuming, and I am unable to resist their siren call


Coloring my dreams
Even in my most private moments, the darkness and pain are infecting every part of me


Anchor chained around your neck
You are weighed down by your own demons and flaws, and I am powerless to help you overcome them


Christ is in your hands
You believe in a higher power and a sense of divine grace, but my own darkness and pain is separating me from that same light


Whispering behind your back
My own sorrows and vices are infecting others around me, even as I struggle to overcome them


Falling where you stand
We are both falling apart and succumbing to our own vices and flaws, unable to help each other in any meaningful way


Can't you see the world is ending
The sense of doom and destruction is all-encompassing, and it feels as though the world itself is coming to an end


That's what this damage took me to
The pain and darkness has consumed me completely, and I am powerless to resist it


Nocturne
This lullaby of darkness and sorrow is all-encompassing, and there is no escape




Writer(s): Mark William Lanegan, Robert Ernest Marshall

Contributed by Jacob M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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