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)
One Way Street
Mark Lanegan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Aren't where they're supposed to be
For the strange electric light
It falls so close to me
Love, I come to ride
High on that seasick rolling wave
And you know that I am
Just trying to get out
Oh the glorious sound
Oh the one way street
But you can't get
Can't get it down without crying
When I'm dressed in white
Send roses to me
I drink so much sour whiskey I can't hardly see
And everywhere I've been
There's a well that howls my name
From the one tiny sting
To that vacant fame
Oh the deafening roar
Remember that's called a one way street
And you can't get
Can't get it down without crying
Mystery's a sigh
You can't get out
In a psychotropic light, you can't get out
Love, I come to ride
High on that seasick rolling wave
That's the way that I fall, trying to get out
Oh the glorious sound
Of the one way street
And you can't get
Can't get it down without crying
Oh the deafening roar
It's called a one way street
The lyrics of Mark Lanegan's song One Way Street suggest a sense of displacement and confusion. He feels as though the stars and moon are out of place, and the electrical light is too close to him. Lanegan talks about "riding high" on a "seasick rolling wave" and "trying to get out". The song seems to have an underlying theme of addiction, with references to drinking sour whisky, being dressed in white, and the inability to get the sound down without crying. He hears his name called out in each place, but also suggests that the deafening roar is called "a one way street". The song implies that he is on a one way street of addiction and seeking a way out, while acknowledging the difficulty of overcoming it.
This song is open to interpretation and could be seen as a reflection of Lanegan's personal struggle with addiction or a broader commentary on the destructive nature of addiction. The metaphor of the one way street suggests that once you are in its grip, it is hard to get off. The line "you can't get out in a psychotropic light" could be seen as a reference to the hallucinatory nature of addiction and the difficulty of escaping its grasp. The song is also full of vivid imagery, such as the well that howls his name and the psychotropic light, which adds to the sense of disorientation and confusion.
Line by Line Meaning
The stars and a moon
The celestial bodies in the sky seem to be in unusual positions
Aren't where they're supposed to be
They're not in the expected or familiar places
For the strange electric light
A peculiar, electrically-charged light fills the surroundings
It falls so close to me
It seems to be a personal experience, affecting the artist directly
Love, I come to ride
My intention is to experience this adventure
High on that seasick rolling wave
The journey comes with ups and downs, but I embrace them
And you know that I am
I am aware of my situation and limitations
Just trying to get out
My destination is an escape from something or somewhere
Oh the glorious sound
The experience is overwhelming and amazing
Oh the one way street
The path I'm on leads only in one direction
But you can't get
It's not easy to move forward
Can't get it down without crying
The journey is emotionally challenging
When I'm dressed in white
At a formal occasion, when my appearance is supposed to be pristine
Send roses to me
Offer me praise, admiration or condolences
I drink so much sour whiskey I can't hardly see
My coping mechanism is excessive and may impair my vision
And everywhere I've been
My journey has taken me to various places
There's a well that howls my name
A dark, mysterious and daunting place calls to me
From the one tiny sting
Even a small amount of pain can have a lasting effect on me
To that vacant fame
Even if I attain some form of recognition, it feels empty to me
Oh the deafening roar
The experience is loud, chaotic and intense
Remember that's called a one way street
It's crucial to acknowledge the nature of the journey I'm on
Mystery's a sigh
The unknown is intriguing, yet elusive
You can't get out
It's difficult to escape the unknown or the unpredictable
In a psychotropic light, you can't get out
Under the influence of certain substances, it's even more challenging to find your way out
That's the way that I fall, trying to get out
Even though my goal is to move away, I may end up falling into something else
And you can't get
It's not an easy journey
Can't get it down without crying
Emotions run high and tears may flow
Oh the deafening roar
It's a loud, intense and overwhelming experience
It's called a one way street
This is a path I can only travel in one direction
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MARK LANEGAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Richard Koning
The stars and a moon
Aren't where they're supposed to be
For the strange electric light
It falls so close to me
Love, I come to ride
High on that seasick rolling wave
And you know that I am
Just trying to get out
Oh the glorious sound
Oh the one way street
But you can't get
Can't get it down without crying
When I'm dressed in white
Send roses to me
I drink so much sour whiskey I can't hardly see
And everywhere I've been
There's a well that howls my name
From the one tiny sting
To that vacant fame
Oh the deafening roar
Remember that's called a one way street
And you can't get
Can't get it down without crying
Mystery's a sigh
You can't get out
In a psychotropic light, you can't get out
Love, I come to ride
High on that seasick rolling wave
That's the way that I fall, trying to get out
Oh the glorious sound
Of the one way street
And you can't get
Can't get it down without crying
Oh the deafening roar
It's called a one way street
Guillermo De la Cruz
The stars and a moon
Aren't where they're supposed to be
For the strange electric light
It falls so close to me
Love, I come to ride
High on that seasick rolling wave
And you know that I am
Just trying to get out
Oh the glorious sound
Oh the one way street
But you can't get
Can't get it down without crying
When I'm dressed in white
Send roses to me
I drink so much sour whiskey I can't hardly see
And everywhere I've been
There's a well that howls my name
From the one tiny sting
To that vacant fame
Oh the deafening roar
Remember that's called a one way street
And you can't get
Can't get it down without crying
Mystery's a sigh
You can't get out
In a psychotropic light, you can't get out
Love, I come to ride
High on that seasick rolling wave
That's the way that I fall, trying to get out
Oh the glorious sound
Of the one way street
And you can't get
Can't get it down without crying
Oh the deafening roar
It's called a one way street
Jolene Lovett
Mark's one of the rarest singers who sound better live than recorded.. he actually sings his heart out and his voice is raw gold. 💛
JUNKZHERO
Yes. Agreed. Totally. 🌹
Jolene Lovett
@That You'dliketoknow I mean that he was singing live, it was not playback
scot972
@Jolene Lovett ci vado appena torna
Ford Colby
@Azariah Josiah happy to help :)
Azariah Josiah
@Ford Colby It worked and I actually got access to my account again. Im so happy!
Thank you so much, you saved my ass !
scott pierce
This man just gets better with age. Quite possibly my favorite artist of all time. I picked up the Winding Sheet almost 30 years ago,best money I ever spent!
Thomas Paine
Agreed. Beautiful genius.
Валерий Афанасьев
scott pierce согласен с тобой. И это мой любимый артист тоже
Brendan Barnes
Brilliant.Mark's voice sounds more powerful and colourful the further he works off mic.The man is an intergalactic treasure I tell you.