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)

She's Not For You
Mark Lanegan Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Pay no mind to her
She only wants to play
But she's not for you
She's not for you

And I'm the only one
Who would let her act this way
But she's not for you

She's not for you

So, she told you
She found heaven in your eyes
Well, I think it's only fair to warn you
That sometimes she lies

But it's your heart
Can't tell you what to do
She's not for you
She's not for you

She just looks
For greener pastures, now and then
And when she grows tired
She knows old faithful
Will just take her back again

Leave her here
I'm used to feeling blue
She's not for you
Oh, she's not for you

Well, she's not for you
She's not for you

Overall Meaning

The song "She's Not For You" by Mark Lanegan is a melancholic ballad about a woman who is unreliable and not trustworthy. The singer advises the listener to stay away from her, saying "pay no mind to her, she only wants to play, but she's not for you." The singer is the only one who would put up with her behavior but even he knows that she's not worth the trouble. Despite this, the woman tells the listener that she has found heaven in his eyes, but the singer warns that she lies. The final verse reveals that the woman is always looking for something better, but when she grows tired, she knows she can rely on "old faithful" to take her back again.

The lyrics are a cautionary tale for anyone who might be tempted by someone who is not trustworthy. The singer knows from experience that this woman is bad news and advises the listener to steer clear. The melancholic tone of the song reflects the sadness and regret of the singer for having been involved with the woman.

Line by Line Meaning

Pay no mind to her
Ignore her presence

She only wants to play
She is just looking for temporary fun

But she's not for you
She is not meant for you

And I'm the only one
I am the only one who knows her true nature

Who would let her act this way
I am the only one who tolerates her behavior

So, she told you
She probably mentioned to you

She found heaven in your eyes
She said that she is in love with you

Well, I think it's only fair to warn you
I believe it is the right thing to do to caution you

That sometimes she lies
She is capable of not telling the truth

But it's your heart
It's your heart that is leading you

Can't tell you what to do
I cannot influence your decision