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)
Stay
Mark Lanegan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know what I love so, put me on
Something has badly gone wrong with me
Livin's not hard, it's just not easy
Always keepin' the dogs off
Down like the rain, down like the rain
Comin' down like the rain, comin' down
Cause this feels like dyin' baby
Let me stay around, let me stay around
You take my heart, and my breath is gone
You know what I love so, put me on
Feel a little light-headed, you know I'd have to be
Believin' ain't hard, it's just not easy
Stayin' blind to the obvious
Down like the rain, down like the rain
Comin' down like the rain, comin' down
Oh I want to be there, by your side
Cause this feels like dyin' baby
Let me stay around, let me stay around
(repeat)
The lyrics of Mark Lanegan's song "Stay" depict a person who is deeply in love, but also in pain. The first two lines set the tone for the rest of the song, stating that the person's heart is pounding until their breath is gone, indicating the intensity of their emotions. The repeated refrain of "down like the rain" creates a sense of heaviness and sadness, as if they are being weighed down by their feelings. The person longs to be with their loved one, but also feels like they are dying because of their separation. They ask to "stay around" because being with their loved one is the only thing that gives them a sense of purpose.
The line "Stayin' blind to the obvious" indicates that the person is aware of something that they are choosing to ignore. Perhaps their relationship is not healthy or sustainable, but they are clinging to it because it feels good in the moment. The lyrics also suggest a feeling of light-headedness, which could be interpreted as being love-drunk or delusional, unable to see things clearly. The repeated refrain of "put me on" could be interpreted as the person's desire to be with their loved one, even if it is not in their best interest.
Overall, the lyrics of "Stay" depict a person who is deeply in love but also in pain, clinging to a relationship that may not be sustainable. The heavy and repetitive refrain of "down like the rain" reinforces the sense of sadness and longing, as the person begs to stay around and be with their loved one.
Line by Line Meaning
The heart will pound until the breath is gone
My heart beats with such intensity that it will keep going until I stop breathing.
You know what I love so, put me on
You understand me so well that you know how to make me feel good.
Something has badly gone wrong with me
I'm not feeling like myself lately, something is really wrong.
Livin's not hard, it's just not easy
Life isn't necessarily challenging, but it's also not simple or straightforward.
Always keepin' the dogs off
I'm constantly trying to protect myself from potential threats or harm.
Down like the rain, down like the rain
I feel like I'm falling down and being crushed by the weight of everything.
Comin' down like the rain, comin' down
Everything around me is constantly getting worse and it feels overwhelming.
Oh I want to be there, by your side
I want to be with you because you provide comfort and make me feel safe.
Cause this feels like dyin' baby
This experience is so painful that it feels like dying.
Let me stay around, let me stay around
Please don't leave me, I need your support and presence to get through this.
You take my heart, and my breath is gone
Being with you takes my breath away and makes my heart skip a beat.
Feel a little light-headed, you know I'd have to be
Being around you makes me feel a little dizzy because of how much I care for you.
Believin' ain't hard, it's just not easy
It's not difficult to believe in something, but it can be challenging to hold onto that belief when things get tough.
Stayin' blind to the obvious
I'm deliberately ignoring the obvious truth because I'm afraid of what it means.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: MIKE JOHNSON, MARK LANEGAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind