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)
Sunrise
Mark Lanegan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Forgot to cover up my eyes
Sunrise
Should've covered up my eyes
Beauty wasted on me
Winds are shakin' my tree
With a woman too good, to believe
Take the first ride out that I see
Sunrise
Skies are servin' my plan
Grounds are movin' where I stand
Pull an airplane down
With my hand
And take the first flight out that I can
Sunrise
Forgot to cover up my eyes
Beauty wasted on me
Winds are movin' my trees
With a woman too good, to believe
Take the first ride out that I see
Sunrise
The lyrics of "Sunrise" by Mark Lanegan depict a feeling of regret and loss, as the singer seems to have missed out on something important. The repetition of the phrase "forgot to cover up my eyes" highlights the feeling of being unprepared and blindsided by something unexpected, while the line "beauty wasted on me" suggests a certain apathy or lack of appreciation for something that should have been a source of wonder and joy.
The use of natural imagery, such as the winds shaking the tree and the skies serving the singer's plan, creates a sense of grandeur and power that underscores the character's desires and motivations. The reference to a "woman too good, to believe" hints at a love interest that may have been lost or passed over, adding an emotional depth to the song's themes of regret and longing.
Overall, "Sunrise" is a song that captures the complex emotions of missed opportunities and nostalgia, with a poignant combination of vivid imagery and evocative language.
Line by Line Meaning
Sunrise
The start of a new day
Forgot to cover up my eyes
I failed to protect myself from the harsh reality of the day
Sunrise
The start of a new day
Should've covered up my eyes
I should have shielded myself from the beauty that is lost to me
Beauty wasted on me
The beauty of the world is unappreciated by me
Winds are shakin' my tree
The turbulence of life is disrupting my peace
With a woman too good, to believe
I have a woman in my life who is amazing, but I can hardly believe it
Take the first ride out that I see
I feel like escaping the current situation and taking the first opportunity to leave
Sunrise
The start of a new day
Skies are servin' my plan
The conditions of the sky are in alignment with my intentions
Grounds are movin' where I stand
The earth beneath me is changing and unstable
Pull an airplane down
I feel powerful enough to bring an airplane down with my bare hands
With my hand
Using only my physical strength
And take the first flight out that I can
I am still yearning to escape and leave everything behind
Sunrise
The start of a new day
Forgot to cover up my eyes
I am still struggling to face the realities of the world
Beauty wasted on me
I am still unable to appreciate the beauty of the world
Winds are movin' my trees
The turbulence of life is still making its presence felt
With a woman too good, to believe
My incredible woman is still too good to be true
Take the first ride out that I see
My thoughts are still consumed with wanting to escape
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: KULLY BHAMRA, ANGUS CAMPBELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jmzrapp
Thanks for the music, Mark. RIP
@matheusfranca1934
Sunrise
Forgot to cover up my eyes
Sunrise
Should've covered up my eyes
Beauty wasted on me
Winds are shakin' my tree
With a woman too good, to believe
Take the first ride out that I see
Sunrise
Skies are servin' my plan
Grounds are movin' where I stand
Pull an airplane down
With my hand
And take the first flight out that I can
Sunrise
Forgot to cover up my eyes
Beauty wasted on me
Winds are movin' my trees
With a woman too good, to believe
Take the first ride out that I see
Sunrise
@pmc1649
Brilliant & His autobiography is fantastic too...
@laurent8283
Putains de chanteur. J adore ça voix. Il m aide beaucoup moi qui suis pas trop bien. Merci mark.
@waterox73
His best track ever.
@Elizabeth.Bathory
Sally Barry sounds great on this track