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)

Torn Red Heart
Mark Lanegan Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You don't love me, what's to love anyway?
You don't love me, would love be my saving grace?
You don't love me, aah ah ah
It's still too young, it's a child like dream and it fades away
It's illusion, would love put in my place
Illusion, aah ah ah
The delusional
The delusional

Oh yeah yeah I'm going nowhere
Now I'm going nowhere

You don't love me, what's to love anyway?
You don't love me, would love be my saving grace?
You don't love me, aah ah ah
Now I'm going nowhere
Oh yeah yeah yeah I'm going nowhere
Oh yeah yeah yeah I'm going nowhere
Oh yeah yeah yeah I'm going nowhere

Put my torn red heart
Put my torn red heart

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Mark Lanegan's song "Torn Red Heart" convey a sense of hopelessness and despair in the face of unrequited love. The singer laments that their love is not reciprocated, asking what there is to love anyway. They wonder if love could be their saving grace, but ultimately it seems that they are resigned to the fact that it is just an illusion. The repetition of the phrase "you don't love me" reinforces the singer's sense of rejection and the feeling that there is nothing they can do to change the situation.

The lines "it's still too young, it's a child like dream and it fades away" suggest that the singer's love was immature and idealized - they were perhaps overly naive about the reality of the situation. Similarly, the reference to "illusion" implies that their perception of the relationship was skewed, and that they never truly had a grip on what was really going on. The final lines of the song - "put my torn red heart" - suggest that the singer feels as though they have been emotionally mutilated by the experience.

Overall, the lyrics to "Torn Red Heart" are a poignant exploration of the pain and disillusionment that can come with unrequited love. Rather than expressing anger or bitterness towards the object of their affection, the singer is resigned to their fate, acknowledging that they are "going nowhere." The repetition of the phrase "oh yeah yeah" reinforces the idea that this is a familiar and deeply entrenched feeling for the singer - they have been here before and they know that there is no easy way out.

Line by Line Meaning

You don't love me, what's to love anyway?
The singer questions the existence of love and whether it is worth pursuing since they are not loved in return.

You don't love me, would love be my saving grace?
The singer ponders if being loved would provide a sense of redemption or salvation in their life.

You don't love me, aah ah ah
The repetition of this line adds emphasis and emotion to the lack of love the singer is experiencing.

It's still too young, it's a child like dream and it fades away
The artist recognizes that their idea of love is immature and fleeting, and will eventually disappear.

It's illusion, would love put in my place
The artist acknowledges that their perception of love may not be grounded in reality, and wonders if being loved would give them a sense of purpose or direction.

Illusion, aah ah ah
The repetition of this line further emphasizes the idea that love may be an illusion.

The delusional
The singer or others like them may be delusional to continue seeking love despite the lack of reciprocation they have received.

The delusional
The repetition of this line emphasizes the theme of delusion and questioning the concept of love altogether.

Oh yeah yeah I'm going nowhere
The artist feels stagnant and stuck in their current situation with no hope for progress or change.

Now I'm going nowhere
The repetition of this line further emphasizes the artist's lack of direction in their emotional state.

Put my torn red heart
The singer is asking for their heart, which has been damaged and left in pieces, to be taken by someone who will love them.

Put my torn red heart
The repetition of this line emphasizes the artist's desperation for love and the need for someone to heal their broken heart.

Lyrics © Red Brick Music Publishing
Written by: Mark Lanegan

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

darko radulovic

9y↑12

You don't love me, what's to love anyway?
You don't love me, would love be my saving grace?
You don't love me, ah ah ah

It's delirium, it's a childlike dream then it fades away
It's illusion, would love put me in my place?
Thw illusion, ah
The delirium, ah
The delusion, ah
Oh yeah yeah, I'm going nowhere
Now I'm going nowhere

You don't love me, what's to love anyway?
You don't love me, would love be my saving grace?
You don't love me, ah ah ah

Now I'm going nowhere
Oh yeah yeah yeah, I'm going nowhere
Oh yeah yeah yeah, I'm going nowhere
Oh yeah yeah yeah, with my torn red heart
With my torn red heart
With my torn red heart
With my torn red heart
With my torn red heart