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)

Undertow
Mark Lanegan Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Water will forgive me, I'm just tryin' to forget
Starin' at the water as the waves turn ruby red
Remembering
Fear and paranoia run together in my dreams
Water will accept me give me a peace I've never seen
Remembering
Wrap your arms around me
And I'm as light as anything

Through the air I can't breathe
Your lips form a curious smile
Water will forgive me for everything I never should
Water will accept me for all the things I never could
Wrap your arms around me

And I'm as light as anything
Through the air I can't breathe

Overall Meaning

The song "Undertow" by Mark Lanegan explores the themes of guilt, regret, and hopelessness. The first verse of the song talks about the singer's desire to forget his past transgressions and mistakes. He is staring at the water as the waves turn red, which could be interpreted as a representation of his blood-stained memories. The color red is also symbolic of fear, danger, and caution, implying that the singer is wary of being engulfed by his past.

The second verse of the song emphasizes the singer's fear and paranoia about his dreams. He is haunted by his past mistakes and regrets. However, he finds solace in the water that he believes will forgive and accept him despite his shortcomings. The chorus of the song reinforces this sentiment as the singer pleads for someone to wrap their arms around him and make him feel light as if he is not weighed down by his past.

Overall, "Undertow" is a song about the struggle to come to terms with one's past mistakes and the desire for redemption through self-forgiveness and acceptance.

Line by Line Meaning

Water will forgive me, I'm just tryin' to forget
I seek solace in water to forget the wrongs I've done

Starin' at the water as the waves turn ruby red
Gazing at the water as the sunset paints the waves red

Remembering
Reflecting on my past actions

Fear and paranoia run together in my dreams
My dreams are plagued with anxiety and fear

Water will accept me give me a peace I've never seen
The water brings me tranquility I've never felt before

Remembering
Reflecting once again on my past actions

Wrap your arms around me
Embracing someone tightly for comfort

And I'm as light as anything
Feeling weightless and free

Through the air I can't breathe
Struggling to catch my breath while airborne

Your lips form a curious smile
A peculiar smile appears on your face

Water will forgive me for everything I never should
The water will pardon me for all the unacceptable things I've done