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)
hotel
Mark Lanegan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Usually I fall, tell myself
It doesn't matter anyway
That this is just another day
I don't speak the truth too much
Hear the roars and the hush
And the cold chill of time
Oh I remember your voice
Turnin' around and around and around in my head
Now it's just like you said
Everything inside is dead
From the pillar to the post
I kill what I can miss the most
Of the blame when you get in touch
Another town another torch
Thought I saw you in a dream
Fill the hours in between
When I call myself alone
Then I disappear below
I remember your face
But it's been a long been a long been a long long day
What I did along the way
Well I wouldn't care to say
The lyrics of "Hotel" by Mark Lanegan are shrouded in a veil of mystery, evoking a sense of melancholy and loneliness. The song begins with Lanegan's deep, raspy voice crooning about a dive down into the wet, which could be taken as a metaphorical plunge into the murky waters of despair. He talks about falling and telling himself that it doesn't matter anyway, suggesting a sense of apathy towards his own struggles. As the song progresses, he talks about not speaking the truth too much and being happy with murdering his own mind, implying a desire to escape from reality.
Lanegan then describes remembering someone's voice turning around and around in his head, evoking a sense of obsession and longing for this person. However, he also talks about everything inside being dead, indicating a lack of emotional depth or feeling. He goes on to describe killing what he can miss the most, suggesting that he purposefully inflicts pain upon himself as a means of coping with his emotions. The song ends with Lanegan recalling someone's face but not caring to say what he did along the way, implying a sense of guilt and shame.
In terms of interpretation, the song appears to be about the struggles of someone dealing with an emotional crisis or mental health issues. It could also be about addiction, as noted by the reference to another town and another torch, suggesting a cycle of destructive behavior. Overall, the song is shrouded in symbolism and leaves much open to interpretation.
Line by Line Meaning
From the dive down to the wet
From the highs to the lows, from the sky to the ground
Usually I fall, tell myself
Typically I make mistakes, but tell myself it's fine
It doesn't matter anyway
It ultimately doesn't make a difference
That this is just another day
This is just a typical day
I don't speak the truth too much
I don't often tell the truth
Hear the roars and the hush
Hear the loud and quiet sounds all around me
And the cold chill of time
Experience the chilling effects of time passing
And I'm happy murderin' my mind
I find solace in destroying my own thoughts and emotions
Oh I remember your voice
I distinctly recall your voice
Turnin' around and around and around in my head
Replaying in my mind over and over
Now it's just like you said
Now it's exactly what you predicted
Everything inside is dead
I feel emotionally numb or dead inside
From the pillar to the post
From one place to another, without a clear direction
I kill what I can miss the most
I purposefully destroy or push away the things I know I'll miss the most
Of the blame when you get in touch
I won't be able to handle or accept the responsibility when you reach out to me
Another town another torch
I keep moving on to new places and new people, leaving behind a trail of destruction
Thought I saw you in a dream
I believed I saw you in my dream
Fill the hours in between
Pass the time that I'm awake with thoughts of you
When I call myself alone
When I'm by myself
Then I disappear below
I sink into my dark thoughts and emotions
I remember your face
I distinctly recall your face
But it's been a long been a long been a long long day
It's been a very long day
What I did along the way
What I did during the course of the day
Well I wouldn't care to say
I wouldn't want to discuss or divulge that information
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: MARK LANEGAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Cristian Sánchez López
From the dive down to the wet
Usually I fall, tell myself
It doesn't matter anyway
That this is just another day
I don't speak the truth too much
Hear the roars and the hush
And the cold chill of time
And I'm happy murderin' my mind
Oh I remember your voice
Turnin' around and around and around in my head
Now it's just like you said
Everything inside is dead
From the pillar to the post
I kill what I can miss the most
Of the blame when you get in touch
Another town another torch
Thought I saw you in a dream
Fill the hours in between
When I call myself alone
Then I disappear below
I remember your face
But it's been a long been a long been a long long day
What I did along the way
Well I wouldn't care to say
Ombeline Marchon
Just one of the best songs ever written. An absolute masterpiece. Heartwrenching and utterly beautiful.
S.R. Burks
I think that this is in the top 5 best solo songs that he has done.
MickeyMookWd40
By far my favorite album from Mark. A fan till my cigarette whisky death .
miki dimitrijevic
Yes J !! Really masterpiece
reed gomoll
I think we are automatically friends now
miki dimitrijevic
So do I
Franco Tonnarelli
Amen to that
Júlio Carloz
Mark voice's is a rock on your face. I love your vocals!
joseph aurelio
Great song! Love the howling guitar! Thanks Mark
mat11trick
From the pillar to the post I kill what I can miss the most... Mark makes melancholy music, man.