Mark Sandman (September 24, 1952 – July 3, 1999) was an American singer, so… Read Full Bio ↴Mark Sandman (September 24, 1952 – July 3, 1999) was an American singer, songwriter, musical instrument inventor and multi-instrumentalist. An indie rock icon and longtime fixture on the Boston music scene, Sandman was best known as the lead singer and slide bass player of the band Morphine.

Sandman was also known as a prominent member of the Boston blues band Treat Her Right and the founder of Hi-n-Dry, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based recording studio and independent record label.

Sandman was born into a Jewish American family in Newton, Massachusetts. He graduated from college but worked a variety of blue-collar jobs, including construction, taxi driving, and commercial fishing. Sandman once noted he would often earn considerable overtime pay, which allowed him to take leave of work and travel outside of New England to places such as rural Colorado -- the setting for a number of Treat Her Right and Morphine songs, including "Thursday", "The Jury", and "I Think She Likes Me".

Along with Morphine, which he formed in 1989, Sandman was also a member of the bands Sandman, Candy Bar, the Hypnosonics, Supergroup (with Chris Ballew), and the Pale Brothers. He also performed as a guest with the Boston jazz band Either/Orchestra.

On July 3, 1999, Sandman collapsed on stage at the Giardini del Principe in Palestrina, Latium, Italy (near Rome) while performing with Morphine. He was soon pronounced dead of a heart attack at the age of 46. Sandman was survived by his girlfriend Sabine Hrechdakian, his parents Bob and Tel Sandman, and his sister Martha Holmes. Morphine immediately disbanded following his death, though the surviving members briefly toured with other musicians, creating Orchestra Morphine as a tribute to Sandman and the band's music.

Devils Boots
Mark Sandman Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

It was where they found you
Where the Devil lost his boots
And you put them on
And you stepped into
Into the middle of the room

In your pocket, was no letter
For the words you'll never say

No letter that you ever wrote
But the word still resonates

Music is like a prayer
It helps you reach somewhere
But when the music played too loud
You couldn't turn it down

So that was where they found you
Where the Devil lost his boots
And you put the Devil's boots to use
And you stepped into the middle of the room

Music is like a prayer
It helps you reach somewhere
But when the music played too loud
You couldn't turn it down

In your mind there sang a choir
Explainin what you had to do
A song to sing, and now you swing
In the middle of the room

Music is like a prayer
It helps you reach somewhere

But when the music played too loud
You couldn't turn it down

Overall Meaning

The Mark Sandman song, "Devil's Boots," presents a scene in which an individual has stepped into the middle of a room while wearing the Devil's boots. The location of where they found the person is also where the Devil lost his boots. Throughout the lyrics, music is described as a prayer that can help one reach somewhere, but it is also emphasized that when it is played too loudly, it cannot be turned down. The lyrics suggest that the individual is being controlled by the music, and their actions are guided by the choir singing in their mind.

It seems as though the individual is being controlled by music to the point where they have lost control of their actions, as the phrase "put the Devil's boots to use" suggests that they are being guided by a force that is beyond their control. It is almost as though the Devil's boots have a spell, and whoever wears them is under the control of the music. The song implies that the individual is caught in a trance-like state, being controlled by the music.

Line by Line Meaning

It was where they found you
The place where you were discovered

Where the Devil lost his boots
A place of darkness and evil

And you put them on
You embraced the darkness

And you stepped into
You fully entered

Into the middle of the room
The center of attention

In your pocket, was no letter
No explanation for your actions

For the words you'll never say
The thoughts you could not express

No letter that you ever wrote
No way to justify your choices

But the word still resonates
The impact was still felt

Music is like a prayer
A form of spiritual expression

It helps you reach somewhere
It lifts you beyond yourself