Songfacts®:

• In the Bible, Jesus brings Lazarus back from the dead. This song is about a woman who has died, but comes back in spectral form to reclaim her son. The lyric finds her trying to convince him to follow her to the underworld.
  
  Porcupine Tree lead singer Steven Wilson wrote the song for a film he was working on with his friend, Mike Bennion, but when financing fell through, Wilson used some of the tracks, including "Lazarus," as Porcupine Tree songs.
• The song dates back to 2003, when Steven Wilson performed it with his duo No-Man. Two years later, it was included on Porcupine Tree's eighth album, Deadwing.
• "Lazarus" is addressed to a man named David, with Steven Wilson singing:
  
  My David don't you worry
  This cold world is not for you
  
  In 2016, David Bowie released his album Blackstar, which includes a different song called "Lazarus," and died two days later. Porcupine Tree was on hiatus at this time but Wilson included the song in his solo shows as tribute to Bowie.