No Self Control

Album: Peter Gabriel (third, melt) (1980)
Charted: 33
Play Video
  • Got to get some food
    I'm so hungry all the time
    I don't know how to stop
    I don't know how to stop

    Got to get some sleep
    I'm so nervous in the night
    I don't know how to stop
    No, I don't know how to stop
    I don't know how to stop
    I don't know how to stop

    Got to pick up the phone
    I will call any number
    I will talk to anyone
    I know I'm gone too far
    Much too far I gone this time
    And I don't want to think what I've done
    I don't know how to stop
    No, I don't know how to stop

    There are always hidden silences
    Waiting behind the chair
    They come out when the coast is clear
    They eat anything that moves
    I go shaky at the knees
    Lights go out, stars come down
    Like a swarm of bees

    No self-control

    You know I hate to hurt you
    I hate to see your pain
    But I don't know how to stop
    No, I don't know how to stop

    Street after street
    Night after night
    I walk on through the rain
    I walk on through the rain
    I don't know how to stop Writer/s: NEIL MARTIN TAYLOR, STEVEN TORCH
    Publisher: Downtown Music Publishing
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 5

  • Lopsided_addendum_99 from Columbus Oh (by Way Of Ny)For me, this perfectly describes a severe manic episode/ Bipolar Disorder.
  • Batekush from Minneapolis, Minnesotai knew those phil collins drum phills from the moment i heard em
  • Mike from New Haven, CtCocaine addiction? Methamphetamine? You take your pick! This track illustrates well, the paranoid psychotic mental state of an Uppers Addict. Actually, the dark and intense chorus "No self control" pretty much sounds the way a Meth high can feel. I did that drug once and absolutely hated it. It makes you completely obsessive and inhumane, somehow almost robotic. Meth addicts become very paranoid and delusional, spooked by shadows, thinking they are being observed by the government, you name it! This song pretty much covers those bases. I've also read that Gabriel had his battles with addiction...and I seriously doubt it was Heroin.
  • Jim from Dayton, OhKate Bush can be heard singing backup on this song.
  • Robbie from Honolulu, HiI think Alice Cooper was recording an album next door and came in to hear this cut, and they (the group) were blown away by it. Alice and the Gabriels had a mutual admiration society.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

David Clayton-Thomas of Blood, Sweat & Tears

David Clayton-Thomas of Blood, Sweat & TearsSongwriter Interviews

The longtime BS&T frontman tells the "Spinning Wheel" story, including the line he got from Joni Mitchell.

Incongruent Opening Acts

Incongruent Opening ActsSong Writing

Here's what happens when an opening act is really out of place with the headliner, like when Beastie Boys opened for Madonna.

Oliver Leiber

Oliver LeiberSongwriter Interviews

Oliver Leiber talks about writing and producing hits for Paula Abdul, and explains his complicated relationship with his father, the songwriter Jerry Leiber.

Billy Joe Shaver

Billy Joe ShaverSongwriter Interviews

The outlaw country icon talks about the spiritual element of his songwriting and his Bob Dylan mention.

Marvin Gaye

Marvin GayeFact or Fiction

Did Marvin try out with the Detroit Lions? Did he fake crazy to get out of military service? And what about the cross-dressing?

Harry Wayne Casey of KC and The Sunshine Band

Harry Wayne Casey of KC and The Sunshine BandSongwriter Interviews

Harry Wayne Casey tells the stories behind KC and The Sunshine Band hits like "Get Down Tonight," "That's The Way (I Like It)," and "Give It Up."