SELF CONTROL
• LAURA BRANIGAN Lyrics
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City light painted girl
In the day nothing matters
It's the night time that flatters
In the night, no control
Through the wall something's breaking
Wearing white as you're walkin'
You take my self, you take my self control
You got me livin' only for the night
Before the morning comes, the story's told
You take my self, you take my self control
Another night, another day goes by
I never stop myself to wonder why
You help me to forget to play my role
You take my self, you take my self control
I, I live among the creatures of the night
I haven't got the will to try and fight
Against a new tomorrow, so I guess I'll just believe it
That tomorrow never comes
A safe night, I'm living in the forest of my dream
I know the night is not as it would seem
I must believe in something, so I'll make myself believe it
That this night will never go
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh (Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)
Oh, the night is my world
City light painted girl
In the day nothing matters
It's the night time that flatters
I, I live among the creatures of the night
I haven't got the will to try and fight
Against a new tomorrow, so I guess I'll just believe it
That tomorrow never knows
A safe night, I'm living in the forest of a dream
I know the night is not as it would seem
I must believe in something, so I'll make myself believe it
That this night will never go
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
You take my self, you take my self control
You take my self, you take my self control
You take my self, you take my self control
You take my self, you take my self control
You take my self, you take my self control
You take my self, you take my self control
You take my self, you take my self control
You take my self, you take my self control
You take my self, you take my self control
You take my self, you take my self control
Laura Branigan's lyrics in "Self Control" seem to be about the liberation and thrill of the nightlife, a world where the singer finds herself and sheds her inhibitions. The city lights and painted girls are an essential element of that world, a place where everything is possible when it is dark outside. In contrast, the daytime seems to be mundane, and nothing seems to matter. It is only when the night falls that the singer feels alive and flattered.
However, the singer soon discovers that the night comes with a price. The loss of self-control is imminent, symbolized by a wall breaking, and the white-colored figure walking down the street of her soul. She expresses that the night takes her self-control, living just for the moment, forgetting about responsibilities or consequences. The story has to finish before the morning comes, and the singer is left to pick up the pieces of the night before, struggling with the consequences of her actions.
The lyrics continue to describe the singer's acceptance that she lives among creatures of the night, with little will to fight the new tomorrow. She finds solace in the belief that tomorrow never comes and, in that way, she can live in the forest of her dream, where the night is safe, and nothing is impossible. The singer then repeats the central theme of the song that someone, perhaps a lover, takes her self-control away, making her lose herself to the night world.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, the night is my world
The singer thrives in the night, when the city is alive with lights and energy
City light painted girl
The city's lights create the illusion of a painted girl, highlighting its beauty
In the day nothing matters
The day is an unremarkable, drab time for the singer
It's the night time that flatters
Only the night can make the singer feel special and appreciated
In the night, no control
The singer loses their control in the reckless, wild nights
Through the wall something's breaking
The singer can feel something changing and breaking around them
Wearing white as you're walkin'
The singer sees a figure dressed in white walking down their soul's street
Down the street of my soul
The street inside the singer's soul is where the figure is walking
You take my self, you take my self control
The singer's self-control is surrendered to someone else
You got me livin' only for the night
The singer's entire existence revolves around the night and the person controlling them
Before the morning comes, the story's told
The singer knows their time with this person is limited
Another night, another day goes by
The days and nights continue to pass by without significant change
I never stop myself to wonder why
The singer doesn't question why they keep getting involved in these types of nights
You help me to forget to play my role
The person they are with makes them forget who they are supposed to be and follow a new script
I, I live among the creatures of the night
The singer is surrounded by others who only come alive at night
I haven't got the will to try and fight
The singer is too weak to resist the allure of the night and its inhabitants
Against a new tomorrow, so I guess I'll just believe it
The singer is resigned to the fact that their nights will continue and a new tomorrow won't come
That tomorrow never comes
There is no hope for the future, it will always be a night-to-night existence
A safe night, I'm living in the forest of my dream
The singer feels protected during the night, as if they are in a dream-like forest
I know the night is not as it would seem
The singer is aware that the night is not always what it appears to be
I must believe in something, so I'll make myself believe it
The singer needs something to believe in, even if it's not genuine
That this night will never go
The singer wants the night to last forever and never end
You take my self, you take my self control
The singer repeats again how their self-control is taken away by the person they are with
Lyrics © Sugarmusic s.p.a.
Written by: Gaetano Bigazzi, Raffaele Riefoli, Stephen Vincent Piccolo
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind