I'm going to take my time
I have all the time in the world to make you mine
It is written in the stars above
The gods decree
You'll be right here by my side
Right next to me
You can run but you cannot hide

Don't say you want me
Don't say you need me
Don't say you love me
It's understood
Don't say you're happy
Out there without me
I know you can't be
'Cause it's no good

I'll be fine
I'll be waiting patiently
'Til you see the signs
And come running to my open arms
When will you realize?
Do we have to wait 'til our worlds collide?
Open up your eyes
You can't turn back the tide

Don't say you want me
Don't say you need me
Don't say you love me
It's understood
Don't say you're happy
Out there without me
I know you can't be
'Cause it's no good

I'm going to take my time
I have all the time in the world to make you mine
It is written in the stars above

Don't say you want me
Don't say you need me
Don't say you love me
It's understood
Don't say you're happy
Out there without me
I know you can't be
'Cause it's no good
Don't say you want me
Don't say you need me
Don't say you love me
It's understood
Don't say you're happy
Out there without me
I know you can't be
'Cause it's no good


Lyrics submitted by gasmask, edited by dobadog, Shadrik

It's No Good [2007 Remaster] Lyrics as written by Martin Lee Gore

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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It's No Good song meanings
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52 Comments

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  • +7
    General Comment

    He'll still be there and waiting?

    What the hell? Not to sound sociopathic but this is so fully not a love song...I'm with all the 'stalker' ideas here. The music is just way, way too dark. Especially at the end, with the eerie wailing and so forth. You don't say you're "going to take your time" to make somebody "yours" when you're in love with them. You say that when you're domineering and obsessed and really want control &/or possession of someone. And you definitely don't say, basically that you know they're not happy without you. That's crazy talk.

    In my opinion, at least.

    everworld2662on January 17, 2008   Link
  • +5
    General Comment

    he's trying to justify that fate will bring them togther when in truth he's obsessed

    XcrowfeatherXon April 04, 2005   Link
  • +4
    Song Meaning

    This song is the story of dark obsessional love. His one sided affection has practically turned him into a stalker. The object of his desire probably doesnt even know who he is, but will when its time for the restraining order. When i read the lyrics they sound like something an obsessed fan would write to a star. Maybe they got the idea from a letter sent to one of the band members. Still, this song is one of my all time favs and a must for any long distance driving. Awesome!

    pinky89888on May 05, 2009   Link
  • +4
    My Interpretation

    I don't think this song is about denial necessarily, at least not in its purest form, nor do I think it's necessarily about a stalker. I think this song is deliberately ironic; the lyrics to me totally express this, in true Depeche Mode fashion. This person is in love (or infatuated) with someone who he knows is well out of reach. He's toying with himself, kidding himself. He knows it couldn't possibly work out, so he amuses and/or placates himself with these thoughts. The "It's no good" line brings everything back to Earth, illustrating his view of the reality, not the dream. The musical tone, at its edgier moments, illustrates his torture, as he deals with the unreachable.

    dawntreaderon November 24, 2011   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    I always took the song to be about a stalker, someone obsessed with a celebrity...possibly a crazy fan..

    redstacyon May 07, 2009   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    I don't consider this song stalkerish at all. In my eyes, the man sees that despite what has happened between them, they are meant to be together. It is evident when he says "it is written in the stars above," almost as if they are astrologically compatible. In some cases some astrological cases, people seem made for each other, so I think that is what the writer means, and when he says "the god's decree" he it supports my theory as if he means is talking about them being meant for each other in a spiritual sense. Perhaps he is delusional? Perhaps not?

    When he goes on to say...

    "I'll be fine, I'll be waiting patiently, 'till you see the signs, and come running to my open arms"

    to me what he is saying is that he is just going to wait until she realizes that they are made for each other, because of how they were with each other as opposed to other people. Then when he says...

    "When will you realize? Do we have 'till our worlds collide?"

    he goes on to ask the girl, when will you see what I see, and do we have wait until fate brings us back together? Then he when he says...

    "Open up your eyes, you can't turn back the tide"

    it's like he is saying, you're better off seeing it now, because there is nothing you can do to escape fate.

    This song is by far my favorite Depeche Mode song. It is dark, and reminds me of a depressed state of love lost. This song reminds me of a relationship that I had with a girl, in which she didn't want to admit that we were meant to be although I felt we were, and everyone else, even her friends and realatives, saw that we certainly had something rare between us. My references to astrology come from the fact that our signs were extremely compatible, I am an Aquarius 3 and she is a Virgo/Libra Cusp. I was raised in a very Christian home, and never believed in astrology until someone pointed this out in a book to me. I was shocked to see that the book pretty much told the story of our relationship, when it talked about the Aquarius 3 and Virgo/Libra Cusp compatibility. Unfortunatley I never read this until after I decided to end our very close friendship. In the end she got married to someone else less then a year after we were done with each other. The song depresses me because even though it makes me feel better when I think of our relationship that never was as I had hoped it would be, I feel as if I am in some sense not living in reality and being delusional, as the writer of the song may be.

    Any response or extra insight would be welcomed.

    SymphonicMetalAndGothon January 03, 2011   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    to me this is about God calling you, in such way it means a lot to me

    cvron January 20, 2014   Link
  • +2
    My Interpretation

    I think the song is about God himself who's talking to a human being, maybe Dave or Jesus Christ

    "One day you will die, you'll come to me, nobody can escape Fate"

    I think the sentence "it is no good" refers to "And God saw that it was good" from the Genesis

    AlffromMelmacon February 18, 2012   Link
  • +2
    General Comment
    1. This song puts me in a mood of a narcisstic borderly deranged person, a person that lost his mind because of all the rejections and dissapointments he received in life, so now he's put up a plan to take revenge, and that includes things like making a girl who rejected him fall in love with him dispite her wishes.

    2. It could also be about an addiction speaking to him.

    3. It could be a really confident persons thoughts, someone who just takes whatever he wants, and doesn't even care about the other persons wishes

    Melfiuson July 07, 2013   Link
  • +2
    Song Meaning

    I don't think this is religious or about stalking. I think it is about two people who despite circumstances that create obstacles, cannot stay away from each other. This may or may not be destructive but ultimately, some people are like magnets and they keep finding each other. It is unspoken and timeless hence the lyrics about not needing to say anything and waiting patiently. It might be an affair or some relationship outside of typical social boundaries. I think it is one of those songs that is so good it hurts.

    kkredheadon April 04, 2016   Link

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