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It's No Game (Part 1) Lyrics
One
Two
One-two-two
Shiruetto ya kage ga kakumei o miteiru
Mo tengoku no giyu no kaidan wa nai
Silhouettes and shadows
Watch the revolution
No more free steps to heaven
It's no game
Ore genjitsu kara shime dasare
Nani ga okkote irunoka wakara nai
Doko ni kyokun wa arunoka
Hitobito wa yubi o orareteiru
Konna dokusaisha ni iyashime rareru nowa kanashii
I am bored from the event
I really don't understand the situation
And it's no game
Documentaries on refugees
Couples 'gainst the target
You throw a rock against the road
And it breaks into pieces
Draw the blinds on yesterday
And it's all so much scarier
Put a bullet in my brain
And it makes all the papers to
Nammin no kiroku eiga
Hyoteki o se ni shita koibito tachi
Michi ni ishi o nage reba
Kona gona ni kudake
Kino ni huta o sureba
Kyohu wa masu
Ore no atama ni tama o buchi kome ba
Shinbun wa kaki tateru
So where's the moral
When people have their fingers broken
To be insulted by these fascists
It's so degrading
And it's no game
Shut up!
Shut up!
Two
One-two-two
Mo tengoku no giyu no kaidan wa nai
Watch the revolution
No more free steps to heaven
It's no game
Nani ga okkote irunoka wakara nai
Doko ni kyokun wa arunoka
Hitobito wa yubi o orareteiru
Konna dokusaisha ni iyashime rareru nowa kanashii
I really don't understand the situation
And it's no game
Couples 'gainst the target
You throw a rock against the road
And it breaks into pieces
Draw the blinds on yesterday
And it's all so much scarier
Put a bullet in my brain
And it makes all the papers to
Hyoteki o se ni shita koibito tachi
Michi ni ishi o nage reba
Kona gona ni kudake
Kino ni huta o sureba
Kyohu wa masu
Ore no atama ni tama o buchi kome ba
Shinbun wa kaki tateru
When people have their fingers broken
To be insulted by these fascists
It's so degrading
And it's no game
Shut up!
Song Info
Submitted by
saturnine On Apr 27, 2004
More David Bowie
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Space Oddity
The Man Who Sold the World
Ashes to Ashes
Ziggy Stardust
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this song scares the shit out of me, i'm not sure why
don't listen to it late at night in a unfamiliar place while driving
I am going to take a wild guess, the song is probably about the events that are going on in the world (in that period of time), and the fact that those events are not a game.
But, "It's no Game" (pt. 1 & 2) was originally written in 1970, and it was labled as "Tired of my Life". Though, tired of my life has different lyrics (exept some words during the bridge). Pretty much, "Tired of my life" is about how depressed he is.
So in the events that are going on, maybe David is just trying to say that "this is not a game, and I'm tired of them too".
I'm not really sure what I'm talking about lol. But, maybe we'll get a discussion going on now.
Oh, and one last thing. In the last verse, it's not "There's always tomorrow", it's "So where's the moral".
Not since "Breaking Glass" has Bowie sounded so tormented.
One of my favorite Bowie songs, for some reason.
I find the line, "Put a bullet in my brain, and it makes all the papers" interesting in conjunction with the female singer's use of very masculine Japanese (using "ore" for "I"). It puts me in mind of the scene in Rashomon where a female medium channels the testimony of a dead samurai, suggesting to me that the whole song is being sung from the perspective of a dead person. Her tone of voice also seems supportive of this interpretation. No idea if that effect was intended or not, but it appeals somehow.
@foonly Pretty sure its a reference to John Lennon, shot in 1980, the year of Scary Monsters release. Made all the papers.\r\nBowie and Lennon were friends, and collaborated on "Fame" together, along with guitarist Carlos Alomar.
@foonly Pretty sure its a reference to John Lennon, shot in 1980, the year of Scary Monsters release. Made all the papers.\r\nBowie and Lennon were friends, and collaborated on "Fame" together, along with guitarist Carlos Alomar.
By the way, I notice a missing lyric: right after Bowie sings, "Put a bullet in my brain, and it makes all the papers," and before the short musical break, the female vocalist shouts, "Shimbun wa kaki tateru sa!"
I would really like to know the translation of the Japanese lyrics. Complete with masculine/feminine denotations.
right2interpret:
The difference between Pt 1 and Pt 2 is resignation; nothing can be done about the situations. Obviously my opinion, but strongly felt.
So the Japanese woman is saying exactly what Bowie is saying, verse for verse. She has a very colloquial and familiar speech, and her manner of speaking is a little rough and masculine in tone, which works pretty well with Bowie's androgynous perception.
So the Japanese woman is saying exactly what Bowie is saying, verse for verse. She has a very colloquial and familiar speech, and her manner of speaking is a little rough and masculine in tone, which works pretty well with Bowie's androgynous perception.
@mumajor: I agree and his lack of emotion in Part 2 suggests using substances to numb the :pain.. "Ashes To Ashes" has the lyric: ..."We know Major Tom's a junkie'"..
@mumajor: I agree and his lack of emotion in Part 2 suggests using substances to numb the :pain.. "Ashes To Ashes" has the lyric: ..."We know Major Tom's a junkie'"..
The Japanese woman is saying exactly the same thing as Bowie.
thank you
thank you
thank you
thank you
thanks supersix4, fixed the lyric!
This songs a bit like the Olympics
i have no idea what the woman is singing, but the part that bowie sings really gets to me. The whole album scary monsters (and super creeps) is great. And having It's No Game open and close was really cool. I loved the way he made his voice in part 1 sound distorted and painful and gave the lyircs a sense of disgust with the world, while in part 2 he sounded relaxed and almost too comfortable for his lyrics, like he didnt really care about what he was saying anymore. the contrast between the two different ways he sings It's No Game is neat. Part 1 kind of scares me though.
@right2interpret: I agree, and I think his lack of emotion has to do with using drugs to numb the pain. The song "Ashes To Ashes" has the line "We know Major Tom's a junkie"...
@right2interpret: I agree, and I think his lack of emotion has to do with using drugs to numb the pain. The song "Ashes To Ashes" has the line "We know Major Tom's a junkie"...