# "Games Without Frontiers" Meaning? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 18, 2010, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-without-frontiers-meaning/532823 "2010-03-18T00:38:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-without-frontiers-meaning/532823/1 "2010-03-18T00:38:48Z")
Does the song “Games Without Frontiers” have any meaning or make any statement? Or, is it just a bunch of jibberish spun into a song? ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-without-frontiers-meaning/532823/2 "2010-03-18T00:43:42Z")
It likens nationalism and militarism to a [TV game show](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeux_Sans_Fronti%C3%A8res). ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-without-frontiers-meaning/532823/3 "2010-03-18T01:28:49Z")
Since your question was answered, I’ll take this opportunity… Of course, nothing can beat [the original](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKb9XQ39-zc) by Peter Gabriel with Kate Bush, but I’ve always loved [this super cool cover](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlwPNjYPpqI) by Bob Holroyd and HTR since I first heard it. It’s one of my favorite cover versions. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-without-frontiers-meaning/532823/4 "2010-03-18T02:17:33Z")
> [@Jinx](#): > > Does the song “Games Without Frontiers” have any meaning or make any statement? Or, is it just a bunch of jibberish spun into a song? It’s called a metaphor. ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-without-frontiers-meaning/532823/5 "2010-03-18T02:21:19Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > It’s called a metaphor. Uh, yeah…I got that much, assuming there’s some meaning to be found here. To me, it’s just jibberish. I’m not sure what Gabriel’s point is. ---
**Author:** ![Rrose\_Selavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bcef8e/32.png) [@Rrose\_Selavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rrose_Selavy)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-without-frontiers-meaning/532823/6 "2010-03-18T02:31:59Z")
> [@Jinx](#): > > Uh, yeah…I got that much, assuming there’s some meaning to be found here. To me, it’s just jibberish. I’m not sure what Gabriel’s point is. Jeez! It’s “gibberish” because he’s likening war etc to childish games and name calling - clear enough for you now? > **[Games Without Frontiers (song)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Games_Without_Frontiers_(song))** > > "Games Without Frontiers" is a song written and recorded by the English rock musician Peter Gabriel. It was released on his 1980 self-titled third studio album, where it included backing vocals by Kate Bush. The song's lyrics are interpreted as a commentary on war and international diplomacy being like children's games. The music video includes film clips of Olympic Games events and scenes from the educational film Duck and Cover (1951), which used a cartoon turtle to instruct US schoolchil The... ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-without-frontiers-meaning/532823/7 "2010-03-18T02:36:21Z")
> [@Jinx](#): > > Uh, yeah…I got that much, assuming there’s some meaning to be found here. To me, it’s just jibberish. I’m not sure what Gabriel’s point is. > [@](#): > > Andre has a red flag, Chiang Ching’s is blue > They all have hills to fly them on except for Lin Tai Yu > Dressing up in costumes, playing silly games > Hiding out in tree-tops shouting out rude names > -Whistling tunes we hide in the dunes by the seaside > -Whistling tunes we piss on the goons in the jungle > It’s a knockout That’s not cryptic. It’s about war. Paul Simon, now, that’s often cryptic. What did the Mama saw that was against the law? Why should I be your bodyguard and call you Al? ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-without-frontiers-meaning/532823/8 "2010-03-18T02:38:46Z")
[Earlier question](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=122588) about “Games Without Frontiers.” Damn, time flies! ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-without-frontiers-meaning/532823/9 "2010-03-18T12:30:35Z")
As songs go, it’s a knockout! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![tacoloco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tacoloco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tacoloco)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-without-frontiers-meaning/532823/10 "2010-03-18T12:31:58Z")
> [@Rrose\_Selavy](#): > > Jeez! It’s “gibberish” because he’s likening war etc to childish games and name calling - clear enough for you now? > > [Games Without Frontiers (song) - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Games_Without_Frontiers_(song)) Wow, no need for the vitriol. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-without-frontiers-meaning/532823/11 "2010-03-18T13:18:32Z")
A better thread would be: “What did you think Peter Gabriel was saying in English when you first heard the (French) line Jeux Sans Frontières?” I always thought it was, “She’s some funky lady” or something similar… ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-without-frontiers-meaning/532823/12 "2010-03-18T13:21:31Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > A better thread would be: “What did you think Peter Gabriel was saying in English when you first heard the (French) line Jeux Sans Frontières?” > > I always thought it was, “She’s some funky lady” or something similar… “She’s so popular.” Made no sense at all to me, which was later cleared up when I learned what he was really singing. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-without-frontiers-meaning/532823/13 "2010-03-18T13:57:01Z")
> [@tacoloco](#): > > Wow, no need for the vitriol. I didn’t see any vitriol. But the meaning of the song couldn’t be clearer if Gabriel hung post-it notes on every line. It’s probably the least obscure extended metaphor in the history of rock. How could anyone possibly not get it? ---
**Author:** ![Chicken\_Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Chicken\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicken_Fingers)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-without-frontiers-meaning/532823/14 "2010-03-18T14:35:02Z")
I thought it was “She’s so punctual.” ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-without-frontiers-meaning/532823/15 "2010-03-18T14:35:26Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > “She’s so popular.” Made no sense at all to me, which was later cleared up when I learned what he was really singing. You mean what _she_ was really singing–that’s Kate Bush singing the French line. ---
**Author:** ![HeadNinja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b4bc9f/32.png) [@HeadNinja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeadNinja)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-without-frontiers-meaning/532823/16 "2010-03-18T14:35:38Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > It’s probably the least obscure extended metaphor in the history of rock. Love Gun…just Love Gun. ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-without-frontiers-meaning/532823/17 "2010-03-18T14:36:28Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > I didn’t see any vitriol. But the meaning of the song couldn’t be clearer if Gabriel hung post-it notes on every line. It’s probably the least obscure extended metaphor in the history of rock. How could anyone possibly not get it? Hand raise. Yes. The words in the song reference war. That much is clear. But, the phrase and title ‘games without frontiers’ makes little sense if you’ve never heard of the show. Why is war like a game without frontiers? What is a game without frontiers, anyway? Yes. The answers have solved that mystery, but if you don’t know the show, there’s a significant knowledge gap. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-without-frontiers-meaning/532823/18 "2010-03-18T14:47:21Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > You mean what _she_ was really singing–that’s Kate Bush singing the French line. Huh. I thought it was Gabriel in falsetto. Ignorance fought. Again. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-without-frontiers-meaning/532823/19 "2010-03-18T14:55:07Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > “She’s so popular.” Made no sense at all to me, which was later cleared up when I learned what he was really singing. That’s what I thought the line was for years until I read this thread and learned otherwise. Learn something new here every day, one does! ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-without-frontiers-meaning/532823/20 "2010-03-18T15:42:17Z")
To me it sounded (and still sounds) like “she is so frumpy now”, which I knew couldn’t be correct so I settled for “she is so popular”. I’ve always gotten what the song is about but didn’t know about the game so thanks for enlightening me about that. It adds a little something, I think. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-without-frontiers-meaning/532823.md?page=2)