The meaning of the song “Human” by the Killers
The song isn’t saying he wants to be a dancer or that dancers aren’t human. A lot of people seem to think that, another thing people get confused about is the words. It’s “Are we human or are we dancer?” no s. It’s not supposed to have an s.
Human means “Free thinker”. So is you are human you can think for yourself, you don’t have to be a mindless puppet and can be your own person.
You can interpret the dancer part two different ways. You can interpret it as a puppet dancing while someone else pulls the strings, which is backed up by the line “Cut the cord”. If you take it that way the song is saying if you are dancer you are mindless and under someone else’s control.
The other way of interpreting the “dancer” part is an actual dancer. A dancer performs the choreography someone else made. They conform to the movements and perform them, no thinking. It’s not being a free thinker, it’s not being human. This is backed up by the line “up to the platform of surrender”. As in going up the stage (platform) and surrendering your free will, surrendering to the control of someone else’s dance. Of course it’s not meant to be offensive to dancers, and there is such thing as freestyle. That’s just not the focus of the song; the focus is the conformity part.
Either way you interpret the dancer part it comes down to basically the same thing, someone is control you or you are doing what someone else told you to do. Either way you aren’t being a free thinker so you aren’t human. You are dancer.
The song is asking if we think for ourselves or is someone controlling us or we’re giving into what someone wants us to do and conforming.
Now I’m going to try to interpret the meaning of each section. I’m going to write “you” not “he” or “it” like you are singing it; I think it might help with understanding the lyrics.
I did my best to notice
When the call came down the line
Up to the platform of surrender
I was brought but I was kind
I don’t know what the first two lines mean. Going up to the platform of surrender is for the actual dancer interpretation of “dancer”. You’re going up to a stage and surrendering your humanness, you don’t think for yourself and you dance the moves someone else told you to. I’m not sure for the last line but I think it means even if you go to the platform of surrender unwilling (you were brought) you should still be kind and try to have human emotion, that’s just a guess. I’m really not sure
and sometimes I get nervous
when I see an open door
close your eyes, clear your heart
cut the cord
This is talking about making your own decisions. When you see an open door it’s an opportunity and a choice for you. If you are dancer you don’t make a choice. If you’re nervous it means you aren’t sure if you can make a choice and if it will be right. You’re doubting if you’re human or dancer.
Close your eyes, clear your heart is just preparing yourself, getting ready to make your choice. Like when you close your eyes and take a deep breath before something important. You should have a clear heart and mind when you make the choice.
Cut the cord is the choice. It means you made the choice, and you choose to be human. This has to do with the puppet interpretation of “dancer”. If you cut the cord the puppet is free and it doesn’t have to do what someone else makes it do. The way of control is gone.
Are we human or are we dancer?
My sign is vital, my hands are cold
and I'm on my knees looking for the answer
Are we human or are we dancer?
I don’t know what my sign is vital means. My hands are cold might be about being a puppet, no blood means you would always be cold.
I’m on my knees looking for the answer just means you’re desperately trying to figure out if you’re human or dancer.
Pay my respects to grace and virtue
Send my condolences to good
give my regards to soul and romance
they always did the best they could
The first three lines is acknowledging human emotions and values and saying that they are respected. The last line means that the emotions and values always did the best they could. When you say someone did they best they could you’re saying they always tried hard but it wasn’t good enough. You are saying that the emotions and values of human weren’t enough in the end.
And so long to devotion
you taught me everything I know
Wave goodbye, wish me well
you’ve gotta let me go
The first line is you saying goodbye to devotion, which is like loyalty. You are not longer devoted to the ones controlling you, you are a free thinker, a human. The second line means that this person taught you everything you know, but you’re still going to become free of them.
Are we human or are we dancer?
My sign is vital, my hands are cold
and I'm on my knees looking for the answer
Are we human or are we dancer?
Will your system be alright
when you dream of home tonight?
There is no message we're receiving
let me know, is your heart still beating?
At this point you are talking to someone else .The first two lines are asking if they’ll be alright when they think back to the one or ones they became free of. When the song says system it’s referring to a robot system, if you have a system you are like a robot so you are dancer not human. It’s saying the other person is still dancer or not yet entirely human even though they’ve made the choice to be a free thinker, human.
The last two lines are saying you haven’t received a message from this person and aren’t sure if they went back to conformity and being dancer. The last line is you asking if this person is still human. If this person is dancer they don’t really have a heartbeat.
Are we human or are we dancer?
My sign is vital, my hands are cold
And I'm on my knees looking for the answer
You've gotta let me know
Are we human or are we dancer?
My sign is vital, my hands are cold
and I'm on my knees looking for the answer
Are we human or are we dancer?
Are we human or are we dancer?
Are we human or are we dancer?
Are you human or dancer? Are you a free think or are you a puppet? Are you doing what you’ve been told by someone else and abandoning your free will?
The song isn’t saying he wants to be a dancer or that dancers aren’t human. A lot of people seem to think that, another thing people get confused about is the words. It’s “Are we human or are we dancer?” no s. It’s not supposed to have an s.
Human means “Free thinker”. So is you are human you can think for yourself, you don’t have to be a mindless puppet and can be your own person.
You can interpret the dancer part two different ways. You can interpret it as a puppet dancing while someone else pulls the strings, which is backed up by the line “Cut the cord”. If you take it that way the song is saying if you are dancer you are mindless and under someone else’s control.
The other way of interpreting the “dancer” part is an actual dancer. A dancer performs the choreography someone else made. They conform to the movements and perform them, no thinking. It’s not being a free thinker, it’s not being human. This is backed up by the line “up to the platform of surrender”. As in going up the stage (platform) and surrendering your free will, surrendering to the control of someone else’s dance. Of course it’s not meant to be offensive to dancers, and there is such thing as freestyle. That’s just not the focus of the song; the focus is the conformity part.
Either way you interpret the dancer part it comes down to basically the same thing, someone is control you or you are doing what someone else told you to do. Either way you aren’t being a free thinker so you aren’t human. You are dancer.
The song is asking if we think for ourselves or is someone controlling us or we’re giving into what someone wants us to do and conforming.
Now I’m going to try to interpret the meaning of each section. I’m going to write “you” not “he” or “it” like you are singing it; I think it might help with understanding the lyrics.
I did my best to notice
When the call came down the line
Up to the platform of surrender
I was brought but I was kind
I don’t know what the first two lines mean. Going up to the platform of surrender is for the actual dancer interpretation of “dancer”. You’re going up to a stage and surrendering your humanness, you don’t think for yourself and you dance the moves someone else told you to. I’m not sure for the last line but I think it means even if you go to the platform of surrender unwilling (you were brought) you should still be kind and try to have human emotion, that’s just a guess. I’m really not sure
and sometimes I get nervous
when I see an open door
close your eyes, clear your heart
cut the cord
This is talking about making your own decisions. When you see an open door it’s an opportunity and a choice for you. If you are dancer you don’t make a choice. If you’re nervous it means you aren’t sure if you can make a choice and if it will be right. You’re doubting if you’re human or dancer.
Close your eyes, clear your heart is just preparing yourself, getting ready to make your choice. Like when you close your eyes and take a deep breath before something important. You should have a clear heart and mind when you make the choice.
Cut the cord is the choice. It means you made the choice, and you choose to be human. This has to do with the puppet interpretation of “dancer”. If you cut the cord the puppet is free and it doesn’t have to do what someone else makes it do. The way of control is gone.
Are we human or are we dancer?
My sign is vital, my hands are cold
and I'm on my knees looking for the answer
Are we human or are we dancer?
I don’t know what my sign is vital means. My hands are cold might be about being a puppet, no blood means you would always be cold.
I’m on my knees looking for the answer just means you’re desperately trying to figure out if you’re human or dancer.
Pay my respects to grace and virtue
Send my condolences to good
give my regards to soul and romance
they always did the best they could
The first three lines is acknowledging human emotions and values and saying that they are respected. The last line means that the emotions and values always did the best they could. When you say someone did they best they could you’re saying they always tried hard but it wasn’t good enough. You are saying that the emotions and values of human weren’t enough in the end.
And so long to devotion
you taught me everything I know
Wave goodbye, wish me well
you’ve gotta let me go
The first line is you saying goodbye to devotion, which is like loyalty. You are not longer devoted to the ones controlling you, you are a free thinker, a human. The second line means that this person taught you everything you know, but you’re still going to become free of them.
Are we human or are we dancer?
My sign is vital, my hands are cold
and I'm on my knees looking for the answer
Are we human or are we dancer?
Will your system be alright
when you dream of home tonight?
There is no message we're receiving
let me know, is your heart still beating?
At this point you are talking to someone else .The first two lines are asking if they’ll be alright when they think back to the one or ones they became free of. When the song says system it’s referring to a robot system, if you have a system you are like a robot so you are dancer not human. It’s saying the other person is still dancer or not yet entirely human even though they’ve made the choice to be a free thinker, human.
The last two lines are saying you haven’t received a message from this person and aren’t sure if they went back to conformity and being dancer. The last line is you asking if this person is still human. If this person is dancer they don’t really have a heartbeat.
Are we human or are we dancer?
My sign is vital, my hands are cold
And I'm on my knees looking for the answer
You've gotta let me know
Are we human or are we dancer?
My sign is vital, my hands are cold
and I'm on my knees looking for the answer
Are we human or are we dancer?
Are we human or are we dancer?
Are we human or are we dancer?
Are you human or dancer? Are you a free think or are you a puppet? Are you doing what you’ve been told by someone else and abandoning your free will?
