A squirrel in the tree is he watching me
Does he give a damn?
Does he care who I am?
I'm just a man, is that all I am
Are my manners misinterpreted words or only human?
I'm human

Murderous crow, hey what you know
What you reading about, what you hold in your toes
Is that a twig, are you a dove of peace
A black dove undercover, with another puzzle piece
Are you a riddle to solve all along?
Or am I over thinking thoughts of human after all

Only human
Made of flesh, made of sand, made of you and me
The planet's talking about a revolution
The natural laws ain't got no constitution
They've got a right to live their own life
But we keep paving over paradise

[Chorus]
Cause we're only human
Yes we are, only human
If it's our only excuse do you think we'll keep on being only human
Yes we are, yes we are
Only human, only human, only human
So far...

Up in the major's tree, the one he planted back when he was just a boy
Thinking 1923
Thirty meters and a foot, take a look, take a climb
What you'll find is the product of a seed
The seed is sown, all alone
It grows above, with a heart of love
Sharp and shelter of the animals of land and cold weather breathing
We're all breathing in

The planet's talking about a revolution
The natural laws ain't got no constitution
They've got a right to live their own life
But we keep paving over paradise

[Chorus]
Cause we're only human
Yes we are, only human
If it's our only excuse do you think we'll keep on being only human
Yes we are, only human, only human, so far, so far

And this place it will outlive me
Before I get to heaven I'll climb that tree
And I will have to give my thanks
For giving me the branch to swing on
If I ever fall in love
I'll have to give myself a baby
I will let my children have their way

Cause we're only human, yes we are
Only human, so far, so far



Lyrics submitted by ellie117

Track duration: 04:03

"Only Human" as written by Sacha Skarbek, Jason Thomas Mraz

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Only Human song meanings
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14 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:The planet's talking about a revolution - Everyone and everything pretty much knows that something has to change. Something is wrong here. We need change because we are ruining our world we live in.

    The natural laws ain't got no constitution - Here we are just making up rules and regulations that have nothing to do with natural law. A law is not you have to wear a seat belt. A law is the Law of Gravity. A natural law isn't just something we make up and decide whats right.

    They have a right to live their own life - But do they? Because we don't let them. We cage animals. Chop down their homes. Breed them, kill them, control them. They have a right, but we took it away, let's give it back.

    But we keep paving over paradise - Literally we are paving over paradise. What used to be a park is now a highway.

    And this place, it will outlive me - Far after we are dead and gone this tree will still stand. This earth will still be here. But here we are just acting carelessly not caring about future generations, animals, or the planet. Our actions effect much more then right now. Our actions effect the world tomorrow.



    'Cause we're only human.
    Yes we are, only human
    If it's our only excuse
    How do we think we'll keep on being
    Only human, yes we are
    Only human, only human, only human
    So far.

    I think Jason's saying. When will we wake up? When we decide that making mistake might be human but it's not a good excuse for us to keep making them. At what point will the human race evolve? At what point will we stop destroying everything wonderful? At what point will we stop making excuses for our mistakes? I'm not perfect I'm only human. When will we take the responsibility for our own actions, not just individually, but as a whole race?



    Flag sonja515on June 04, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I was wrong: Here is talking about it:

    youtube.com/…
    Flag Lingeringreverieon September 22, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song is about evolution/nature & his family tree. "We're only human so far" and 1923 (the major) is probably a relative since he basically says hes thankful he has a 'branch to swing on' and he wants to pass on his genes by 'giving himself a baby'. I love how he writes about we're only human we make mistakes--and that life will be here after he goes...but we're only human we don't realize how we're hurting the environment. This song is amazing..especially the metaphors at the beginning with the crow/squirrel..amazing meanings behind those too!
    Flag Lingeringreverieon September 22, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i saw that video too..
    it was pretty sweet, i totally agree with kbw8
    Flag coollbeanson September 19, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:THIS SONG IS NOT ABOUT WEED! i'm not denying that he does it, but he said in an interview on youtube that this song is literally about a tree in his backyard. he is saying that nature has no choice when it comes to what humans do with the earth. that animals have a right to live in their homes, but humans, not caring, will destroy their homes in a heartbeat. but he's not neccesarily blaming us, as humans, because we are just trying to live our lives too.
    Flag kbw8on August 06, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Wow, I had no idea this guy had tripped until i heard this song. When I heard these lyrics, I absolutely knew he had to have been 'turned on'. So i looked around and found...
    hightimes.com/entertainment/bjahn/…

    "words are only human" - as in our existence/reality is only what we perceive.

    I would have to say the strongest message in this song is the constant stuggle between "let's get green", but then realizing does it really matter? We're nothing more than a squirrel, a crow. We do what we will to survive, to live, and who knows if we'll last. (How long do we think we'll keep on being?)

    Could just be me though. Take a hit and see what you think...
    Flag bennynauton July 29, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I agree with the green movement thing, but I was thinking about the song last night and the lines,

    "They've got a right to live their own life
    But we keep paving over paradise"

    Really stuck out to me. It made me think, overall, we say we don't care about other people or how they choose to do things yet we're constantly looking over what might make them happy. "I respect you, but not really, because I decide to screw over all your ideas."

    It's like saying one is a failure for being a dropout or a fool for not living up to expectations. You said you didn't care, but it looks like you did anyway. And for what? Obviously not the person you're demeaning -- "Only human" being the excuse we use to defend our own selfishness. They might be happy with their decision, but we could care less because it's not what -we- want to see; and as a result we effectively 'pave over their paradise'. Maybe the animals are metaphors for other people going about their lives?

    Eh, that's just my two cents.
    Flag shikonaorion June 22, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I agree that it's more about the green movement. What my first impression was is that this was a sarcastic way to point out our flaws and that people are using the excuse that "we're only human" I think he's trying to say that it isnt a good excuse and we know we shouldn't be "paving over paradise" or cutting down forests or whatever, but we do it anyway because we're "only human". I think the "so far" part is saying that he thinks we as humans have much more potential and maybe in the future we'll realize our mistakes and stop using this excuse.
    Flag udums34on June 18, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:This song is about the Green Movement. Read the lyrics again, and notice "if that's our only excuse, how do we think we'll keep on being only human." He talks about how this (the environment/planet) will outlive him, and makes references to "paving over paradise" and "planets talking about a revolution, the natural laws ain't got no constitution."

    It's his commentary (with LOTS of metaphors and word play) about caring for the environment.
    Flag kariason May 23, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:so if its not about marijuana,
    then what does it mean?
    Flag LaurenAshleyyon May 22, 2008   Link

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