ok, so let me clear up what this means
first off, it is DANCER. not denser, that's ridiculous and you need you're hearing checked
and it is not dancers, just dancer, let me explain why...

it was on their website that this line, "Are we human, or are we dancer" was taken from a journalist Hunter S. Thompson before he committed suicide, Flowers said this is where he got that line, and the deeper meaning behind that line is this:

In this song, dancer is used as a metaphor for an orchastrated, rehearsed act. Something without individuality. Without emotion i guess, like a hollow act. A dancer has no room for individuality when in groups(like a person in society) they have to follow an exact pattern that everyone else does. If you've ever seen a dancer screw up, it's very noticable. so when he says are we human or we dancer, he is comparing someone who is human(not as a species, but as a quality, human means emotional and individual; able to think for oneself). Then the word dancer in this song is also used as a quality, not as a noun. Which is why there is no 's' at the end, because he wants to stress that he doesn't mean a bunch of dancers, but rather that he's asking if the world is full of the dancer quality. It's the same reason there is no 's' at the end of human, because he could've said "Are we humans, or are we dancers" but that doesn't bring about his deeper meaning, which is why he is using 'dancer' and 'human' as qualities, or adjectives.

If you're confused, use this for help: when you say "people are nice" you don't say "people are nices" because nice is a quality, just like human and dancer are in this song. Adjectives are not plural, so that's why he spelt it that way.


Does it make more sense now? I know people still think it's denser, because it's more simple. But poetry and songwriting is about being more complex and deeper. So it's more appericiative when you find out it's real meaning. That is what I think it is, and I got this idea from this youtube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2vGiAyAWvE

so yeah, that's my idea, read it over carefully, it does make more sense than denser or a plural dancers. Tell me what you think, email me at
joejoebead@msn.com

maybe a deeper meaning- this song speaks to me on many levels-

i have to agree with the majority of the comments that i have read but i think we are missing a large part of what he is trying to reveal through this song- i believe that it has a lot to do with your "thinking process" moreless and how we react to different situations... do we keep our thoughts to ourselves ("dancer"- in this case... maybe prayer, love, forgivness, or something within that noone can hear or see but is within) or reacting as "human" or action, which often causes conflict-

"close your eyes, clear your heart" i believe this is what we as humans tend to forget in situations... if we did this more often there would be more happiness and serenity.

might be wayyyyyyy off.... who knows

god is love- lets act "within" rather than acting as humans sometimes-

Ok first off I totally adore Brandon Flowers and The Killers. I cannot say I dislike any of their tracks off any of their albums!

When I first heard this song, I wasnt hot on it right away, but after listening to it and interpretating it, I LOVE it. I think we can all relate in some aspect.

I've seen a lot of REALLY stretched interpretations of this song, so I wanted to provide one that some might feel is more realistic (or at least in self-agreement). This isn't a definite "what the song means" analysis, it's just a guess; but I dare say it is much better than some of the really far-fetched interpretations I've seen, some of which are based on essentially a single line in the song and everything else is ignored? How these people seriously think the ENTIRE song is about that one line that they relate to is beyond me.

Anyway, here goes:

I did my best to notice
when the call came down the line.

The first question we have to be aware to try and answer throughout the song is who is "speaking" at any time. So, note these lines are in the first person.

What I think this part means is that he is speaking from the perspective of our generation (see further in the song to see why "our generation" comes into this). Our generation is being lead down he path to our death (becoming "dancer").

Another way to interpret it, which I prefer, is that this is probably the call of opportunity, which he is explaining that he (our generation) always paid attention to. The next lines imply that he was given such an opportunity, but it takes a negative attitude toward it, to imply that change and opportunity are not always good processes - and that this opportunity for change turned out to be negative.

Up to the platform of surrender
I was brought, but I was kind.

Not sure what the platform is referring to, but possibly something to do with the process by which our generation (I was brought, first person is again our generation) was brought to its surrender.

Another way to read into this is to relate it directly to the singer, Flowers. The lines could speak of his own opportunities and the platform of surrender would have something to do with the process of becoming a popular artist.

And sometimes I get nervous
When I see an open door
"Close your eyes, clear your heart...
cut the cord."

I believe this is, again, opportunity. In the song the lines seem to be differentiated, the first two lines seem to be from the first person perspective (we, as a generation, get nervous when we see opportunity or possible change), and the second set of lines seems to be advice for us. Often people get nervous about new opportunities because in order to take advantage of the chance given, one must dive through the door and leave behind the comfort of their current life. That is the meaning of closing your eyes and clearing your heart, it's a description of the process people go through when they are afraid of doing something for the first time. Cut the cord is obviously disconnecting the safety lines as you go through the door - safety lines hold you back from moving on.

Are we human or are we dancer?

This line, obviously the most important, seems to confuse a lot of people and it shouldn't - it's not a very complicated idea, really. "Human or dancer" refers to an idea that takes more than just knowing the meaning of these words, which is very often true in lyrics (which is why it's amazing how many people are confused by the lyric - do these people really think that every song's lyrics are LITERAL?).

Anyway, the idea behind human or dancer has been hinted at in interviews as being from a Hunter S. Thomson quote about the current generation being raised to be "dancers." The idea here is that being a "dancer" is a trait, an adjective, as someone else has pointed out. The meaning of someone being a "dancer" is left up to interpretation, and I have not read the article by Hunter. My best guess is something I've personally noticed... that the attitude in America is to grow people into economic tools. We are told our entire lives, not directly but through subconscious hints, that we should quickly find our place in the bigger system and play our part - like a dancer in a play. Things like the education system and workplace attitudes, which do not make room for anyone to explore in their lives, we are pushed constantly to move, move, move, in some direction and be predictable so that the system can function smoothly - and this probably leads to immature people who have chosen a direction, before they are ready to do so, because they are expected to.

So, with that meaning in mind, the next few lines are easy to understand as self-reflection. Flowers (the writer) is probably really asking himself (as the personification of our generation) if he is really human, or dancer? Did he make the choices he has made because he truly wanted to do those things, or because they were expected of him?

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?

He seems to relate the idea of being a "dancer" with being dead, which is why there are references to death (cold hands, vital signs).

On his knees looking for the answer is straightforward to understand compared to the other lines. It just expresses that he isn't (or we aren't) really sure whether our generation is truly human, or if we have become dancer, so he is struggling (on knees) to find out.

This part also is a bit confusing, because there is more than one possibility. If he is still personifying our generation, then our generation is on its knees asking these questions. Or is he now asking the question himself (not personifying our generation), whether "we" (both him and us) are human or dancer. But he could also mean to imply that we, as a generation, are asking ourselves this question.

I think that seems less likely, and it makes more sense that there is a detachment between Flowers and our generation as the song progresses, which can be seen in the next few lines.

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.

Here he is saying goodbye to Grace, Virtue, Good, Soul, and Romance. He treats them as people (hence, the added capitalization by me), probably to emphasize them as human traits. By the attitude of what he says, it is implied they are dying. It's like the attitude when someone who everyone gets along with dies, "he always did the best he could," meaning that no one found fault with how that person did things. So, essentially this could be a eulogy for "human" (traits). But the detached attitude he sings this with probably means that he is an observer in this. (Observing our generation dying?)

However, there are several ways I could interpret this and the next few lines.

1) He is describing his (our generation's) own death, so he says goodbyes to them as he dies (and becomes dancer).

2) The traits themselves are themselves dying off, which fits better with the "they did the best they could" line, as it is usually said about someone who has passed. The difference is in who is dying - the traits, or us as a generation? (Both would accompany our becoming "dancer," so it depends on whether he wanted to emphasize our own death or the death of the traits.)

3) He (our generation) is leaving all these traits behind, but they are not necessarily dying. This is the interpretation I'm most favorable to, because it allows the rest of the song to make more sense. However, in this case the attitude that these traits of died is rather odd. Perhaps he is leaving them behind, but they are also dying, or they die because of his absence? The wording here strongly implies that the traits are dying (condolences and respects would not really be applicable unless someone was dead).

And so long to Devotion,
you taught me everything I know.

He adds devotion especially here, as another trait that is dying, but not just any trait. He has a special link to devotion, because it has taught him (us) everything he (we) know. So it seems Flowers is especially disappointed with loss of devotion in our generation, because it has "taught me everything I know." This is again difficult to tell whether he is speaking as our generation or not. Did Devotion teach our generation everything we know? (Seems odd.) It makes more sense that he is talking about himself here, which doesn't agree with the last few lines.

In this case, the first interpretation makes more sense because the attitude is that of someone who is leaving someone else behind ("you taught me everything I know") could still make sense. So, he (our generation) is dying.

Wave goodbye, wish me well.
You've gotta let me go.

Again, I get a bit confused here about whether he means to link the beginning lines (which I interpreted as lines about opportunity) with these lines, implying that moving on to new opportunities is kind of the process with which we are becoming dancer. Either he is implying that the "cut the cord" and "let me go," which we do every time we take a new opportunity, is dehumanizing. Or it is possible that this line is not meant to be connected to those beginning lines, and they describe two different things.

Either way, in the context of the last few lines, it is clear that this signifies someone leaving, either by someone dying or by moving on to new opportunities. It is difficult to say which. My personal choice is to say that he is still personifying our generation, and we are leaving all these traits behind.

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?

This is the fuzziest line of the song for me. I'm not sure what the system refers to. It could be that he is describing the American system of "dancers" playing their roles, and how that is affected by the inevitable humanness ("dream of home") of those people. Will it cause our generation to not "be alright" because they are still human and dreaming of "home" (how things used to be).

The other confusing part of this is the 3rd person, you and your. He seems to have shifted into a 3rd person, so is he no longer a part of our generation? That seems to make the most sense with the rest of the lyrics, as they make more sense if the first person changes to represent those who do NOT become dancer, looking in on our generation as we become dancer (die).

There is no message. We're receiving.
Let me know, is your heart still beating?

Here is an example of when the interpretation from above is suitable - it seems like there are two people, we and you, where "we're receiving" would be from the perspective of the living "human" people, and the "your heart" would be those of our generation who have become dancer (dead).

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?

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?

Again, just emphasis on the fact that he (we) doesn't know the answer to this question and is still trying to understand whether we have lost something that previous generations had.

"It's taken from a quote by [author Hunter S.] Thompson. ... 'We're raising a generation of dancers,' and I took it and ran. I guess it bothers people that it's not grammatically correct, but I think I'm allowed to do whatever I want," he laughed. " 'Denser'? I hadn't heard that one. I don't like 'denser.'

So why is it that when this single was first released to the radio, on The Killers' website the lyric was written as "danser", and now it is being written as "dancer". Does "danser" mean something in a different language??? Could we all be misinterpreting the song? I mean, after all it is Brandon Flowers....

http://cashcrate.com/878773

This is a pretty cool site ESPECIALLY if you are a teenager but make sure you read the tips and information they have posted in the forum to help you out. It's a pretty easy way to make some extra money every month.

$35.00 in two weeks, you think YOU
can beat ME?

I'm not totally sure what it means for sure, but my interpretation is that when we're dancing, we're not totally human. It's almost supernatural.

I think that the word is dancer (singular) playing off of the word human. Human can be used as plurar even though it's not really spelled plural (i.e. "we're human," we don't say "we're humen," although then again I'm not a grammar expert so I could be wrong). So I think dancer is singular playing off that.

I can't really place the rest of the lyrics though. The intresting thing is though is that the song title is "Human," not "Dancer." So I think that might be the answer to the question "Are we human or are we dancer?" I think the songs saying I'm human and because of that I'm not very lifelike, but I'm going to cut the cord and be dancer, and because of that be more lifelike.
Just my interpretation

My basic interpretation of this song is that while the singer is unsure of whether society is made up of "dancers" (people who don't think for themselves, and are being led along by others), or real humans (who DO think for themselves). He himself is being led to become one (to the platform of surrender), but he is pleading for someone to cut the cord that is controlling all the dancers out there (including, in a while, himself.) I think, throughout the song, he is becoming a "dancer" and is losing his humanity. He is pleading with people, asking them whether they are human or dancer.
The theme of free (human vs. "dancer") continues throughout the album (Spaceman, Neon Tiger, The World We Live In), which is why I think he is still human at the end of the song.

Anyone knows what Brandon Flowers sang at the Europe Music Award, in the end of Human?
If anyone knows where I can find the last verse, please let me know :)

The song's title comes from a hunter s. Thompson quote that "America is raising a generation of dancers" meaning everybody is to scared to do their own thing and follow the same beat as everybody else, without thinking. I think the song is about being scared of being different, but it saying your're not "human" until you think for yourself and dance to your own beat.

I think he's saying that Humans are so orginized and awkward and Dancers are graceful and just seem to float through life taking it in...just what i think

This song was inspired by a quote by the late Hunter Thompson who said "America was raising a generation of dancers..." He was being critical that americans were not thinking for themselves and simply following the crowd, etc and NOT thinking for themslves and doing their own thing.

Thus in this song, when Flowers asks, "are we human, or are we dancer?" He is contrasting living and following one's own initiative, taking a chance WITH that of following the crowd, becoming a victim of cultural hegemony. "Dancer" is a negative term because it symbolizes doing steps that you were told to do without questioning. "Human" is living you own life.

1 Reply

didn't mean to reply specifically to you, bernduck...was my first post, so still learning. I largely agree with your comments, though not sure that 'Dancer' is negative. I think he's more confused about which is 'true', "Are we human or dancer?" If we can be human and make our own choices, then it becomes his preferred choice over dancer...but he's not sure which is accurate until he hears back from the loved one he's providing advice to...

My thoughts are a slightly different context to who and what is happening. I don't think the song is about death, it's about choice in life and where life will take us (and having the guts to do what YOU think is right, not what society prescribes)
Human = ability to choose our path and be what we want to be
Dancer = society has pre-selected what we will be, to a large extent (don't think of dancer as dancing in a club, it's more like a line dance or back-up dancers, all forced to dance in unison)

My take that's very different from others is that he's not just talking about himself, he talking TO someone else. He's talking about his own life, but giving a recommendation to a loved one (perhaps a child)

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

And sometimes I get nervous
When I see an open door
Close your eyes, clear your heart
Cut the cord

In the first four lines, he's talking about a big life decision, a call that came down the line. But I think he's talking about a decision that someone he loves has to make (platform of surrender is the fact that he may need to let go of this person, which will hurt but he knows he needs to help this person).

Notice in lines 5-6 he uses 'I', but in lines 7-8 he uses 'your'. I think he's giving advice to the loved one. In his own life, he gets nervous when he sees an open door, but the advice to the loved one is to close your eyes, take a breath and go for it (cut the cord represents leaving 'home')

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?

In the chorus, he introduces the conflict he has about lifes choices. He's asking (perhaps in prayer) for answers about lifes choices. How much control do each of us have in what we do and what we become?

Pay my respects to grace and virtue
Send my condolences to good
Hear my regards to soul and romance
They always did the best they could

And so long to devotion
It taught me everything I know
Wave goodbye, wish me well
You've gotta let me go

Here again he's talking to his loved one, basically saying, "when you go and do what is right for you in life, he trusts this person will do it with grace, virtue, good, etc (almost as if his life didn't always consider these things, but he hopes the person he is speaking to will do so). I love how the beat picks up here...it's not a ballad about death, it's a celebration of this person doing what the singer wasn't able to do in his own life...making a choice to do what he wants or thinks is right.

'So long to devotion' - he's talking about his devotion to this person, but saying, "Forget it, wave goodbye, go out into the world and do what you think is right...let me go". The singer isn't the one going, hes telling his loved one to go. I was devoted to a small set of things in life, but that was all I had, you have an opportunity to go and be more.

Then the chorus again...his continuing struggle with the choices of life and whether he missed his opportunity. Did he give this person the right advice? Or will they be in trouble when they get out there?

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?

Now the person he was giving advice to is gone and he's hoping that he/she is ok. Will your system be alright (are you physically ok?) When you dream of home (do you miss what you left?) There is no message we're receiving (I haven't heard from you and hope you are ok).

Chorus again as the singer ponders the same question, perhaps worried that this person is dead (really dead or metaphorically)

You gotta let me know...

I think this is saying, I recommended you go out in the world and make your choice. Go for it...but PLEASE come back and tell me if all has worked out for you. And not just because he wants to know the person is ok, but because if he/she IS ok, then it confirms that 'we are human' (we can make choices to do what wasn't obvious and all can be good for it). He's looking for this loved one to answer the question he couldn't personally answer by his/her actions. If he/she does things his/her way and it works out for him/her, then he'll believe that we're not all just dancers.

I was skeptical about the 'human or dancers' concept when I first heard the song, but 'dancer' isn't just a word that rhymes with answer...this was highly thought through and really amazing in the end...

It's clear that The Killers single ‘Human’ is a reference to the Brandon Flowers own death .. quite simply he's asking if we are physical or spirit and is wondering what the answer will be when he dies .. 'Dancer' is a reference to spirit (native American I believe) .. The verses outline Brandon’s imagined encounter with death and part of how he would want to say goodbye .. always leading back to the question ‘are we physical or are we spirit’ ..
The answer to that question is what everyone should be worrying about !

I heard it was a reference from a book...
(But I don't like to read) Whatever the case,
it has a lovely melody. I like to sing it as...
"Are we Human? Or are we a cancer?"

are we human or are we reindeers?

In my opinion, when it says "Are we human?" it means simple, full of weakness, makes excuses, like how people say "I'm only human!" and "Or are we Dancer?" With a capital D, it means someone who simply understands, and also has accepted the fact that they're not perfect, and never will be, and is OK with that. In other words, something MORE. What every simple little "human" wants to be.

i don't know about the meaning but the word is soooo obviously DANCER.
it's prettier that way, tooo. :)

1 Reply

I think this song is about the age-old debate of free will vs. predestination or as Brandon so brillantly puts it: "Are we human or are we dancer".

mmk... i googled "danser" because some genius mentioned that it was what the original lyrics said on the official website and the defenition was "the plural form of dancer." it all makes sense! calm down... it is NOT "denser" it is, as translated, "dancerS," which IS gramatically correct. stand firm those who vote for "dancer," even though it's "danser." and please stop you "denser" loonies!!! god! you're under-complicating The Killers, which is a sin:) yay! that was really stressing me out... whew!

"answer" does not rhyme with "denser", it's "dancer" :) dont know if this was already cleared up though, didn't read all the posts

Im a dancer, and being one you pretty much are kinda like a puppet. You do what the choreographer tells you to do. so the the puppet meaning works cuz when your a dancer your controlled by something else, even if you dont have choreography done you are a slave to the music.

When your human you are free to do what ever, but when your a dancer you kinda arent free.

I think what they mean is breaking away from everything going on. Going against the flow.
"Pay my respects to grace and virtue
Send my condolences to good
Hear my regards to soul and romance
They always did the best they could"

things now a-days arent the best, and people have lost their scence of consious.

"Let me know, is your heart still beating?"
Your are being so controlled by peer pressure, so hes asking if your alive or if your a zombie to the infuences you have.



"My sign is vital,"

Hes falling into pressure himself and he needs to let him know if you have or havnt fallen so that you can escape it toether.

during an interview with nylon magazine, brandon said that he got the line "are we human or are we DANCER?" came from Hunter S. Thompson when he was interviewed and expressed concern that america was raising a generation of dancers.

the lyrics imply that if you dance like noone is watching or are you simply a human.

i have the magazine if anyone wants a scanned copy of the article it is magnificent how symbolic their album is.