Lyrics for Human as interpreted by poorlilrockstar

Human 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

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

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?

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

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?

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?

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moonforgetful
01-03-2009

Rated 0 
i think the song is about the meaning of life, like are purpose and place in the world. when i first heard it and he said cut the cord, and there was drums playing like a heart beat, i think that was birth. he sings about how hes becoming weak trying to find the answers. but he also talks about the kindness and everything good that makes us more. i like how dancer is singular. its like hes refering to a species rather then a type of person. when he asks are we human or are we dancer hes asking are we just here to be, or are we part of a bigger picture moving everything aruond us. and when sing let me know, is your heart still beating, hes asking if you're still apart of our world, as a dancer not a human. im still not sure if this song was about him wondering if we were human of dancer or if he was asking others if they were human or dancer. or maybe both.

cut the cord..
let me go..
let me know..


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arcticchimp14
01-03-2009

Rated 0 
On The Killer's website it the he is singing "Are we human, or are we dancer?" and also says that the lyrics were inspired by a comment made by the author Hunter S. Thompson about how America was raising a generation of dancers

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fallamour091011
01-06-2009

Rated 0 
the word has to be dancer. the line "and i'm on my knees looking for the answer" is meant to rhyme with "are we human or are we dancer?". if the word was denser it would be an imperfect rhyme and not nearly as effective, that might also be the reason behind why dancer isn't pluralized. just a guess though.

i have to say i agree with a couple people on their analysis of this. Icarus Fixius and sondralynn.

my question is does anyone understand the music video?

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nagtykab
01-07-2009

Rated 0 
I've recently been told that "Dancer" is slang for someone without hope or direction, such as a homeless person. Kinda makes sense in the song context too. x

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jimthewombat
01-09-2009

Rated 0 
HAHAHA! are we denser!!! brilliant!

(note sarcasm, it's just amazing how many people think it's denser!)

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kissmeimeskmo
01-09-2009

Rated 0 
this is the last song armin van buuren played at together as one 08//09.. it was perfect. this song is about ravers!! haha jk. i love it though.

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musicismyboyfriend33
01-12-2009

Rated 0 
well me and my friends have decided that we are dancers, because if your a dancer your CLEARLY not human. lol. not exactly sure what the whole "are we human or are we dancers?" thing exactly means, but my view is that if you don't think your human, call yourself a dancer. :)

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kalinninthesky
01-14-2009

Rated 0 
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


it seems almost as if he is letting go or giving up. Life has never been to good to him when it come to love,devotion,and just good. "They always did the best they could"

He is sort of saying these things never happened to him, and no matter how
much he wanted all of these things from life, they never came to him. He is okay with that fact, but he still wants it.
"Wave goodbye, wish me well
You've gotta let me go"



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mrwaffles
01-15-2009

Rated 0 
Apparently it is: "are we human or are we dancer" which sounds much more stupid than "are we human or are we denser" and as far as the meaning i don't think the latest killer songs have a meaning at all

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lala1858
01-17-2009

Rated 0 
I love this song. I would much rather be a dancer than a human. (taking it literally)

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trowell
01-18-2009

Rated 0 
I think it's dancer because alot of dances are choreographed, so they're told what to do, so they know how it's all gonna plan out. He's basically saying "are we human" as in we do everything ourselves and see how it works out "or are we dancer" is everything choreographed in advance.

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Dmtking
01-19-2009

Rated +2 
Ok, I'm going to attempt to give you a concise answer to the interpretation and meaning of this song.
First let me state that it's a very poetic and beautiful song, and that my interpretation and meaning may be correct, but it obviously has an amazing artistic duality that broadens it's lyrics to great depths.

Let's start with the main line "Are we human or are we dancer?" (yes it's definitely dancer)
Are we dancer was inspired by Hunter S Thompson in which he stated he was concerned that America was raising a generation of dancers. What Thompson meant by that was that people are not stepping out of place and following their own beat. He was saying that people were only following the steps they were taught, and were also taught not to change them.

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

Here in the beginning of the song you get two elements of the songs main expression. The first half makes the case that he did his best to notice, when the call, meaning the call of life, to make your own beat too, came down the line. Showing a sign of human quality. But the latter half is that of a dancer, where he is surrendering and being brought (guided) rather then going to the call.

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

Here being nervous when seeing an open door is being afraid of trying new things.
Again if you here what Thompson was saying about Americans just dancing to the beat, you see how this line makes sense.
the next lines i believe he is attempting to give an answer to the problem. Cut the chord of you trained ideals, and open up.

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?

This is self explanatory, and his sign is vital and hands are cold could mean a number of different things that are better left to your imagination.


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 he is throwing a out a great level of cynicism. This part is expressing everything human, this is what humanism is. And he's waving goodbye to it. cleverly, at this point of the song, the beat picks up, and yes, becomes danceable! so the cynicism is that you are dancing to this idea without recognizing what your dancing to. Capturing the true essense of dancer. But the act of not noticing, which was expressed in the beginning of the song, is in its form, expressing a human quality. All which begs the question, 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?

Your system is your system of trained beliefs that you've been dancing to for so long. And he's saying were not getting anything beautiful from this, no message. So tell me, are you human ??



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LiveLoveDance
01-21-2009

Rated 0 
I think the whole dancer concept is basically saying that we are mindlessly following a routine not chosen by us for us, kind of like a dance performance. I think he's saying that he knows he's alive but he feels empty like he's running through the mtions. Just a thought...love this song!

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Spaceman10
01-22-2009

Rated 0 
It clearly isn't "denser" because Brandon Flowers clarify's the lyrics in several interviews I've seen him in.
I used to hate this song, then I stumbled on my own interpretation of it, and now I love it!
I think this song could be about the death of like, romance and stuff.
And how it's all about clubbing, dancing, hooking up, promiscuosity and stuff.
Rather than romance.
Just what I got from it.

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alf0509
01-23-2009

Rated 0 
I'm agreeing with some earlier posts, I think this song is about euthanasia...

And sometimes I get nervous
When I see an open door-----a way out of a vegetative state
Close your eyes, clear your heart---let your emotions go
Cut the cord----take this individual off life support

My sign is vital, my hands are cold-----this person is still "alive" but not living
And I'm on my knees looking for the answer-----is this moral? A very real debate in society today
Are we human or are we dancer?----are we acting like humans and letting this suffering end or just putting on show because of religion and morality?

Pay my respects to grace and virtue
Send my condolences to good---------he's cutting the life support because he thinks its right and doesn't care what others think

And so long to devotion----maybe a spouse or family member? He's not a "devoted" caretaker
It taught me everything I know
Wave goodbye, wish me well
You've gotta let me go----don't make me "live" this way

It's an interesting song that really makes you think....I listened to it quite a few times before I caught onto the lyrics. I haven't purchased Day and Age yet but I get the impression it will be a dark album, both tracks I've listened to (Human and Spaceman) are about death (Euthanasia and Suicide attempts).


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Nahoulster
01-25-2009

Rated 0 
beautfil song.. i think it talks abt how the world has gone crap with no ethics and nothing good where everyone is being driven around in life by some great power (dancer = puppet)could be globalization or what ever.. so in the lines

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

he's saying that these things don't exist in life anymore coz everyone has gone corrupt.. so he's chosing to set free and cut the cord (puppet cord) and become free and go back to the good things in life.. i think its a hopeful song at the end

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D3von33
01-28-2009

Rated 0 
Even Brandon doesn't like DENSER hahaha. It's 100% for SURE "DANCER." And here's what it means!

In an interview with James Montgomery and reporting by John Norris from MTV, Flowers was quoted: "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.' " (http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1598299/20081030/killers_the.jhtml)

So there ya go guys. =]


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silentexclamation
01-31-2009

Rated 0 
Melancholy as defined by Google:

"n. Thoughtful sadness."

That's what this song is.

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cataractbabe
02-04-2009

Rated 0 
i can see where people are seeing puppets come into play, and i myself see it somewhat in that sence. but i also see it literally as a despute between our species.
the lyrics go "are we human or are we dancer" not dancers. this is because dancer refers to almost a full species. like a heard of deer not deers. deer is a species, deers is like look at thee deers in the yard. so i see it as saying are we the species human, or are we the species dancer.
the lines about cutting the cord and letting go could refer to him letting go of all life support, or of his puppet strings, but i always though of it as saying good bye to his free will and spontinaity. Humans have free will to do whatever it is they like, but every move a dancer makes is choreographed and planned out. so he is letting go of his free will and giving into the mapped out life that a dancer species would lead..
i also see it as him asking "are we human or ar we dancer" because he isnt sure whta exactly we are. dancers and humans are the same species, but he sees them as being seperate and he just isnt sure what we are. are we the free willed do-whatever-you-want humans or are we the gracefulll planned out dancers? he isnt sure if we have as much freedom as we think, or if we are wild and raw or if we are planned and told where to move and the moves to do.

this is just my opinion and i feel the real meaning lies in whatever you think it is.:)

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adorn6
02-08-2009

Rated 0 
i think this song is about internal conflict (My sign is vital, my hands are cold) and it deals with issues of morality. quotes like "And sometimes I get nervous
When I see an open door
Close your eyes, clear your heart
Cut the cord" suggest that he's nervous about growing up and making this decision, but it has to be done. he throws his morals away (And so long to devotion) and begins to live his life, deliberating man's natural insticts, whether they are good or evil.



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WhispersInTheDark
02-11-2009

Rated 0 
I think it's annoying how clear this is to me and not other people xD
It's clearly Dancer.
Are we, Human (as the race)
Or are we Dancer (wanting to break free? perhaps)
Sheesh.

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marcevan
02-17-2009

Rated 0 
I really dislike this song and it has made the Killers less popular to me. Sounds so cheesy and Human League ish.

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brimo
02-18-2009

Rated +1 
I agree with a lot of what you guys are saying, but the way I see it, it seems like he's taking a serious look at his life/ life in general and questioning his views and the world's direction. In the beginning of the song, it sort of seems like he's looking back on some past events and the decisions that led to them. "Close your eyes, clear your heart" means he's trying to straighten out his thoughts and is "on his knees looking for the answer" to life.

About the dancer thing, I think he's referring to how dancers move in patterns that have been planned out for them. He's now wondering if we're really humans, with the power to change ourselves and choose our own fate, or if we're "dancers", being manipulated by unchangeable destinies like puppets and constantly repeating history.

Just my thoughts, feel free to tell me what you think.

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roseredleigh
02-19-2009

Rated 0 
"Are we human or are we dancer?"

I think it means that he doesn't know which he is
because he's caught in between the two, human and dancer.
It seems like Human and Dancer are two completely different types of being.
And the way the song is written it sounds like a goodbye to the world
like last words.
So its as if he is contemplating the way we live our life, as human or as dancer.

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hazgirl22
02-21-2009

Rated 0 
Yeah, it's dancer, not denser.

If you think about it, it makes perfect sense though.

Like, if you were to pluralize the sentence.

"Are we human[s], or are we dancer[s]?" I guess for some it might be a hard concept to grasp, but when you really think about it, it makes sense. Although denser makes sense as well.

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