This post has become a heated debate. To sum it all up, its DANCER. To know why, carry on reading and definitely check out the comments!
I’m a bit of a Killers fan. I loved hot Fuss, liked Sam’s Town and am hoping I’ll like new album. I seem to be on the losing side but I like their new song, Human. Once it hits the charts I think people will suddenly change their minds and like it too.
At first I thought the lyrics were “are we human or are we dancers?”. Thinking this couldn’t be right I looked up the lyrics and found its not dancers, its denser. It appears I’m not the only one mishearing the lyrics. Popwatch have an entire article about it, crazy.
I’m 90% sure it is denser now, even if it does sound like dancers. It would be funny if the official lyric was dancer.
P.S. This post is just a segway segue (thanks Ann) so that I can gloat I got Killers tickets. 
Edit: Since posting this it seems various other sources are confirming ‘dancer(s)’ as the actual word. I guess I was right, and then wrong, and now just confused.
237 Comments
why are we still arguing about this?
Brandon himself said it’s dancer,
therefore:
IT’S DANCER
it’s taken from a quote.
why do you even need any more proof.
i think this “debate” (using the term extremely loosely) is over.
Ok first of all DANCER with no “s” at the end cuz it’s just not gramatically correct, plus the song is all about life AND if you listen to the words closly there is no s at the end of the line so it has to be DENSER…think people honestly
yo what the f*ck (appologies)but come on i mean the song is so fuckin awesome(needles to explain but with pleasur – the unique lyrics that have great meaning and grace topped of with a brilliant dance type tune) but why the hell is the whole world obsessed with such an insignificant issue i mean either way it makes sense looking at it from different views. put it this way the official website says dancer and so did the fuckin singer. whaaat you still want proof…..
repeat after me
THIS SONG IS GREAT
I PRESS PLAY
oh this sounds good
i kepp listening shit this is good
the music almost ownes me
the lyrics are fantastic
confusion with one word oh well – its too good to ruin by having a heated debate about just one (1) word
i mean Brandon told us any way
i shudder this bullshit off of my mind
i continue to listen
ohoohhoh sweet its perfect
i listen again…
and again….and again (i could go on a bit like you guys)
Play count reads: 183 and still counting
I listen Again!!!
lifes much better when you dont get involved in ermm… what should i say ….meaningless crap that doesn’t solve anything.
I listen again!
what am i doing here, “trying” to make you see sense, whats the point this is what you do
allow me to change the question to – DONT YOU HAVE ANYTHING BETTER TO DO?
Dear God, what have you done with mankinds sense of boredom. i mean the things people are saying its music not a LANGUAGE lesson!I have one wish – that links would guide me to articles of just a little interest! just a tinytenny bit.
I sould be listening to it right NOW!!! oh now thats a good idea
I LISTEN NOOOW! BYE
SAD SAD PEOPLE G.E.T A L.I.F.E
Those familiar with the band’s oeuvre will recognize their signature in the synth-heavy “Human,” four minutes of sweeping, epic rock, on which Flowers sings: “My sign is vital/ My hands are cold/ And I’m on knees, looking for the answer/ Are we human, or are we dancer?” He says the lyrics were inspired by a disparaging comment made by Hunter S. Thompson about how America was raising a generation of dancers.
http://www.islandrecords.com/site/artist_bio.php?artist_id=547
LOOK
Ummm – watch the music video…he does not say “dancers” – it’s actually quite obvious.
Ha ha! This is just Marvelous!
“Denser” makes sense in ways which nobody is getting.
There are 7 Densities of reality. Dimensions are like the left and right from here. Densities are up and down. We exist in the 3rd Density at the moment, and many of the forces affecting us so much today come from the next density up. It’s where numerous of the Crop Circles and UFO’s originate from. Global climate changes, not just on Earth, but as observed on other planets in our system. (How does car exhaust get up to Mars?)
There is SO much to this.
And the question being asked on so many levels, leaking out through our music and artwork, buffeting our collective unconscious. . . How much longer will we be human as we know it? What happens next?
Stay alert. It’s all happening right now. Many of you are growing in leaps and bounds, being forced to face parts of yourselves long buried. It’s all around you.
Remember: The subconscious is much more in control of our bodies and our words than we think. This is why we have critics of literature and music; the writers often don’t realize what they are channeling through their creative sources. Ask any writer. They’ll go years without realizing what they really said until somebody points out the patterns. Then they’ll slap their foreheads and cry, “Oh my god! It’s true! How could I have missed that?”
Listen to this song again.
Then go do some research.
One good place to start is. . .
http://www.sott.net/
im sure its “denser” but if its “dancer” the song writers a idiot
doesn’t make any sence if it is…
okay so what is it dancrs or denser?? im confused:/
Well, even taking into account that it was (1) inspired by a quote and that (2) lyrical poetry sometimes permits violations that standard English does not, this use of “dancer” just makes my skin crawl and I can understand the confusion it caused.
“human” here is an adjective, so the word after “or are we” should be an adjective, as well – and “dancer” is not an adjective. “Denser” is.
Considering that it was, as many people have stubbornly pointed out, ~taken from a quote~, it is not only a misquotation of the original quote, it still also does not solve the problem of the grammatical error- there is no agreement between the subject or this attribute (We = plural, dancer = not).
So, yes, it is a great song, yes, it was “taken from a quote”, yes, it is meant to be “dancer”, and YES, that is bullshit that makes any native speaker’s SKIN CRAWL. It is also NOT poetic licence, as there is no reason at all for using this butchered version, apart from making our skin crawl.
Already said, I’m sure, but I had to repeat, since some people still don’t get it:
Human: The first single from Day & Age is a dreamy dance-pop tune that never fails to make tears fall and my feet tap. The chorus’ infamous line “Are we human or are we dancer?” is a paraphrase of Hunter S. Thompson and has stumped listeners and critics alike. My interpretation of the song this: Flowers sees people today as those who have lost all human emotion, said “so long to devotion,” and has forsaken grace, virtue, good, soul, and romance. It is a heartbreaking sentiment put into beautiful words.
I hate this song because of those lyrics. Seriously, it doesn’t make sense no matter what word it is. My English experience is telling me it should be ‘dancers’ not just ‘dancer’.
Every time I hear it, I want to beat my head against the wall. I cannot listen to it anymore.
Oh, and Dave R…nice try at over-analyzing it.
‘In an interview with Rolling Stone, Flowers said that he was irritated over the confusion: “It’s supposed to be a dance song, [the beat] goes with the chorus…If you can’t put that together, you’re an idiot. I just don’t get why there’s a confusion about it.”‘
wth can someone just give concrete proof of is it dancer or denser
Actually I feel that dancer fits far better than denser. Instead of seeing obvious meaning though, you really need to see the symbolic meaning. Are we just humans? Or are we dancers – and intricate part of something more?
Denser would just be dumb. The Killers are never so forward in their lyrics. There is almost always symbolism in something in each song.
An* Not And after the dash…
Also… check the band’s website. Duh.
Moth. You’re ridiculous.
dancer is an euphemism for ´puppet´, substitute the word dancer for puppet, now the words will make sense.
Let’s make it Dencer, or Danser
I have to leave my two cents because I can’t believe what I have just read.
People, you have left me with no faith in humankind.
After numerous entries clearly pointing out that it is in fact dancer, and explaining why, and what it means, there is still someone to say:
“Clearly it’s denser because it makes more sense. Why are you all so stupid?”
Come ON. Are you all for real? Read the damn entries before leaving ridiculous comments please.
And I’m on my knees looking for the answer
Is it dancer or is it denser?…:-)
heyy uu guyys!!
i love this song.. i mean, really. so listen to it.. and check it out..
check it out..
http://www.islandrecords.com/site/artist_bio.php?artist_id=547
biography, third pharagraph… there u can find the answer.. it is the killers official website..
i know that it doesn´t make grammatical sense.. but, which song does?.. the important is the meaning of all the context..
i hope u change your opinion..
Er vi mennesker eller er vi diltere?
Det er det The Killers mener. Det kan være at det er relatert til GWB, det vet man ikke. Kun en teori. Budskapet er: Følg din egen overbevisning, ikke dilt etter andre.
This is norwegian. Translate it and you will get our feelings about the matter.
Thank you for all the contributions that we have read at this forum. It helped us to understand the message.
BR
Espen & Jørgen
How can people be so stupid? It’s DANCER and I totally get it. Only the DENSER of you think otherwise. Why are we being so grammatically anal about the lyrics? Brandon Flowers is a literary genius who always writes profound songs that you have to delve into and interpret. If you want your life to be summed up in some dull simple song, try listening to someone like James Blunt instead of The Killers. Surely the question we should be asking ourselves is, are you human? Or are you dancer?
all you people are cooked! who actually cares what they are saying. its a song get over it and just be happy that they are there to make you smile!
stop tripping on acid and enjoy life, get a life and be denser/ a dancer
morons
Maybe I dont hear that well, but in the start I thought he sang cancer. Cancer totally makes sense to the rest of the lyrics also as a statement in consideration of how we are treating/destroying Earth….
Funny,.. since the first time I heard the song, I’ve thought it’s ‘DANCER’.. I’ve never been an ace in english grammar, so I’ve never doubted the correctness of it either. It just occured to me so clearly that dancer works perfectly in contrast with human. Which is something many of people described above already.
Not to say DENSER doesn’t work that well for the rest of lyrics.
E.g. take the first part of lyrics…
”I did my best to notice
when the call came down the line
(but didn’t managed to,.. call as the point of change from human to dancer)
up to the platform of surrender
I was brought but I was kind
(at some point he became a sheep that follow orders ‘he surrended’,
but was kind and didn’t riot)
and sometimes I get nervous
when I see an open door
(open door as an opportunity to decide whether to go through or not,.. but he gets nervous, if by making his own choice he won’t break the orders or get punished for making his own decisions)
Close your eyes, clear your heart
Cut the cord
(in other words, stop and start anew. Cut the cord = stop being a sheep)
Are we human or are we dancer”
(Is prompting each of us to stop for a while and think who we are)
It’s very nice song. Awesome lyrics. Cool beat.
is it anyway possible for someone to cut/stop this chain.. I mean, for months now, ppl here have been arquing about most stupid thing. What does it matter if its either dancer or denser? I think its wonderful if you people can hear it either way, and even make sense to it both ways.. I know it makes sense to me the way i hear brandon sing it…
Screw the dancer/denser debate what the hell is he doing “on his niece looking for the answer”?? HUH??
It’s easy, it’s Denser for all of you that have this meaningless discussion, go get a life.
holy crap…people who think its “denser” are complete morons, in no way, shape or form is “denser” even close, brandon flowers says its “dancer” and it makes complete 100% not from concentrate sense!!! its like he has two options for you; human or dancer. are we human, or are we dancer. this isnt difficult to understand, in fact its pretty obvious, i just cant beleive how simple/close minded some of you people are.
this is stupid. i had a big debate with my sister about it just now. and my friends sister friends cousin is sister with one of the killers or something like that, and she found out that it’s DENSER not DANCER because 1. dancer has nothing to do with humans and stuff and 2. are we human or are we dancer ?? that doesn’t make sense if it was dancer then it would be are we human or are we DANCERS ? and you would clearly hear the S !!!
The maning of it is, are we human as in the human race or are we dancer as in an individual…………. I went to see the killers in Belfast and thats the meaning!
Sorry the meaning…………………
its DENSER you idiots!
im sorry yea, but if its ‘dancer’ then that is the most stupidest lyric ever!
why wud you say that, are we human or are we dancer ?
you just dont!
its denser okaaaaaaaaay !
yes, goood.
Hollina, I totally agree.
You made a wonderful point, and it makes perfect sense.
Thank you for clearing that up for me. ^-^
are we human..or are we dancer…is correct..doesnt have to make sense..or be grammaticaly correct..its a song..a bit of fun..poetic licence…provokes thought, and suceeded..thats what music is all about..just enjoy it for what it is…a very good tune..with ..with well written lyrics…or are we all denser….?
ps..he uses we..as the royal we..singular..therefore..is he human or dancer..hope you all got it by now?..xx
I think its dancer.. I think he means how dancers must commit themselves to perfection in their moves he is asking aren’t we flawed as humans so why do we chase perfection
It’s Dancer. I was at the Sheffield gig last night and the Official T-Shirts on sale said ‘Are we Human, or are we dancer’ fairly conclusive I think! Totally awesome concert, btw.
I personally believe it is dancer; by paying atention to the song, I think they are telling the story of someone who comits suicide because of frustration from not being possible to change the way society behaves, somone really aware of the outgoing reality of our world, someone who really tried to fit into the rules of society but that rather prefered to stick to his ideas… this frustation ended up in an act that could may be taken more seriously…”cut the cord”
If everyone just read the first 20, 30 comments this discussion would be already over…
What are you all arguing about. The killers band themselves CONFIRMED that it’s dancer. Whether you, me or anyone thinks its anything different is totally irrelavent. It’s dancer. Thats it.
IT IS DANCER, also it makes sense becasue it is used singular NOT plural. (that means it doesnt have an “s”for u slow ppl. dancer makes perfect sense – it is asking whether we have human charecteristics and are impulsive, and spontaneous and original, whereas being a “dancer” would be being rehearsed and predictable
FOR GODs SAKE! IT IS DANCER! NO S AT THE END! IT USED AS AN ADJECTIVE!
is it denser or is it who gives a fuck?
It’s dancer.
and im on my own looking for the ANSWER
are we human or are we DANCER
denser doesn’t go with the song
go on the websitee
it is dancer
i saw it on the killers official site song human lyrics
its denser
it just would make sense with dancer Francisco Javier Rodriguez Campos said that it wouldn’t make sense that is true.
I mean you could be human and be a dancer and by the way why doesn’t Brandon just tell us what it is he must know ppl are going crazy about not knowing.
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