The killers human lyrics, denser not dancer
September 25th, 2008
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 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.
September 27th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
its not denser. ! i have proof.
September 27th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Hi flo. Do you have any links or evidence of the proof? For now I’m still sticking with denser.
September 28th, 2008 at 11:50 pm
Its most definitely dancer! brandon’s said so himself! and im a victim, us victims just know
September 29th, 2008 at 8:37 pm
i think is denser, it has logic, wich connection exist between dancer and human?, i think it says denser it refers of denser like bizzar, are we human or bizarre, it doesnt make sense with dancer.
the entire lyric speaks about the reason of live
October 5th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
From Amazon.com
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. But the song also had some help from album producer Stuart Price (aka Jacques LuCont), known for his work with Madonna and Missy Elliot, and who’d previously remixed “Mr. Brightside.” “He was the icing on the cake,” says Stoermer.
October 5th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
Sometimes we force our ears to hear something the way it makes sense to us. Instead, we ought to look for the sense in what we actually hear. You can force it to be “denser” all you want, but it isn’t.
October 5th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
Hey GQ Monkee, thanks for the quote. I’ve read something similar at last.fm, as well as another quote from Brandon about it being dancer. I guess I should have followed my instinct and gone with dancer, even if it made less sense at face value.
October 6th, 2008 at 1:42 am
people are sayng that it cant be dancer because that doesnt make immediate sense, but who the hell said that lyrics need to make sense. the claim that ‘it isnt dancer because that isnt logical’ isnt a very logical arguement to begin with, after all, ‘i am the eggman, i am the wallrus’ doesnt make much sense at face value either. so by there rational it has to be ‘i am the eggman, this is because i am made out of egg’ inorder to be right/correct. any1 agree?
October 6th, 2008 at 4:43 am
They just played on SNL. It’s definitely “dancer”.
October 6th, 2008 at 10:05 am
Hey jonnyboy, beatles reference I think? I totally agree, this reminds me of a story I read on the BBC site once: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7574541.stm Some of the lyrics on there make even less sense!
October 8th, 2008 at 7:33 am
I am so confused! Chris Moyles was talking about it yesterday on Radio 1 and he confirmed that it was ‘denser’, but I’m positive I keep hearing it as ‘dancers’!
October 13th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
it better be denser because I like this song and if the actual lyric is dancer then the killers just ruined a perfectly good song with meaningless lyrics.
October 14th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
songs dont need to have logic, its nout to do with that, but if you look on their website yourself you will see that its dancer, so before you say its denser you shuld make sure youre right, which youre not
October 16th, 2008 at 2:01 am
So if it is dancer than wahts up with the grammatical problem?
“Are we dancer”
October 18th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
@eggy: Are we teacher? Or are we poet?
October 22nd, 2008 at 1:25 am
It’s “dancer”…as stated on the Killers official website. Do some research and you’ll figure out why…it has something to do with being “human” (free to choose, etc.) v.s. “dancer” (the rigid contraints of the life of such a person a.k.a. following like a sheep). Somewhat of a political statement….also with ties to a statement from deceased American Journalist, Hunter S Thompson, who once said “America was raising a generation of dancers”.
October 22nd, 2008 at 11:40 am
you mean like marionette? puppet on a string?
October 23rd, 2008 at 2:28 am
If he meant dancer you’d still be able to make it plural. Just because you add an “s” doesn’t mean that you totally corrupt the meaning from puppets… you wouldn’t say are we human or are we puppet… that makes NO SENSE!
October 23rd, 2008 at 8:41 pm
it is dancer
if u watch the video you can see his lips move in the shape of the word dancer.
October 26th, 2008 at 3:02 am
Poetry often breaks the confines of grammar and punctuation. To believe that Flowers just made an accidental grammatical error or that he somehow ruined the song by saying “dancer” is akin to saying that e e cummings ruined all his poetry because he didn’t use capitals.
Flowers doesn’t say “Are we humans” He says “Are we human” the singular version of human is used commonly in English as an adjective. He has then deftly utilizes this construct and applies it to the word dancer.
We don’t normally see the word used this way in English, and because of this — the turning of the word from a noun to an adjective to be “dancer” — we’re forced to more carefully analyze what it means to be “dancer.” It is a description of all those who follow along without critical thought to why they move as they do, metaphorically and literally. It calls to mind the dehumanization of society. We no longer feel as much as we used to. There is less compassion in the world. We have become so digital that human interaction is no longer a must in our society, and hence we have in essence become without a heartbeat, our hands cold and our sensibilities systematic.
If he were to have said “dancers” people would not have even thought twice about the significance of the main line in the song and they would have said, “Oh yes, dancers, those people who go up on stage, what a pretty song.” Instead we get all of this lovely discussion on websites where people might for a moment look to their lives and ask the question,
“Am I human or am I dancer?”
October 28th, 2008 at 10:44 am
Hollina you have opened my mind, i and many others shall certainly ask myself that question from each day on. Not in any way at all are your views self-adrandised, sub-high school standard babble straight out of the book marked ‘Cliché’.
November 1st, 2008 at 9:36 pm
“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.’ ”
It’s not a meaningless lyric whoever said that… hes refering to what Hunter S. Thompson… “are we human, or are we dancer” would say “are we human, or are we meaningless robots doing whatever the economy tells us to do” now… you tell me does it still sound like a meanignless lyric?
November 1st, 2008 at 10:18 pm
denser doesn’t rhyme with answer…
It’s dancer
November 2nd, 2008 at 6:41 pm
Human beings vs. Dancer beings
It’s an adjective.
November 4th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
I love Human too yeah. Denser certainly makes more sense.
November 4th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Hey guys!
Firstly, the killers gig at the royal albert hall yesterday was amazing!! I think they played more songs from Hot Fuss than the new album, luckily, as I only knew human.
Secondly, on Zane Lowe’s interview with Brandon he confirmed it was dancer and when he sang it live it definitely sounded like dancer.
Denser does at first make more sense killer2, but if you read about the meaning behind the use of ‘dancer’, that also makes sense and fits pretty well.
November 6th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
Can any one find the source of this supposed quote by Hunter S Thompson. I have searched and searched and can’t find it. If it does not exist that might inform the debate.
November 6th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
I can’t find the source from Hunter S Thompson. It is mentioned on Wikipedia ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_(The_Killers_song) ) not that we can solely trust that article.
On an interview with Zane Lowe (BBC radio 1) Brandon also mentioned the lyric coming from a quote by Hunter S Thompson. That interview can be downloaded from http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/podcasts/radio1doc/, specifically http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio1/radio1doc/radio1doc_20081104-0001a.mp3
November 6th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
I believe Brandon said it was a quote by Hunter S Thompson, but he could have made a mistake. If the song is based around a quote/remark then the contaxt of that quote/remark would help us to understand what Brandon is getting at. Anyone?
November 7th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
How can it make sense if he says dancer without an s on the end? are we dancer? that doesnt make sense, its not plural, denser however, has no plural. Although even then it isn’t the best lyric in the world, its the english language, and dancer is never plural, it makes me really angry every stupid lyric publisher on website writing dancer. Its just wrong english, im 13 and i can realise this, how can you guys all be so dumb? No offence to most people here, but other people, not here.
November 8th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
denser makes no sense whatsoever. If you would actually listen to the entire song instead of focusing on the chorus, you would realize what he is saying. “Are we human”—-free thinkers to do what we want. “or are we dancer”—-puppets being led to do what someone else wants us to. As stated earlier they are adjectives….human being vs. dancer being. How some of you tink it is denser, please explain how that correlates to any of the lyrics in the song. He says in the fisrt verse that “i get so nervous when i see an open door/you gotta let me go/cut the cord” almost saying that the parents have to let their kids go at some point and make decisions for themselves. “cut the cord” used in expression meaning “cut the ambilical cord” at birth. it is definitely dancer.
November 9th, 2008 at 6:11 pm
it’s denser not dancer!
1) dancer doesn’t make any sense with the song!
2)hear the song and pay attention to the song, you will notice it’s denser and not dancer
3)there is proof that it’s denser and not dancer
November 10th, 2008 at 10:17 am
Hi Chiara,
I’m not sure what proof there could be that its denser if Brandon Flowers himself has said its dancer?
November 10th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
chiara,
you need to pay more attention, how about you actually go to their site? or look up the lyrics before you say it is definitely denser? plus, if it is, please explain to all of us how “denser” goes along with any of the song and what the meaning is? plus, have you ever heard anyone say you are “denser”, they say you are “dense”.
November 11th, 2008 at 10:52 pm
It’s dancer. It says dancer on every lyrics site, especially the official site. I don’t know why this is so hard for people to comprehend.It is a play on the word “human,” since human can also be “humans” but it is in its unified singular form. Therefore, “dancer” presents a unified form of dancer, a sort of artistic unification of entities
November 13th, 2008 at 11:27 am
for those that think it is Denser in this song makes sense. try :
(human vs thick) or (human vs very heavy relative to volume).
Makes sense? Dancer in this song represents a less conscious being.
November 14th, 2008 at 7:12 am
flowers is in denial. he knows dam’ well he wanted it to be vague, so he uses this bullshit story to give some semblance of a meaning, but it’s the emotion that they wanted to convey.
it’s the quirky feeling that you might be denser … if you don’t struggle to be human. well, you are denser right now and you’re desperate to be human… and we tell you that you are, heh.
November 15th, 2008 at 1:50 am
It is most indefinably dancer!
Your mind tricks you because you think songs have to make sense!
No song must make sense for you to make sense of it!
November 17th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Check out wikepedia entry and it clearly states ‘DENSER’ is correct.
November 17th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
Last time I checked wikipedia it said that many people thought it was ‘denser’ but it was in fact ‘dancer’. It wouldn’t be difficult for somebody to edit the wikipedia page.
In any case, Brandon Flowers has said its dancer - what other proof could you need?
November 17th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
Hollina, you most definitely satisfied the need to hear people speak with articulation who search for what is deeper than what we see. Beautifully said my dear.
November 17th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
it is 100% DANCER. it says so on the blog on the killers official page. Am i the only one who understands why he sings ‘dancer?’. he is saying that dancers are not human because they are so spectacular, and what they do cannot surely be done by human beings, therefore they must be something else. Its kinda hard to explain.
I also agree with the ‘GQ Monkee’ fella. woo hoo!!!!!
November 18th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
In response to all this debate about the lyrics I would like to express my personal view. Everyone, me included, interprets lyrics to fit what they think. There is no right or wrong - that’s just being ‘Human’. In my case I get very upset every time I hear the song because my 13 year old daughter has just gone off to Dance School to further her talent. She is committed to it in a way that I cannot understand, so it is her pursuit of perfection in her art - for what might very little reward other than to give pleasure to those who watch - that makes her more than just ‘Human’ - a dancer. Also the words just fit her leaving home - ‘cut the cord’, ‘wave good bye, wish me well’, will your system be alright when you dream of home tonight’. It fits perfectly my story, her story. I know that this is a selfish interpretation but very valid in my case. I hope I haven’t bored you all! I will always remember this time in mine and her life because of this song - that can’t be bad can it?
November 18th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
To be honest.
Its a great song.
I don’t think it really matters what the word is!
The amount of people arguing over Youtube, they forget how good the song is!
November 19th, 2008 at 11:57 pm
what does DENSER mean? i lokked up in the dictonary and there is dense meaning ’stupid’ but i didn`t find deneser.???
November 20th, 2008 at 11:00 am
Denser is just a comparative of dense. Technically something dense is just something tightly packed together I guess. A few definitions:
1. a lot of matter in a small space
2. having relatively high density; Compact; crowded together
3. having a high mass per unit volume
Although those definitions don’t fit with the song on face value, the use of denser would suggest that there was more to a person than just being human.
However its dancer..! :p
November 20th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
u idiot its dancer wot kind of idiot cant go on google an type in lyrics to killers song by readin this web page and commentin u wasted 40 seconds of my life
November 20th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
Hi Jake,
I know its dancer, the article does state that. Hopefully you’re just angry at some of the other commenters that still think its denser.
Anyway - at the time I wrote the article there weren’t many sites with the Human lyrics and the ones that did had a mixture of denser and dancer.. hence why I wrote about it.