Human

Song Meaning

These lyrics plunge straight into an existential query. The speaker grapples with the fundamental question of what it means to be human, immediately affirming their status, yet with a telling caveat. It's a quick, punchy setup that hints at deeper uncertainty. The central tension arises from the speaker's struggle to reconcile their own humanity with the actions of others, and then, crucially, with their own right to judge. The initial confident declaration, "Yes, I am human," is quickly undercut by the hesitant "fairly certain I am mostly human." This subtle shift from absolute certainty to a qualified, partial humanity sets the stage for a profound self-examination. The craft here is all about the subtle erosion of certainty through repetition and qualification. The shift from "mostly human" in the first verse to "almost human" when describing another suggests a sliding scale of humanity, directly tied to behavior. The unanswered blank in "Who am I to say I [?]" is a masterstroke, forcing the listener to confront their own unspoken judgments and the speaker's reluctance to voice them, highlighting the complexity of defining humanity through action. Ultimately, the lyrics are effective because they mirror a universal human experience: the constant negotiation between who we believe ourselves to be and what our actions, or the actions of others, reveal. By progressing from individual questioning to a collective "Are we human?" and linking truth to the idea that "What we do... Should always make a change," the song suggests that humanity isn't a fixed state, but an ongoing, active pursuit defined by our choices and their impact.