Human Lyrics
Come on, baby, dry your eyes
Wipe your tears
Never like to see you cry
Won't you please forgive me
I wouldn't ever try to hurt you
I just needed someone to hold me
To fill the void while you were gone
To fill this space of emptiness
[Chorus: Philip Oakey]
I'm only human
Of flesh and blood I'm made
Human
Born to make mistakes
[Verse 2: Philip Oakey]
So many nights I longed to hold you
So many times I looked and saw your face
Nothing could change the way I feel
No one else could ever take your place
[Chorus: Philip Oakey]
I'm only human
Of flesh and blood I'm made
Human
Born to make mistakes
(I am just a man) Human
(Human) Please forgive me
The tears I cry aren't tears of pain
They're all to hide my guilt and shame
I forgive you, now I ask the same of you
While we were apart, I was human too
[Chorus: Philip Oakey]
(Human
Human)
I'm only human
Of flesh and blood I'm made (I am just a man)
Human
Born to make mistakes
[Outro]
(Human
Human)
About
“Human” is a love ballad describing the relationship between a man and a woman reuniting after some time being apart being apart.
It was a much needed return for the synth-pop trio, who were falling off after some initial success at the onset of the ‘80s. In the U.S., the song charted at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100, #1 on Hot Dance/Club Play, #3 on Hot Black Singles and #3 on Adult Contemporary as well as #8 on the UK Singles chart.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
I call [Terry] Vocal Master, and that’s about vocal production. “Human” by The Human League. If you listen to Phil Oakey’s vocal, [it] was always very robotic. But if you listen to “Human,” there’s a lot of feeling on that. And that vocal took a week. That was Terry just drilling him down and knocking him down and giving him the confidence to try do step out of this robotic that he had and actually sing. And that vocal to me is the best vocal [Phil] was ever done.
—Jimmy Jam on Terry Lewis' vocal production (Red Bull Music Academy)
