Released in 2014, Christina Perri’s song “Human” remains one of the most touching and moving pieces of music surrounding mental health. The song helps bring to light the challenges associated with having to represent yourself in a way that is not congruent with who you really are within, and the emotional toll that this may bring. 

In the song Perri sings: 

“I can fake a smile,
I can force a laugh,
I can dance and play the part,
If thats what you ask,
Give you all I am,
I can do it,
I can do it,
I can do it
But I’m only human,
And I bleed when I fall down.
I’m only human,
And I crash and I break down,
Your words in my head, knives in my heart,
You build me up and then I fall apart,
‘Cause I’m only human”

Through her lyrics, Perri shares how she is giving her all when she seemingly does not have enough for herself and is conforming to another’s needs and expectations. The pain that she is left with is comparable to “knives in (my) heart” and feelings of crashing down. Perri’s decision to not explicitly state who she is targeting in the song brings a sense of universality as anyone experiencing a similar situation, whether it is with their partner, family member, friend, or even themselves, might find themselves relating to the pain and sadness being conveyed.  

Image Credits:
Feature Image: Miguel Bruna, On Unsplash, Creative Commons