Like Humans Do
Written and Performed by David Byrne
For millions of years in millions of homes
A man loved a woman, a child then was born
It learned how to hurt and it learned how to cry
Like humans do
I'm breathing in, I'm breathing out
Oh-oh-oh-oh
So slip inside this funky house
Oh-oh-oh-oh
The dishes in the sink
The TV's in repair
Don't look at the floor
Don't go up the stairs
I'm aching and I'm shaking and I'm breaking
Like humans do
I'm aching, I'm shaking, I'm breaking
Like humans do
I work and I sleep and I dance and I'm dead
I'm eating, I'm laughing, I'm lovin' myself
I never watch TV except when I'm stoned
Like humans do
I'm breathing in, I'm breathing out
Oh-oh-oh-oh
So slip inside this funky house
Oh-oh-oh-oh
The dishes in the sink
The TV's in repair
Don't look at the floor
And don't go up the stairs
I'm aching, I'm shaking, I'm breaking
Like humans do
Ooh, I'm aching, I'm shaking, I'm breaking
Like humans do
Ooh
I'm breathing in, I'm breathing out
Oh-oh-oh-oh
So slip inside this funky house
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Wiggle while you work
Anybody can
The rain is pouring in
On a woman and a man
I'm aching, I'm shaking, I'm breaking
Like humans do
I'm breathing in
I'm breathing out
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Back in the summer Mal mentioned that David Byrne was coming to Toronto but the tickets were too expensive to even contemplate going. So as we sat there, I opened up the Massey Hall website, noted that the tickets weren't that expensive, and asked Mal if that would be a good Christmas present — and of course, Mal was over the moon, insisting that we should go together.
Now, obviously, at my advanced age, I was in high school when The Talking Heads were at their height of fame, and while I was much more into New Wave than Top Forty Rock, the big-suit-and-synth-art-show was a bit too weird even for me at the time. But, it turns out, David Byrne has been a musical hero of Mal's for a very long time (even inspiring one of Mal's favourite tattoos), so I had some catching up to do. Many beach nights up at Sauble, when it was just me and Dave, we would listen to a Talking Heads/David Byrne playlist by the campfire, and it was all good stuff, with this song in particular really speaking to me.
So, the concert rolled around last week and we took the train into Toronto (which sounds easier than driving and parking in the city, but it took a loooong time and the direct train had stopped running by the time we were heading home again, so the train to bus to car to getting home after one in the morning was not worth the novelty; lesson learned) and had an amazing vegan sushi dinner at Planta (seriously, so good).
And the concert itself: simply incredible. Byrne and his singers/musicians were all completely mobile, marching and dancing and fluid across the stage throughout. He performed so many Talking Heads songs (most of them for the first time in decades), all of his solo hits, and several cuts from his new album; all of which we could sing along with. I was personally excited when he even performed Like Humans Do; absolutely nothing was lacking from this show. And best of all: I saw Mal's post on Instagram later — a pic of David Byrne on stage with the caption, "Best concert ever. Best day of my life." And that's what it was all about.
For millions of years in millions of homes
A man loved a woman, a child then was born
It learned how to hurt and it learned how to cry
Like humans do
