Letta Mbulu (Soweto, 23 August 1942) is a South African jazz singer born an… Read Full Bio ↴Letta Mbulu (Soweto, 23 August 1942) is a South African jazz singer born and raised in Soweto, South Africa. She has been active since the 1960s, but left South Africa due to Apartheid in 1965 and moved to the United States. There she worked with Cannonball Adderley and Harry Belafonte. Her singing can also be heard in Roots (TV miniseries), The Color Purple, and she was a guest on a Season 6 episode of Soul Train.

Learn To Love
Letta Mbulu Lyrics

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We've got to learn
To love now
Together, we've got to learn

We've got to learn
To love now
Together, we've got to learn

Love is a word we all use
But do we really know what it means?

Writers write about love
And singers sing about love
Politicians campaign on love
While preachers preach about love

Love is a word that we all use (Everyday)
But do we really, really, really know (Oh yes)
What it means

We've got to learn
To love now (To love, oh love)
Together, we've got to learn

We've got to learn (To learn)
To love now (To love, oh love)
Together, we've got to learn (Together)

Think of a mirror
That reflects what you are
If you're evil
It's got to show

Don't try to sell us on love
If it's untrue
We're bound to know

Love is a feeling
We all should share (Everday)
We must give it
To show you care

Stop (Stop)
Listen
Then you'll know
You'll know the truth
You've got to be true

We've got to learn (We've got to learn to love)

To love now (Oh we've got to learn to love)
Together, we've got to learn (Together)

Overall Meaning

In Letta Mbulu's song "Learn to Love," the singer emphasizes the importance of truly understanding the concept of love and actively choosing to love others. She acknowledges that love is a commonly used word, but wonders if people really comprehend its meaning. Mbulu highlights how various groups of people, including writers, singers, politicians, and preachers, talk about love. She then emphasizes that individuals must actively work to understand what love means and how to show it.

Mbulu illustrates the importance of loving others through a mirror analogy. She prompts listeners to think of a mirror that reflects what you are. If you are evil, it will inevitably show you that. Therefore, each individual must reflect love to others if they want to see it in return. She also warns against labeling something as love if it is not authentic because people are bound to recognize the falsehood.

The song's message implies that we must invest conscious thought and effort into understanding and embodying love if we want to see ourselves and others in a positive light. We must actively learn to love to create a society where love and care are the foundations of all interactions.

Line by Line Meaning

We've got to learn
We need to gain knowledge

To love now
To feel affection at the present time

Together, we've got to learn
We need to gain knowledge collectively

Love is a word we all use
The term 'Love' is widely spoken

But do we really know what it means?
Do we possess a true understanding of Love?

Writers write about love
Authors compose content on Love

And singers sing about love
Musicians create melodies about Love

Politicians campaign on love
Elected representatives advertise Love as part of their political agenda

While preachers preach about love
Religious leaders deliver sermons on Love

Everyday love is a word that we all use
Love is spoken of Daily

Oh yes do we really, really, really know
People do we genuinely understand Love?