You Don't Know What Love Is
Nancy Wilson Lyrics


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You don't know what love is
'Til you've learned the meaning of the blues
Until you've loved a love you've had to lose,
You don't know what love is.

You don't know how lips hurt
Until you've kissed and had to pay the cost,
Until you've flipped your heart and you have lost,
You don't know what love is.

Do you know how a lost heart fears
At the thought of reminiscing,
And how lips that taste of tears
Lose their taste for kissing?
You don't know how hearts burn
For love that can, not live yet never dies.




Until you've faced each dawn with sleepless eyes,
You don't know what love is.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Nancy Wilson's song "You Don't Know What Love Is" convey a poignant and timely reminder that love, despite being a universal emotion, cannot be fully comprehended without experiencing its bittersweet pain. The song highlights how learning the meaning of the blues is equivalent to understanding the full extent of love. One is said to be ignorant of love's essence unless they have loved and lost- a prerequisite that apparently forms the basis of comprehending its true meaning.


The next two stanzas capture vividly the idea that one cannot appreciate the true nature of love without learning how painful it can be. The lyrics emphasize that only when we have been hurt by the people we love deeply can we fully grasp the depth of the emotion- highlighting how lips hurt, heartburns, and kissing fades to inevitability. Conversely, it elucidates how memories cause fear in our minds, and the overwhelming nature of what we've had, forgotten, and lost. Lastly, the song covers sleepless nights, a poignant reminder of the long-lasting effects of lost love.


In summary, Nancy Wilson's "You Don't Know What Love Is" aims to show that love is an emotion that one cannot fully understand until they have suffered from its loss. The song's lyrics describe the various ways pain arises from love and how it can be debilitating, indicating that one's ability to experience both love's pain and warmth is crucial for a complete understanding of it.


Line by Line Meaning

You don't know what love is
Love is not something that can be defined until it is fully experienced.


'Til you've learned the meaning of the blues
Only once you have felt the sense of loss and sadness associated with heartbreak can you truly understand the depths of love.


Until you've loved a love you've had to lose,
You can't truly understand love until you have loved someone and then lost them, whether through heartbreak or death.


You don't know what love is.
Without going through the experience of love and heartbreak, you can never really know what love is.


You don't know how lips hurt
Kissing someone you love and then losing them can be physically and emotionally painful.


Until you've kissed and had to pay the cost,
Loving someone and then losing them can be a heavy emotional toll that may come at a steep price.


Until you've flipped your heart and you have lost,
Once you've put all your emotions and love into someone only to have it end in heartbreak, you can then begin to understand what love is.


You don't know what love is.
Without experiencing heartbreak and true loss, it is impossible to fully understand what love really is.


Do you know how a lost heart fears
After going through heartbreak, the thought of reliving those emotions again can be daunting and frightening.


At the thought of reminiscing,
The thought of remembering lost love can be painful and difficult to endure.


And how lips that taste of tears
Tears and heartbreak can leave such an emotional imprint on someone that even the act of kissing can remind them of their lost love.


Lose their taste for kissing?
After heartbreak, the emotions associated with kissing and intimacy can change, and it may take time to regain the same passion and enjoyment as before.


You don't know how hearts burn
The emotions associated with love and heartbreak can be intense and overwhelming, and can leave a lasting impression on someone's heart and soul.


For love that can, not live yet never dies.
Even after relationships end, the love that was once felt can continue to exist and have an impact on someone's heart and emotions.


Until you've faced each dawn with sleepless eyes,
Heartbreak can be all-consuming and can cause someone to lose sleep, waking up each morning to the realization that their love is gone.


You don't know what love is.
Without experiencing the pain of heartbreak, it is impossible to fully comprehend what love truly is.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DON RAYE, GENE DE PAUL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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