True Love
Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

There could never be a portrait of my love
For nobody could paint a dream
You will never see a portrait of my love
For miracles are never seen.

Anyone who sees her, soon forgets the Mona Lisa

It would take I know, a Michaelangelo
And he would need the glow of dawn that paints the sky above
To try and paint a portrait of my love

It would take I know, a Michaelangelo




And he would need the glow of dawn that paints the sky above,
To try and paint a portrait of my love

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme's song True Love describe the ineffable nature of love and how it cannot be fully captured in any tangible form, including a portrait. The opening lines suggest that love is an intangible dream that cannot be physically depicted by any artist. The singer asserts that "miracles are never seen," implying the rarity and priceless nature of true love. Anyone who sees their beloved soon forgets the Mona Lisa, indicating the singer's belief that their love is more captivating and inspiring than any artwork in history.


The lyrics continue to assert that only a great artist like Michaelangelo could possibly attempt to capture the essence of the singer's love for their beloved. However, even such an artist would need the entire grandeur of nature at dawn to adequately convey the beauty and depth of their love. The repetition of the final lines underscores the point that no artist could fully capture the beauty and complexity of true love, suggesting that it remains an elusive and treasured mystery that defies definition or explanation.


Line by Line Meaning

There could never be a portrait of my love
My love is too perfect to be captured by any painter or artist.


For nobody could paint a dream
My love is like a dream, impossible to capture in a painting.


You will never see a portrait of my love
No matter how hard anyone tries, they will never be able to create a portrait of my perfect love.


For miracles are never seen.
Miracles, such as the creation of a perfect portrait of my love, are not possible.


Anyone who sees her, soon forgets the Mona Lisa
My love is so beautiful and captivating that even the world-renowned Mona Lisa would be forgotten in comparison.


It would take I know, a Michaelangelo
Only an artist as great as Michelangelo could even attempt to capture the beauty of my love.


And he would need the glow of dawn that paints the sky above
Even Michelangelo would require the perfect, natural light of dawn to create a portrait of my love.


To try and paint a portrait of my love
Creating a portrait of my love is an impossible task, even for the greatest artists of all time.




Writer(s): Cole Porter

Contributed by Colton E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

More Versions