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Thin Line Between Love and Hat
The Persuaders Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

It's a thin line, it's 5 o'clock in the morning
And I'm just getting in, I knock on the door
A voice sweet and low says, who is it?
She opens up the door and lets me in
Never do she once say, sir, where have you been?
No, she says, are you hungry?
Are you hungry, honey? Did you eat yet?
Let me hang up your coat, your coat, your coat
And the woman tells me, pass me your hat too
All the time she smiles, never once raises her voice
It's 5 o'clock in the morning

1-It's a thin line between love and hate..

2-The sweetest woman in the world
Can be the meanest woman in the world
If you make her that way, you keep on hurting her
She keeps being quiet
She might be holding something inside
That really really hurt you one day

Here I am laying in the hospital
Bandaged from feet to head
Ya see I'm in the state of shock
Just that much from being dead
I didn't think my woman could do something like this to me
I didn't think she had the nerve, so here I am
I guess action speaks louder than words
(repeat 1, 2, 1)

It's a thin line, between love and hate
It's a thin line...

Overall Meaning

The Persuaders' song "The Thin Line Between Love and Hate" is a soulful ballad that explores the delicate balance between love and hate in a romantic relationship. The song opens with the singer arriving home at 5 o'clock in the morning, and being greeted by his partner with kindness and concern, rather than anger and accusations. This gentle response to his late arrival contrasts sharply with the violent outburst that follows later in the song, when the singer awakens in the hospital after being severely beaten by his lover. The lyrics suggest that this sudden outburst of violence was triggered by a long-standing hurt or betrayal that the singer had inflicted on his lover, perhaps without even realizing it.


Overall, the song seems to suggest that love and hate are two sides of the same coin, and that a romantic relationship can easily tip from one to the other if not carefully tended. The gentle, loving gestures of the woman at the beginning of the song are shown to be just a thin veneer that can quickly give way to anger and violence if the relationship becomes unbalanced.


In addition to its themes of love and hate, "The Thin Line Between Love and Hate" is also notable for its soulful, R&B-infused sound, which was typical of the era in which it was recorded. The song was a hit for The Persuaders in the early 1970s, and remains a beloved classic of the soul genre.


Line by Line Meaning

It's a thin line, it's 5 o'clock in the morning
Love and hate are so closely related it's hard to tell them apart. It's early in the morning as the singer reflects on the events that occurred last night.


And I'm just getting in, I knock on the door
The singer is arriving home, he has been out all night.


A voice sweet and low says, who is it?
As the singer knocks on the door, his woman welcomes him sweetly.


She opens up the door and lets me in
The woman allows the singer to enter the house.


Never do she once say, sir, where have you been?
The woman doesn't ask the singer about his whereabouts the whole night.


No, she says, are you hungry?
Instead of questioning the singer, the woman asks about his hunger.


Are you hungry, honey? Did you eat yet?
She continues to show her affection towards the singer, calling him honey and asking if he has eaten.


Let me hang up your coat, your coat, your coat
The woman takes the initiative to hang up the singer's coat for him.


And the woman tells me, pass me your hat too
The woman shows her affection again by offering to take the singer's hat.


All the time she smiles, never once raises her voice
Throughout the entire encounter, the woman smiles and never gets upset or angry.


It's 5 o'clock in the morning
As the encounter comes to an end, it's still early in the morning and the singer reflects on what the woman means to him.


The sweetest woman in the world
The singer starts to explain how love can turn into hate by describing the sweetest woman in the world.


Can be the meanest woman in the world
However, she can also turn into the meanest woman due to the singer's constant hurtful actions towards her.


If you make her that way, you keep on hurting her
The singer acknowledges that his actions have caused the woman to become angry and hurt.


She keeps being quiet
Even though the woman is quiet about her feelings, she's holding onto the pain inside.


She might be holding something inside
The singer suspects that the woman may be hiding something from him.


That really really hurt you one day
The singer believes that the woman's pain will eventually hurt him in return.


Here I am laying in the hospital
The singer finds himself in the hospital, reflecting on his poor treatment of the woman.


Bandaged from feet to head
The singer is badly injured and covered in bandages from his head to his feet.


Ya see I'm in the state of shock
The singer is in shock and can't believe the extent of his injuries.


Just that much from being dead
The singer acknowledges that his actions have almost led to his own death.


I guess action speaks louder than words (repeat 1, 2, 1)
Finally, the singer realizes that his actions have spoken louder than his words and he expresses the thin line between love and hate once again.


It's a thin line, between love and hate
The singer repeats the key message that love and hate are closely related and can be easily mistaken for each other.


It's a thin line...
The song ends with the repetition of the message that love and hate are two sides of the same coin.




Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: EUGENE POINDEXTER ROBERT, JACKIE MEMBERS, RICHARD POINDEXTER, ROBERT POINDEXTER, ROBERT EUGENE POINDEXTER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@dognasty3

Brothers singing for real! No lip-syncing, no auto-tune. Brothers and sisters “slow dragging”. I love it!

@armandogonzales1365

Absolutely dn3 that's when these entertainers had super talent and no computers

@youngplatinummusic

Soul Train was always lip synching so maybe this was an exception.

@user-de8hs6ep2k

Every black soul song got a comment like this are ya bots u can’t separate a continuation

@vermellebennettbradley6132

Thank you I love it

@CPote-ue3hf

Yea n a Mexican rapper from east los Angeles along with somolians rap group boo ya tribe sampled the whole dam song n Mexicans believe kid from really made that song lol .

4 More Replies...

@TonyTana9905

Back when live performances sounded just like the actual recorded track. When talent outweighed image, no gimmicks, just pure talent.

@beverlyfrazier8638

I so so so agree

@michaelmontanez948

You know this most likely was lip sync'd right?

@beverlyfrazier8638

@@michaelmontanez948 no it was not

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