Anyone Who Knows What Love Is

What is love? According to the Irma Thomas song, Anyone Who Knows What Love Is, love is blind.

In this song, Irma Thomas sings of a love that stands even through emotional abuse. With lyrics like “you can blame me / try to shame me / and still I’ll care for you,” and “you can run around / even put me down / still I’ll be there for you,” it is clear that the speaker of this song is being manipulated by someone who does not truly love them, yet the speaker is so brainwashed by this person that the lack of love isn’t clear.

“The world / may think I’m foolish / they can’t see you / like I can.” In abusive relationships, a victim often feels as though the “good times” mean more than the abuse. Often times an abuser is so manipulative, that they twist things around to make it seem as though the abuse is still a way of showing love. When loved ones see through the abuser, the victim can’t see what they see.

This song describes a blind, brainwashed love. Anyone who knows what love is will understand. This isn’t true though, anyone who knows what love is will see through what the speaker is dealing with and try their best to get help for the victim.