Interpreting Love Expressions in Keshi’s “Understand” Lyrics: An Analysis Based on Paul Ricoeur Hermeneutics

This study explores the expression of love in the lyrics of the song Understand by Keshi through the lens of Paul Ricoeur’s hermeneutics. It examines how lyrical narratives convey not only the emotional components of love—intimacy, passion, and commitment—as proposed in Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love, but also highlight mutual understanding as a stabilizing force in romantic relationships. Adopting an interpretive paradigm and a hermeneutic-phenomenological approach, data were collected through textual analysis, interviews with listeners, and observations of relevant media including podcast content. By applying Ricoeur’s dual concepts the dialectic between event and meaning, and the structure of meaning as sense and reference the study provides a layered interpretation of affective meaning in music. The findings demonstrate that song lyrics can function as reflective tools for emotional development and relational awareness. This research contributes to communication studies by offering a methodological model for interpreting emotional meaning in contemporary popular culture and affirms music’s role as a medium of emotional and interpersonal discourse.