(How Could You Know?) is a seminal protest song and one of the most poignant works by the late Turkish-Kurdish artist Ahmet Kaya . Released on his 1998 album Dosta Düşmana Karşı (Against Friend and Foe), the song serves as a powerful expression of personal suffering, political exile, and the deep sense of being misunderstood by society. Core Themes and Imagery

The song is characterized by its heavy emotional weight and themes of anguish and resilience :

Lyrics like "I tore down iron bars and came" and "I burned my own life and came" evoke images of escaping imprisonment or extreme hardship, reflecting Kaya's own political and social struggles .