Interpretation
The song 'Bring Me Some Water' by
Melissa Etheridge is about a woman dealing with the pain and jealousy of her partner having an affair. She describes her emotional vulnerability and desire for revenge.
In the lyrics, it becomes clear that the protagonist feels weak and is confronted with the consequences of love and betrayal. She says, 'Tonight I feel so weak, but all in love is fair'. Despite being hurt, she tries to turn the other cheek: 'I turn the other cheek'. But then she feels the blow and the pain of the night air.
She recognizes that her reaction is human, but she has no way to express her feelings: 'And I know it's only human, and I haven't got talking room'. While she makes excuses, her partner is making love to another woman: 'But tonight while I'm making excuses, some other woman is making love to you'.
The protagonist calls for help, symbolized by the cry for water: 'Somebody bring me some water'. She feels burned from within and suffers from the fact that her partner has another lover. She doesn't know how she's going to survive: 'Can't you see my baby's got another lover, I don't know how I'm gonna survive'.
She longs for liberation from her emotional pain and wishes for the truth to be revealed: 'I wanna hear the breaking glass, I wanna feel the steel of the red hot truth'. She is willing to do anything to get her partner out of her mind and temporarily go crazy: 'And I'll do anything, to get you out of my mind, I need some insanity for that temporary kind'.
The protagonist wonders how she can ever be the same when she knows that the other woman is whispering her partner's name: 'Tell me how will I ever be the same, when I know that that woman is whispering your name'.
Overall, the song expresses the vulnerability, jealousy, and desire for revenge of a woman confronted with her partner's infidelity. It portrays the emotional highs and lows of a relationship and the challenges one faces when dealing with unfaithfulness.