Melissa Lou Etheridge (born May 29, 1961) is an American rock singer-songwr… Read Full Bio ↴Melissa Lou Etheridge (born May 29, 1961) is an American rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, and activist. Her self-titled debut album was released in 1988 and become an underground hit. The album peaked at #22 on the Billboard 200, and its lead single, Bring Me Some Water, garnered Etheridge her first Grammy nomination for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. In 1993, Etheridge won her first Grammy award for her single, Ain't It Heavy, from her 3rd album Never Enough. Later that year, she released what would become her breakthrough album, Yes I Am. The album featured the mainstream rock hits I'm the Only One (#8) and Come to My Window (#25), the latter which scored Etheridge her second Grammy award. Yes I Am peaked at #15 on the Billboard 200, and spent 138 weeks on the chart, earning a RIAA certification of 6x Platinum, her largest to date.
In October 2004, Etheridge was diagnosed with breast cancer, and underwent surgery and chemotherapy. At the 2005 Grammy Awards, she made a return to the stage and, although bald from chemotherapy, performed a tribute to Janis Joplin with the song "Piece of My Heart". Etheridge's performance was widely lauded, with India.Arie writing "I Am Not My Hair" about Etheridge. Later that year, Etheridge released her first compilation album, Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled. The album was a huge success, peaking at #14 on the Billboard 200, and going Gold immediately. Her latest release is 4th Street Feeling.
Etheridge is known for her mixture of "confessional lyrics, pop-based folk-rock, and raspy, smoky vocals." She has also been an iconic gay and lesbian activist since her public coming out in January 1993.

Miss California
Melissa Etheridge Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Miss California what did I do wrong
It seems I've loved you
For just a little too long
You've gone and left me
For some preacher's way
Now you act like you never knew me
And you can't hear a word I say

Miss California did I get in your way
Did the neighbors warn you
What would happen some day
That a love like mine
Was never good anyway
They said think about your reputation now
Before you get carried away

Don't you know what's good for me, can be good for you
Don't you know what's good for me, can be good for you
Don't you know what is good for you
Can be good for me too
Don't you know what's good for me, can be good for you

Miss California was I a little too proud
I'm standing in the streets now
And I'm screaming out loud
You try to shove me in your closet
With your skulls and your bones
I can be who I am, you see
If I want to do it all alone

Yeah yeah yeah yeah

Don't you know what's good for me, could be good for you
Don't you know what is good for you
Can be good for me too
Don't you know what's good for me, could be good for you

Your sweet seduction led me far from home
Your self-destruction gives me sticks and stones
Your propositions make me feel so cold
When the hand that's trying to hold me down
Is the one I'm trying to hold
I know the hand that's trying to hold me down
Is the one I'm trying to hold
I said the hand that's trying to force me back
Is the one that won't let me go

Miss California
Yeah yeah yeah
Miss California
Yeah yeah yeah
Miss California
Yeah yeah yeah
Miss California
Yeah yeah yeah

Ah huh

Yeah
You know what's good for me

Overall Meaning

Miss California is a song by Melissa Etheridge, released in 1999. It is a ballad about a woman who has been left heartbroken by her lover, Miss California. The singer is struggling to come to terms with the end of the relationship and is questioning what she did wrong. She feels abandoned and rejected by a woman who no longer recognizes her.

As the song progresses, it becomes clear that the lover left the singer for a preacher's way, implying that she has found religion and is now following a path away from her previous life. The singer feels as though she has been pushed aside and ignored, with her previous love apparently wasted. She tries to stand up for herself, stating that she can be who she is without the influence of her ex-lover.

The song has been interpreted by some as a commentary on same-sex relationships and the challenges faced by those who are rejected by family or society for the gender of their partner. The lyrics paint a picture of a love that cannot function within societal norms and is ultimately deemed to be inappropriate and wrong.

Line by Line Meaning

Miss California what did I do wrong
Asking the person she loved if she made any mistake by loving them for too long and not realizing that it’s time to move on.

It seems I've loved you For just a little too long
Having had feelings of love for someone past the point of what was beneficial for herself and the relationship.

You've gone and left me For some preacher's way Now you act like you never knew me And you can't hear a word I say
The person she loved left her to join a religion and now doesn’t associate with her anymore or hear her out.

Miss California did I get in your way Did the neighbors warn you What would happen some day That a love like mine Was never good anyway They said think about your reputation now Before you get carried away
Her love for the other person was never seen as worthwhile and the people around warned them of it leading to a bad reputation.

Don't you know what's good for me, can be good for you Don't you know what's good for me, can be good for you Don't you know what is good for you Can be good for me too Don't you know what's good for me, can be good for you
What’s good for her and her identity could also possibly benefit the person who left her.

Miss California was I a little too proud I'm standing in the streets now And I'm screaming out loud You try to shove me in your closet With your skulls and your bones I can be who I am, you see If I want to do it all alone
The other person has tried to hide her true self and shut her out of society when she is out and about, to which she tells the other person that she can live and express herself on her own.

Your sweet seduction led me far from home Your self-destruction gives me sticks and stones Your propositions make me feel so cold When the hand that's trying to hold me down Is the one I'm trying to hold
She was attracted to the person and followed them, but the person’s own actions and offers made her feel uncomfortable and unwanted. The other person is also stopping her from doing what she wants, despite wanting to keep contact.

I know the hand that's trying to hold me down Is the one I'm trying to hold I said the hand that's trying to force me back Is the one that won't let me go
The person she is in love with is preventing her from moving forward while she trying to hold onto them, and how the same person is doing both things at once.

Miss California Yeah yeah yeah Miss California Yeah yeah yeah Miss California Yeah yeah yeah Miss California Yeah yeah yeah
Reiterating the chorus and the name of the song.

Ah huh Yeah You know what's good for me
Some filler sound before and then she restates the idea that the person should try to think about what is good for her as well.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: MELISSA ETHERIDGE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS