Percy Sledge (born 25 November 1940 in Leighton, Alabama; died 14 April 201… Read Full Bio ↴Percy Sledge (born 25 November 1940 in Leighton, Alabama; died 14 April 2015 in Baton Rouge) was an American R&B and soul performer who most notably recorded the single "When a Man Loves a Woman" in 1966, an international top 40 hit that the RIAA has certified as gold. Having achieved his best successes in the mid-to-late 60s and early 70s with a series of emotional soul songs, in his later years he received the Rhythm and Blues Foundation's Career Achievement Award and was inducted in 2005 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Percy Sledge worked in the fields in Leighton before he worked as an orderly at Colbert County Hospital in Sheffield. By the mid-1960s, Sledge was touring the Southeast with the Esquires Combo on weekends and working at the hospital. A former patient who was a friend of producer Quin Ivy introduced the two, an audition followed, and Sledge was signed to a recording contract.

Sledge's smooth voice was perfect for the series of soul ballads produced by Ivy and Marlin Greene, which rock critic Dave Marsh called "emotional classics for romantics of all ages."

"When a Man Loves a Woman" was the first song recorded under the contract (released in 1966), and it became not only an international hit (it reached #1 in the US) but was also the first gold record released by Atlantic Records. The magnificent soul anthem became the cornerstone of Sledge's career and was followed by "Warm and Tender Love," "Take Time to Know Her," and "Cover Me."

Sledge charted with "I'll Be Your Everything" and "Sunshine" during the 1970s, and has become an international concert favorite throughout the world, especially in the Netherlands, Germany, and on the African continent.

His career enjoyed a renaissance in the 1980s when "When a Man Loves a Woman" re-entered the Top 10 in the UK after being used in a Levi's commercial.

Sledge was an inaugural Rhythm and Blues Foundation Pioneer Award honoree in 1989. In 2005, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

You Don't Miss Your Water
Percy Sledge Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

In the beginning
You really loved me
But I was blind
And I could not see

But when you left me
Oh, how I cried
You don't miss your water

Till your well runs dry

I was a playboy
I could not be true
I couldn't believe
I really loved you

But when you left me
Oh, how I cried
You don't miss your water
Till your well runs dry

In the beginning
You really loved me
But I was blind
And I could not see

But when you left me
Oh, how I cried
You don't miss your water
Till your well runs dry

You don't miss your water
Till your well runs dry

Overall Meaning

Percy Sledge's "You Don't Miss Your Water" is a song that speaks to the theme of lost love and regret. In the lyrics, Sledge reflects on a past relationship where he was blinded by his own playboy attitude and could not appreciate the love he was receiving from his partner. It is only after she leaves him that he realizes the error of his ways and how much he truly loved and needed her.

The repetition of the line "You don't miss your water till your well runs dry" drives home the message of the song that sometimes, we don't appreciate something until it's gone. The metaphor of the well running dry is an apt one, as it represents the idea that we may take things for granted until we no longer have access to them.

Sledge's soulful delivery adds an additional layer of emotion to the already heart-wrenching lyrics. His voice quavers with despair as he sings about the pain of lost love, making the song an unforgettable experience for all those who listen.

Overall, "You Don't Miss Your Water" serves as a cautionary tale about the importance of appreciating the people in our lives while we still have them. It speaks to the universal experience of regret and the difficult lessons we often learn too late.

Line by Line Meaning

In the beginning
At the start of our relationship

You really loved me
You truly cared for me

But I was blind
But I couldn't see or understand your love

And I could not see
And I didn't fully appreciate or recognize your affection

But when you left me
But after you departed from my life

Oh, how I cried
Oh, how I wept and felt immense sadness

You don't miss your water
You don't realize how much you need something or someone

Till your well runs dry
Until that person or thing is no longer available to you

I was a playboy
I was a person who enjoyed casual relationships and flings

I could not be true
I couldn't commit to one person or be faithful

I couldn't believe
I couldn't accept or understand