I think it's more about having gone through something terrible, where someone somewhere did something to cause her a lot of pain, either emotionally or physically or both. the references to wounds and blood leaving a stain suggests abuse possibly? unless it's metaphor for severe emotional abuse. from someone who makes her "despise" the "year you walked into my life", and who caused a lot of "rage" and "hate" on her behalf. But "Another year's gone by" and she "licks her wounds" and "as the years go by I won't cry" meaning she's toughened up with time, healed her wounds, and now will "rise up from the dead" and "reclaim" the "breath" that was "stolen" from her. And as breath is something we have a right to, as she says in seneca falls "i don't steal the air i breathe", she is standing up from the ashes and rightfully claiming what was taken from her, whether it be dignity or self-esteem or whatever else that had crippled her before.
I think it's more about having gone through something terrible, where someone somewhere did something to cause her a lot of pain, either emotionally or physically or both. the references to wounds and blood leaving a stain suggests abuse possibly? unless it's metaphor for severe emotional abuse. from someone who makes her "despise" the "year you walked into my life", and who caused a lot of "rage" and "hate" on her behalf. But "Another year's gone by" and she "licks her wounds" and "as the years go by I won't cry" meaning she's toughened up with time, healed her wounds, and now will "rise up from the dead" and "reclaim" the "breath" that was "stolen" from her. And as breath is something we have a right to, as she says in seneca falls "i don't steal the air i breathe", she is standing up from the ashes and rightfully claiming what was taken from her, whether it be dignity or self-esteem or whatever else that had crippled her before.