We had broken up for good just an hour before
Uh uh uh, uh uh uh uh uh
Now I'm staring at the bodies as there's dancin' 'cross the floor
Uh uh uh, uh uh uh uh uh
And then the band slowed the tempo and the music gets me down
Uh uh uh, uh uh uh uh uh
It was the same old song with the melancholy sound
Uh uh uh, uh uh uh uh uh

They don't write 'em like that anymore
They just don't write 'em like that anymore

We'd been living together for a million years
Uh uh uh, uh uh uh uh uh
But now it feel so strange (out in the atmospheres?)
Uh uh uh, uh uh uh uh uh
And then the jukebox plays a song I used to know
Uh uh uh, uh uh uh uh uh
Now I'm staring at the bodies as they dancin' so slow
Uh uh uh, uh uh uh uh uh

They don't write 'em like that anymore
They just don't write 'em like that anymore

Now I wind up staring at an empty glass
Uh uh uh, uh uh uh uh uh
Cause its so easy to say that you'll forget your past
Uh uh uh, uh uh uh uh uh

They don't write 'em like that anymore, no!
They just don't write 'em like that anymore

They don't write 'em like that anymore
They just don't write 'em like that anymore


Lyrics submitted by taffurs888

The Break-Up Song (They Don't Write 'em) Lyrics as written by Gregory Kihn Gary Phillips

Lyrics © Reservoir Media Management, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

The Break-up song (they don't write em') song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

9 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +1
    General Comment

    Man, he's right. They don't write 'em like this anymore. LOL.

    cubbyblueson March 31, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    "They don't write 'em like that anymore"-Hi,they don't do anything like "that" anymore!!!

    Thia007on November 30, 2011   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Great song, incredibly underrated. Better than Jeopardy in my opinion.

    eaglebyrneson October 28, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Great song......kind of a forgotten 80's jam. Last verse is key, love the drums.

    taffurs888on October 24, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This song is incredible for an early 80s tune. I vote this as our new national anthem for the broken.

    ilikestuffandyouon February 24, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    does this sound like a Tom Petty song to anyone elses? I always thought it was when I heard it on the radio. good song anyway.

    Stone Freeon March 24, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    by the way, that should be "anyone ELSE", not "elses". I'm not an idiot, I swear.

    Stone Freeon March 24, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Always heard this song is about a band breaking up... not lovers breaking up. Puts a different spin on it.

    fishstickson January 13, 2009   Link
  • -1
    General Comment

    This song was written to make fun of all the crappy break up songs that were (and still are) coming out.

    kfe2on January 29, 2006   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
In regards to the meaning of this song: Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.” That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Album art
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Album art
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988. "'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it." "There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Album art
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version. Great version of a great song,
Album art
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.