Lyric discussion by artthoubrowncow 

Cover art for The Motions lyrics by Dashboard Confessional

I see this song as meaning he wants to feel what he once felt before, a girl came along and made his mind think only for her, and only have feelings for her, so "he's going through the motions" and acting how he did before meeting her to attempt to find the feelings he once felt, and be the person he used to be. "since i ran my hands over you, nothing else will ever do" demonstrates how since she entered his life, nothing will be able to replace her in his heart, even the things he used to love.