in the way Steven Page writes a lot of whimsical, detail-packed tunes that are actually about the depression and monotony of everyday life, I always thought this was a lament on how when you've been through a lot of relationships it's very hard to feel a sense of enthusiasm, or indeed any emotion at all, about a new one. I think he's singing to multiple women who have also dealt with a lot of love and heartbreak in the past and therefore are used to the old lines and charms as much as he is--but you keep doing them anyway. it's amplified by the use of a line cliche (real 60s feeling) in the prechorus to show that even at a subconscious level, we all go back to the same patterns when there's a fight, or a breakup, or just an awkward run-in. sometimes "it's all been done" can be a comfort too.
in the way Steven Page writes a lot of whimsical, detail-packed tunes that are actually about the depression and monotony of everyday life, I always thought this was a lament on how when you've been through a lot of relationships it's very hard to feel a sense of enthusiasm, or indeed any emotion at all, about a new one. I think he's singing to multiple women who have also dealt with a lot of love and heartbreak in the past and therefore are used to the old lines and charms as much as he is--but you keep doing them anyway. it's amplified by the use of a line cliche (real 60s feeling) in the prechorus to show that even at a subconscious level, we all go back to the same patterns when there's a fight, or a breakup, or just an awkward run-in. sometimes "it's all been done" can be a comfort too.
[Edit: adding musical explanation]