Ordinary Pain

The lyrics first present heartbreak as a private, growing hurt. The speaker waits by the phone and visits the woman, then tries to hide how deeply the rejection affects him. Later, the voice shifts: a more defiant speaker addresses someone who has been unfaithful, blaming him and saying he deserves to suffer. The song therefore moves from wounded longing to anger and retaliation.

“Not just an ordinary pain” means the hurt feels unusually intense, not that it is a physical injury. Waiting “in vain” means waiting without getting the hoped-for result. The advice to “hold back your tears” shows an effort to conceal sadness, while “crocodile tears” suggests tears that are insincere or self-serving. The repeated phrase “ordinary pain” also contrasts with the speakers’ strong feelings: they may call the hurt ordinary, but their words show it is anything but easy to dismiss.

The change in voice makes the song’s situation somewhat ambiguous: the later verse may be the woman answering the first speaker, or a dramatic counter-voice within the song. Either way, both sides accuse the other of causing pain, and neither seems free of resentment. The lyrics can be read as showing how heartbreak turns into blame and a wish to make the other person feel the same hurt.