Life Goes On

The speaker is coping with a recent breakup. He feels that life has changed and being alone is difficult, but he tells himself he must keep going. The mood moves between sadness and determination: he is hurt, yet trying to appear composed and carry on with ordinary life.

“Time goes by and life goes on” is the central idea: the days continue, even when someone is grieving a loss. “After night there comes the dawn” offers a hopeful image of hardship passing and a new day arriving. “Shaking hands” and “making plans” suggest everyday social and practical activities, which he uses to show—or perhaps prove—that he is managing.

His wish that his former partner thinks he does not care may be more about protecting his pride than genuinely feeling indifferent. The phrase “trying to act normal and be gay” uses “gay” in its older sense of cheerful or happy, not as a reference to sexual orientation. Overall, the song presents moving on as something the speaker believes he must do, not something he has already achieved; his repeated resolve sits alongside clear signs of loneliness and pain.