The Things (That) I Used to Do

The speaker looks back on a troubled relationship and says he will stop repeating the things he used to do. At first, he recalls holding his partner’s hand and pleading with her not to leave, then searching for her through the night. The mood shifts from longing and desperation to hurt, resignation, and a decision to separate. He plans to send her back to her mother and return to his own family.

The repeated search that “always end[s] in vain” suggests more than simply failing to find someone: it conveys the futility of trying to keep a relationship together. The speaker later reveals that he knew his partner was with another man, so his searching may have been driven by hope or denial rather than a lack of information. “I just can’t get along with you” is a plain expression of incompatibility, not necessarily a claim that one person is entirely to blame.

The promise not to do these things “no more” sounds firm, but the repetition of that promise also leaves room for doubt: he may be trying to convince himself as much as his partner. The lyrics give a clear reason for the breakup—betrayal and a relationship that brings no peace—but do not explain the full history or whether the speaker feels relief, anger, or both.