Song Meaning
The narrator is caught in a cycle of emotional pain, repeatedly brought to tears by a lover whose affections are clearly superficial. The opening lines immediately establish a sense of overwhelming sadness, with the repetition of "crying, crying, crying, crying, crying" emphasizing the sheer volume of this distress. This isn't just a fleeting moment of sadness; it's a recurring state, underscored by the phrase "crying again."
The core tension lies in the disconnect between the physical act of affection and its emotional emptiness. The lyrics explicitly state, "Your kisses right from the start / Came from your lips, not your heart," painting a picture of performative intimacy. This suggests a relationship where outward gestures of love are present, but genuine emotional investment is absent, leaving the narrator questioning the very nature of their "love."
The craft here hinges on stark contrasts and a simple, yet devastating, narrative arc. The narrator is "happy and then somebody new looks good to you," a swift and brutal shift that highlights the lover's fickle nature. This rapid transition from happiness to renewed sorrow, driven by the lover's wandering eye, is the engine of the narrator's repeated despair, making the "sighing again" feel just as heavy as the tears.
This lyrical construction is effective because it captures the raw, almost stunned, realization of being repeatedly hurt by someone who never truly committed. The directness of the language, particularly the repeated questioning "What is this love all about?" coupled with the cyclical nature of the crying, mirrors the disorienting and exhausting experience of a one-sided, unfulfilling relationship.