The girl with high hopes of bagging the boy at the bar next to whom she is seated
Launches in just a little too loud to a joke that gets worse every time it’s repeated
He manages somehow to smile though his manner betrays that he’s quite ill at ease
He measures the length of the mile from his stool to the door as he motions ‘check please’
But she touches his arm for dramatic effect and in spite of himself he goes strangely erect

He decides in that moment to stay for another beer cause the last one’s depleted
And allows her to finish her tale or whatever comes next till seduction’s completed
Pull back to the wide shot the bartender’s rolling his eyes
Flash back to the same spot last Tuesday she used the same line on a similar guy

CHORUS
So this is what passes for romance
This is what we’ve become
If your self-esteem’s low why not give it a go
Cause you’ll probably just end up numb
Don’t worry about happy endings
You get what you can when you can
Cause this is the way that the world turns now
For 21st century man

When he stumbled in through the hospital door she was working the desk in ER
He knew right away he'd impress her as soon as she saw his vasectomy scar
She said she got off at eleven he told her he had to be done by ten
So she took him in back by the oxygen rack and they got off again and again
Well they both know that life should be better than this
And they both know that things could be worse
Now she’s nursing some kind of a deadly disease
While he’s still having fun with diseasing the nurse

CHORUS

The boy and the girl were so perfectly paired from the very first moment they dated
And their friends all agreed posting hearts on the feed of the life they so caref’lly curated
As they posed hand in hand they were building the brand putting passion on public display
There was no time to feel an emotion too real as they counted the clicks day by day
Chasing fame without shame they got caught in the game but they never could capture the prize
What began as a dream ended up as a meme, there’s some scenes in real life filters just can’t disguise

So this is what passes for romance
This is the message we send
When it’s falling apart you just trust in your heart
It’ll all be OK in the end
Don’t ever let anyone fool you
That you’re part of some great cosmic plan
Cause this is the way that we all hang on
As 21st century man