Uploaded July 2017 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago

---

All four versions from the shorter maxi CD version of the single release (MCD 31105). Timestamps of each version are:
00:00 - Break From The Old Routine (Radio Edit)
03:29 - Break From The Old Routine (Lovers Mix)
06:47 - Break From The Old Routine (You Know What I Mean Mix)
12:32 - Break From The Old Routine (Oui Mixed It Mix)

Lyrics:
Verse 1:
You've got to admit we hit a spot of bad form
We used to be hot but now it's getting kinda lukewarm
Wouldn't you agree we need a change of scenery
Instead of going through the motions like machinery?
I think it's time to change the oil in the motor
Instead of living by the same old rota
Good times, yeah, I know we had our quota
Don't you think it's time to go some place we never go to?
I'm disinclined to sit and watch the dust settle
Turn up the heat and it'll get like Popocatepetl
Grit your teeth and strike a blow against tedium
We could be happy if we struck a happy medium
I haven't a clue where spontaneity went
But we are never impulsive to the same extent
Once upon a way back when I used to be keen
But now I need a break from the old routine

Chorus:
(What do you mean we need a break from the old routine)
We need a break from the old routine
(What do you mean we need a break from the old routine)
Ah, you know what I mean now
(What do you mean we need a break from the old routine)
We need a break from the old routine
(What do you mean we need a break from the old routine)
We need a break from the old routine

Verse 2:
We just ain't gelling any more, we are congealing
The same four walls; same old ceiling
We got to find the knack to get the feeling back
Take up the slack and maybe you and I can stay intact
The two of us have got to get down and make as a duo
Or we'll be dealing with the lost love bureau
We got to make a winning stand not like Custer
We don't lack the will, we just lack the lustre
Once upon a time we took a shine
But the shine is growing dimmer in the daily grind
We may aspire to be climbing higher peaks
But we'll never get higher trying tired techniques
Look me in the eye and tell me straight
Try to deny that we've begun to stagnate
Because when I come to you I come clean
We need a break from the old routine

Chorus

Verse 3:
You know we've got the essential credentials
But we never seem to manage our potential
Why is this?
We're both too timid in the final analysis
We touch down but we can never convert
We're pulling our punches but we're still getting hurt
When love dies, check out the post mortem
The probable cause of death will be boredom
We need to open up our box of tricks
Giving love a chance to rise like a phoenix
Sublime to ridiculous and then back
Stacking the spice of life up on the spice rack
'til joy flows unchecked
And we can laugh at our troubles in retrospect,
But here and now, and by the same token
The old routine has got to be broken

Chorus