If the man himself said 'its a song about living with someone that turns out to be a pain in the arse', then it is worth looking more closely at that interpretation.
This is not simply a story of a couple bickering. It is clear that the singer ('singer') is more emotionally attached to his partner ('partner') than the opposite, ie. partner holds the power in the relationship: 'Turning me on, turning me off, making me feel like I want too much' illustrates this point. If empathy was invested equally, such a situation would not arise, because partner would understand how difficult it must be for singer to be left in a situation where they are made to feel wanting (too much). Singer is prepared to openly his committment to partner, rather than hide from it: 'there's no point in trying to pretend, there's been no-one who makes me feel like you do'. Partner, on the other hand, is not in the same place, ie. not prepared to 'say we'll be together till the end'. Singer keeps trying to illicit a level of engagement from partner that is consistent with his own, and he is not prepared to give up trying to reach that goal: 'I could leave but I won't go'. In summary, partner and singer have different perspectives on love. I would go so far as to say that singer's perspective is rather more pure and innocent, through which he hopes to get closer to 'truth'. Partner, on the other hand, is just along for the ride, and keeps trying to remain distanced such as to not fully engage with the situation. That, in my view, is the explanation for the line 'its always the same, its just a shame that's all'. Singer is saying that him and partner could be 'so much more' if only partner would stop playing games with his emotions.
If the man himself said 'its a song about living with someone that turns out to be a pain in the arse', then it is worth looking more closely at that interpretation. This is not simply a story of a couple bickering. It is clear that the singer ('singer') is more emotionally attached to his partner ('partner') than the opposite, ie. partner holds the power in the relationship: 'Turning me on, turning me off, making me feel like I want too much' illustrates this point. If empathy was invested equally, such a situation would not arise, because partner would understand how difficult it must be for singer to be left in a situation where they are made to feel wanting (too much). Singer is prepared to openly his committment to partner, rather than hide from it: 'there's no point in trying to pretend, there's been no-one who makes me feel like you do'. Partner, on the other hand, is not in the same place, ie. not prepared to 'say we'll be together till the end'. Singer keeps trying to illicit a level of engagement from partner that is consistent with his own, and he is not prepared to give up trying to reach that goal: 'I could leave but I won't go'. In summary, partner and singer have different perspectives on love. I would go so far as to say that singer's perspective is rather more pure and innocent, through which he hopes to get closer to 'truth'. Partner, on the other hand, is just along for the ride, and keeps trying to remain distanced such as to not fully engage with the situation. That, in my view, is the explanation for the line 'its always the same, its just a shame that's all'. Singer is saying that him and partner could be 'so much more' if only partner would stop playing games with his emotions.