Eraser: “Eraser” has elements of rap and hip-hop. It talks about Ed Sheeran’s journey to fame and how sometimes the world is against him because of his fame. He knows the consequences of being in the music industry and what he could miss out on because of it, he knows that this is what he wants in life, and wants to “erase” the hate he gets from others. His rapping verses allow listeners to visualize his frustration with people who don’t understand his career and life choices, and the loud, vibrant guitar verses demonstrate how serious and dedicated he is as a musician
Castle on the Hill: The song tells some of Sheeran’s childhood and adolescent stories that occurred in his hometown in Framlingham, England. He describes the first time he broke his leg, the first time he smoke cigarettes, the first time he got drunk and his first kiss. Most of these stories occurred with Sheeran’s friends, and he analyzes the changes in their lives from then to now. Although those times were much more simpler, Sheeran is very passionate and joyful when thinking about his home.
This song has a lot of elements of guitar and drums. It isn’t as soft as Sheeran’s other guitar-oriented songs, but rather is fast-paced and has a “Viva la Vida” vibe to it. The speed and tempo of this song make listeners, young and old, feel the passion and excitement that comes with being young and free.
Dive: This song describes Sheeran’s worries before entering a new relationship. He says how he doesn’t want to come off too strong, but he doesn’t want the other person in the relationship to come off as too little
“Dive” has a very slow tempo and beat along with heavy use of electric guitar. Contains elements blues and country music. Sheeran’s voice, shifts from being soft and loud depending on what he’s talking about, and this goes very well with the meaning of the song. This ballad is a love song that is catchy, heartbreaking, and relatable.
Shape of You: This song is about Sheeran meeting a girl at the bar and eventually developing a serious romantic relationship with her. It expresses the butterflies and excitement that comes with a new relationship, mainly the attraction two people in a relationship can have to one another.
This song is very similar to Caribbean music, especially through its heavy use of marimbas and drums, which provide a beat that is easy to jam out to. Although it has more pop and dance elements than what Sheeran usually produces, it’s still as addictive and catchy.
Perfect: This song is about Sheeran finding the right kind of love for him. This girl is the one he’s been waiting for, although he’s known her since they were kids. It’s someone that shares his dreams, aspirations and overall is just someone he wants to spend his life. It talk about the easy moments in love, but also says that it’s worth going through the hard moments too as long as he’s with this girl.
This song is calm melody of acoustic guitars and bass, which is so soothing and peaceful that it can easily be a lullaby.. It’s similar to other soft tunes Sheeran has produced, such as “Give Me Love” and “Photograph.” It’s very slow and can easily be a slow dance song at a party or even just a song you can listen to while cuddling someone.
Galway Girl: This song is about a daring girl that catches Sheeran’s eye. She gets all the guys, beats Sheeran at darts and at pool, and has an amazing voice. She also “played the fiddle in an Irish band but fell in love with an English man.” She was Sheeran’s ‘Galway Girl.’
This song is very fast-paced and contains some elements of rap, much similar to Sheeran’s hit single “Sing” from his previous album. This song also includes sounds from a fiddle, therefore having some elements of Irish music. This song is not only captivating and easy to dance to, but it’s fast beat can easily make it a work-out song.
Happier: This song, unlike the other songs on the album so far, is a sad song of heartbreak and lost love. Sheeran describes seeing his ex with another man, and notices how much happier she looks with her new boyfriend, which is much happier than she ever was with Sheeran. He knows that he hurt her more than anyone ever had, but he also loves her more than anyone ever could.
This song is a sad ballad that mostly uses guitars and piano to demonstrate Sheeran’s feelings of sadness and regret. This is a relatable song to everyone that’s been through a breakup but can’t stop thinking about the person they broke up with. While this song is definitely a tear-jerker, the overall message of one’s happiness being more important than anything is melancholy yet powerful.
New Man: This song is about a girl that Sheeran used to date but is now with a new man. Sheeran expresses his dislike for this new man, as he is very fake and tends to cause a lot of trouble. He doesn’t want to know about this new man, but he concerned that this girl is changing herself for him. Sheeran knows that she’s unhappy, and offers to talk to this girl if she needs, while also reminding her that she has the power to choose to live this relationship.
This song has a catchy beat that is accompanied by guitar and drums. This song is also very fast paced, as Sheeran dashes through the lyrics with ease. Although it’s not really a dance song, it’s the type of song where you’ll sing to it every time you hear it, no matter where you are.
Hearts Don’t Break Around Here: This song describes Sheeran’s love and affection for a particular girl. He talks about how great it is to be close to her while holding her, how beautiful she is and how much she makes him happy. He refers to her as “the lighthouse in the night that will safely guide [him] home.”
This song is a soft harmony of guitar along with light drums and Sheeran’s soothing voice. While it’s more of a soft song at first, the drums and the guitars become louder and more intense after the second chorus. This helps emphasize Sheeran’s love and admiration for this girl. This is a song that describes the beauty of being in love and the wonderful feelings you get from it, making it relatable to anybody who is in love or has ever been in love with someone who’s made them feel safe and secure.
What Do I Know?: This song is a very positive tune of how being a musician is important to the world. Although it might not be politics or religion, it can pass on love and understand throughout generations. Even though Sheeran himself has never gotten a college degree, he has still changed the world through the messages he sends through his songs. He acknowledges the current revolutions going on in today’s society and also how music is a peaceful yet powerful asset to them.
This song has a great beat that goes along with guitars and Sheeran’s high-notes. It has a very similar pace, melody and meaning to Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself,” which Sheeran was a co-writer of as well. Although the song is somewhat fast-paced, it’s also very soft, but it is still a meaningful song. It’s message of how music and love can change the world can serve as an inspiration to aspiring musicians or even current ones.
How Would You Feel (Paean): This song expresses what happens when attraction or a crush turns into love. Sheeran describes how amazing it is that he is falling deeper in love and how much he wants this girl to love him too. He also talks about the amazing memories he’s already made with this girl, including “sitting in a parked car stealing kisses in the front yard” and “sitting upon our best friend’s roof.”
This song is calming ballad that mainly contains guitar and piano. The song is very slow, and its melody is easy to fall asleep to because of how beautiful is. The song’s narration about becoming committed to a romantic relationship is very sweet and alluring, and listeners are sure to get butterflies while listening to the melody accompanied by the adorable lyrics.
Supermarket Flowers: This song describes Sheeran’s heartbreak over a person, although it is unclear if it was a former love interest. He talks about how sad it is when throwing away this person’s stuff that he still has.Losing this person has been making him break down and cry, as he truly thought this person would be his angel. Although this person is gone, they have made Sheeran the person he has become.
This song is mainly piano that is played along with Sheeran’s sad, high-pitched voice, which really helps listeners visualize Sheeran’s pain. This song is easy to cry to, especially if you’ve lost someone, whether someone has died or if they have broken your heart. It’s a song about the sadness and heartbreak of losing anybody in your life.
Barcelona: This song is really just about dancing. Sheeran talks about getting lost in the rhythm with a girl on a saturday night. He describes their dancing as if they were “flying on an aeroplane” and “dancing in the streets”, and the lyrics are mainly just about his experience when dancing with this girl.
This song has a lot of guitars and has some other elements to make it sound similar to Spanish music, including trumpets. This is another one of Sheeran’s dance songs, but it is more like a salsa song rather than a song you would dance to at a club. The fast-paced lyrics about dancing make this an easy song to groove to, especially if you’re just learning how to dance.
Bibia Be Ye Ye: This song, while admitting some of Sheeran’s mistakes, is an overall positive song about how there is always a new day to make up for your mistakes. He talks about how he remembers his regrets less and less and is now trying to focus more on the positive things in his life.
This song is very fast-paced and sort of sounds like Hawaiian music, probably due to its use of ukulele and instead of the usual. The positive, upbringing melody of this song will easily put you in a good mood, whether you’re on your way to work or you’re sitting at the beach.
Nancy Mulligan: This song is about Sheeran’s grandparents, Nancy Mulligan and William Sheeran. They met during the second world war, when Sheeran’s grandfather was working on a soldier’s ward. When Sheeran’s grandfather proposed, Mulligan’s father didn’t approve, so they ran away to get married. After they got married, they had eight children, five sons and three daughters, one of the sons being Sheeran’s father. This song has a lot of elements of Irish music. It’s a song that is both beautiful and reminiscent.
Save Myself: This song is about Sheeran acknowledging how much he does for other people, but how little some people do for him in return. He has given some people shelter, a shoulder to cry on, and all people seem to give him is heartache and pain. Although life is getting him down. Sheeran gets up and admits to himself that he needs to save himself before he can save anybody else.
This song is a slow ballad that contains elements of piano and guitar. Sheeran’s soft voice allows the listeners to visualize Sheeran’s feelings that he is not enough for people. However, the overall message of saving yourself before saving anybody else is very inspiring, especially to people going through tough times.
