ED SHEERAN’s songs have always been candid about his life.
But the deluxe edition of his eighth album Play is brutally honest — revealing how he and wife Cherry Seaborn battled to keep their marriage alive.
Ed dropped the record, featuring 13 extra songs, yesterday and the lyrics describe the toll his three-year Mathematics World Tour had on his family.
While Ed was off playing 188 shows across five continents, Cherry stayed home in Suffolk with the couple’s daughters, Lyra and Jupiter.
But Ed admits the pair found themselves in a never-ending spiral of rows.
And heartbreakingly, the Castle On The Hill singer says he worries he’s not been a good enough dad to their kids.
On Problems, Ed sings: “Flowers in our garden are dying. When did the water run dry? Who can tell? But you want the truth, we’re not fine.
“We got problems, and we don’t know how to solve them.”
Dark places
While War Game lyrics are: “Every day we feel deflated. Tryna roll with all the changes. Reality of what we’ve created.
“There’s no one above or below you, you are all I want. But I feel that it’s not enough, to just offer you my love.
“Inches from movin’ out and movin’ on . . . either in love or we’re insane.”
In Regrets, it sounds like he places a lot of the blame on himself and expresses remorse for spending time away from his family.
Ed laments: “Why does it feel like our lives on a Slip ‘N Slide? Kids, they add stress, work ain’t working the best. But that ain’t the explanation why this love is a mess.”
He even appears to hint at public rows with Cherry, saying: “I push it down to avoid a situation, but all it does is come out in public places.
“Can’t be as open when they recognise our faces. If they think it’s heated, I guess that’s an understatement.”
Addressing fatherhood and the demands of his career, Ed sings: “You’re too young to understand that Daddy’s coming home. Every time I leave the house, you think I’m forever gone
Without structure, I just slipped into depression again.
Ed
“Guess it’s from the hundred calls, goodnights on the telephone. See this tour, I’ve gotta get it done, but why though? Missed out on so much, I really need to make it up.”
Ed says he always planned to cut back on work once his daughters arrived — but the sudden lack of structure took him to some dark places.
The singer has previously been open about his mental health struggles and told how he turned to booze in some of his lowest moments.
Another verse in Regrets has the words: “Always said I’d pause work as soon as you came. Without structure, I just slipped into depression again.
“Aimed to be the best dad here, but missed the mark. Breaking both you and your sister’s heart, and your mother’s too.”
But fans will be pleased to hear that it’s not all doom and gloom.
Freedom and Crashing both strike a more uplifting tone – revealing the couple endured hours of brutally honest talks but managed to get past their relationship problems and reignite their spark.
On Technicolour, Ed declares his undying love for Cherry, vowing that his attention is now on her.
And on Rapture, he doubles down on his wedding vows — for better and for worse, singing: “I don’t just want you for the rapture. I want the twists and turns of a modern love. Give me a kiss, I wanna be fractured. I’d give anything for us. Keeping scars, screaming wars.
“Oh I know this is not the way to be a partner. Showing flaws and honest thoughts. So that’s how you and I will never fall apart.”
Ed and Cherry met at school when they were just 11, but didn’t get together romantically until 2015.
The couple tied the knot in December 2018 and their daughters were born in 2020 and 2022.
It takes a lot to be this honest, let alone when the world is watching and Ed’s honesty has paid dividends.
While I was a big fan of the original Play album when it was released in September, this new version is even better.
