Shirtsleeves

Album: x (2014)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This guitar-driven ballad finds Sheeran singing about offering up his shirtsleeves to wipe away his girlfriend's tears, even after she admits she's been cheating. It is one of several songs in Sheeran's oeuvre where his sings of his heart being ripped out, most notably on his UK Top 10 single "Drunk,"where he drowns his sorrows in drink.
  • Sheeran had the song in his back pocket for quite some time before recording it for x. He'd tweeted out the lyrics to the chorus back in August of 2011, one month before his debut album + was even released.

Comments: 1

  • Jochen from BerlinInteresting facts
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Kristian Bush of Sugarland

Kristian Bush of SugarlandSongwriter Interviews

Kristian talks songwriting technique, like how the chorus should redefine the story, and how to write a song backwards.

Weezer

WeezerFact or Fiction

Did Rivers Cuomo grow up on a commune? Why did they name their albums after colors? See how well you know your Weezer in this Fact or Fiction.

Andy McClusky of OMD

Andy McClusky of OMDSongwriter Interviews

Known in America for the hit "If You Leave," OMD is a huge influence on modern electronic music.

Carol Kaye

Carol KayeSongwriter Interviews

A top session musician, Carol played on hundreds of hits by The Beach Boys, The Monkees, Frank Sinatra and many others.

Billy Gould of Faith No More

Billy Gould of Faith No MoreSongwriter Interviews

Faith No More's bassist, Billy Gould, chats to us about his two new experimental projects, The Talking Book and House of Hayduk, and also shares some stories from the FNM days.

Gene Simmons of Kiss

Gene Simmons of KissSongwriter Interviews

The Kiss rocker covers a lot of ground in this interview, including why there are no Kiss collaborations, and why the Rock Hall has "become a sham."