Songfacts®:

• Song copyright lawsuits have been the curse of musicians since the early days of rock 'n' roll. Back in 1962, Gary U.S. Bonds sued Chubby Checker, claiming he pilfered Bonds' hit "Quarter To Three" for his song "Dancin' Party." They settled the case out of court.
  
  Ed Sheeran has had his fair share of plagiarization accusations. Three of his biggest hits - "Thinking Out Loud," "Photograph" and "Shape Of You" - have been involved in lawsuits, which took a toll on the superstar. He wrote this song about his frustration over his legal issues.
• Sheeran plays on one of his copyright cases.
  
  Sometimes, it can get all too much for me
  And that's why the photograph gets burned, throw the match in gasoline
  
  The songwriters of Matt Cardle's "Amazing," Martin Harrington and Thomas Leonard, sued Sheeran for plagiarizing their song for "Photograph." In 2017, Sheeran settled out of court.
• Cannot stop the rain, no way
  Holdin' an umbrella when the grey clouds come over again
  
  Being accused of stealing a song is nasty, but Sheeran stays resilient, fortified by having a clear conscience. "Every time I've ever taken influence from a song, I give it credit," he told Apple Music. "And this thing that I'm in at the moment, I believe I'm in the right. But the rain just won't stop. It's just about knowing that you're in the right, and knowing that you will eventually get out of it. I do feel like this song is me taking the s--t of that situation and making something great out of it."
• Sheeran co-produced the song with:
  
  One of his regular co-producers, Fred Again. He contributed to nine of the Equals tracks.
  
  Musician Joe Rubel, who played on and co-produced three Equals tracks.