The Man

Album: x (2014)
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Songfacts®:

  • This stream-of-consciousness song finds Sheeran rapping about his love for a girl in a relationship that isn't coming together. However the chorus finds the conflicted singer asserting: "I don't love you baby. I don't need you baby."

    Sheeran explained during a Spotify track-by-track: "I had a lot on my brain, I just put it all in a song and left it for a long time, and then came back to it. It's a bit brutal, so I don't really know what to say about it, because the whole song was this stream of consciousness."
  • The origins of "The Man" date back to mid-2011, though it initially carried a different title. "It felt so raw and visceral," Sheeran recalled. "I never actually intended to release it; it was more of a therapeutic exercise."

    However, when musician friends like Foy Vance - whom Sheeran deeply respected - heard the track, they told him that its raw honesty was exactly what makes a great artist. Encouraged, Sheeran edited a few lyrics and refined the production to make it fit for Multiply.

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