Ed Sheeran’s ‘Subtract’: Track By Track

Ed Sheeran's fresh off his copyright infringement lawsuit, which found him not liable for copying Marvin Gaye’s hit, “Let’s Get It On.” Following the release of Subtract Friday (May 6), the English singer-songwriter also dropped his visual album this morning.

Subtract is Sheeran's sixth studio album and the fifth and final entry in his series of albums titled with mathematical symbols. See below the tracklist:

The opening song reflects on how the singer must need to feel pain in order to remind him that "there's beauty when it's bleak." He explores how people say "all scars will heal," but he knows that for himself, they might not. Despite that, the waves won't break his boat.

Continuing his journey of healing and using oceanic metaphors, Sheeran opens up in the first line of "Salt Water," "There’s still so far to go." The song is quite morbid as it seems as though the artist is subjecting himself to drown himself in the freezing cold ocean, "embrace the deep and leave everything." Though it is quite a sad song, it is soothing as well.

Clearly a song written during the pandemic, Sheeran sings, "I know it's a bad idea, but how can I help myself? Been inside for most this year, and I thought a few drinks, they might help." He belts out, "I've been dancing with my eyes closed." Everyone can find something in the lyrics they can relate to.

Slowing things down again with the fourth track, Sheeran reflects on a love lost. This can be interpreted as a breakup or a close friend or family member dying. The storm continues with the singer-songwriter's references with waves and "sinking like a stone."

This song is pretty chill. "Dusty" appears to reference a record player as Sheeran sings, "I'll drop the needle on Dusty."

Now this is a powerful song. Sheeran explores his substance abuse when he sings, "I’ve been depressed since you left. Tried to fill the hole with wine. Stopped the drugs when she came, cleaned my act up overnight." As we [inlink id="ed-sheeran-youth-ends-when-grief-happens" text="previously reported"], Sheeran said he never really felt like an adult until the last few years. "When heavy life stuff just starts happening. And it really hit me that this obviously happens to everyone, it doesn’t matter what age you are.”

We're loving all these artistic metaphors in "Colourblind." You can really visualize everything he sings about. And how romantic is it are the lines, "Kaleidoscope love, yeah that is you and me. Forever changing, we make life interesting." There is a magical element with the piano and twinkling sounds.

Changing the sound once again, Sheeran goes with a pop rock sound with "Curtains." Ready to pull the curtains from his hiding spot, the song shows he is ready to see the sun shine.

This song explores depression and how he cannot cry, so he pours another drink and tries to drown the pain. "And I’ll shut off the things I think ‘coz nothing good will ever come from worrying."

In order to get out of a rut and move forward with his lover, they need to "build a fire and torch our old lives and hope the spark survives." Something that is terrifying to go through in a relationship, he wonders, "Will we pull through? All we ever do is argue."

Ed Sheeran never runs out of metaphors to express his feelings both beautifully and sadly. "Rain keeps beating on the rooftop , worrying to death but I guess this is human nature."

This beautiful song is about a time of real fear and uncertainty, the musician revealed in his "Subtract Sunday" series. "We start life born with love and end it full of love, so it’s love in, love out x." He added that this song is about the moment before we're "driven to the doctors for a checkup on what the next steps were, after finding out the news."

This song is about overcoming hardships and allowing yourself to celebrate that. He tells us that "what we’re going through is common, but it doesn’t mean we don’t feel it."

The final track is inspired by the tiny Scottish town he visited over ten years ago. The "bonnie" tune is about a love that could continue in the cold, underneath the hills of Aberfeldy, and whatever conquers the relationship.