Ed Sheeran says that youth ends when you experience grief. As part of his Instagram “Subtract Sundays” series, the English singer-songwriter explored this thought with his new song, “End of Youth.”
Sheeran, 32, wrote, “I 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.” The artist continued to list the different kinds of grief people go through. “Friends of mine lost parents when they were teenagers, and they became adults instantly from the pure real life nature of grief.”
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When it comes to the different types of grief Sheeran lists, like depression and anxiety, he says it “just ends youth and playfulness.” He offered the reason being that it’s “so real, and so final, so all-encompassing.” Ending his caption on a sad note, he adds, “This is the ending of our youth when pain starts taking over.”
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In the video, Sheeran tells his 43 million followers that “heavy life stuff” can happen at 30 or 6 years old. He mentions the lyrics, “We spend our youth with our losing hearts wide open. And in the dark, it’s in the next, the end of youth.” With guitar in hand, he then begins to play a bit of “End of Youth,” the sixth track on his upcoming Subtract album.
One fan commented, “I’m just……… speechless. Subtract is already the most beautiful album ever.” Another fan shared, “I can still remember my ‘End of Youth’ at 16, the first real grief in my life ….. another beautiful, heartfelt song Ed.” Meanwhile, one fan said, “Every little piece of music that comes from you is so pure. Thank you for that.” Another commented, “This is the ending of our youth when pain starts taking over. That’s so f—ing real.”
Next Sunday, Sheeran will be featuring the 12th track, “Sycamore.” Subtract is the upcoming sixth studio album and the fifth and final entry in his series of albums titled with mathematical symbols. It is set to be released on May 5, 2023.
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