You’re not her
Though I try to see you differently
I tow the line
You see, I’m searching for what used to be mine
I saw your eyes
And then I saw her staring back at me
And I will try to find another one
Who suited me as well as her

I moved far away from you
And I want to see you here beside me, dear
But things aren’t clear
When we never even tried
We never even talked
We never even thought in the long run
Whenever it was painful
Whenever I was away
I’d miss you
I miss you

She was mine
I was hers
And all that’s in between
If she would cry
I would shelter her
And keep her from the darkness that will be

If I moved far away from you
And I want to see you here beside me, dear
But things aren’t clear
We never even tried
We never even talked
We never even thought in the long run
Whenever it was painful
Whenever I was away
I’d miss you
And I miss you

Don’t drop me in
It’s not my turn
If you cut deep
Then I might learn
You scarred and left me
Like a sunburn

Don’t drop me in
It’s not my turn
If you cut deep
Then I might learn
You scar and leave me
Like a sunburn

We never even tried
We never even talked
We never even thought in the long run
Whenever it was painful
Whenever I was away
I’d miss you
And I miss you



Lyrics submitted by carlalsford, edited by johnk347

Track duration: 04:36

"Sunburn" as written by Ed Sheeran

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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Sunburn song meanings
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7 Comments

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  • +2
    My Interpretation:To me this song is about a relationship that had to end because the narrator had to move away. However, you can tell that the narrator, in this case the guy, still wanted them to have a long distance relationship but the other person, the girl, did not.

    "You’re not her
    Though I try to see you differently"
    - Since the breakup he is been trying to see other people in his new town. And although he is trying his best to move on he can't help but remember his ex (Alice).

    "I tow the line
    You see, I’m searching for what used to be, mine."
    - He has his guard up because he is unconsciously comparing everyone to his ex.

    "I saw your eyes
    And then I saw Alice staring back at me"
    - Even though he is trying, he can't hep but think of Alice and what they used to be.

    "So I will try to find another one
    Who suited me as well as her"
    - However, he remembered that he will never be back together with Alice. So he know that he has to move one, and find another potential girlfriend (or wife) just like he did with Alice.


    "I moved far away from you"
    - I'm not reading too much into it. I think he literally had to move away. Since Ed Sheeran is singing it I assume that he had to tour and spend a lot of time on the road. However, it could also meaning that he just moving away from his hometown.

    "And I want to see you here beside me, dear"
    - Even though he is away he still wishes she was right there besides him and no one else (like his girlfriend) .

    "But things aren’t clear"
    - He is not sure where their "relationship" is at anymore. He doesn't know how she feels.

    "When we never even tried
    We never even talked
    We never even thought in the long run"
    - She didn't gave their relationship a chance. He was willing to have some sort of agreement, but she called it quits- without a fight. And it pains him because he thinks that she didn't think of what could've been if they would've stayed together (maybe marriage?) . To him, distance wasn't wasn't strong enough as their relationship. He thinks that they should have at least tried.

    "Whenever it was painful
    Whenever I was away
    I’d miss you
    I miss you"
    - If they would've stayed together, he wouldn't have cheated on her when it got painful. He would just miss her like he misses her right now even though they are not together.

    "She was mine
    I was hers
    And all that’s in between"
    - They were perfect for each other.

    "If she would cry
    I would shelter her
    And keep her from the darkness that will be
    If moved far away from you
    And I want to see you here beside me, dear"
    - I think that he is thinking that when he tells her that he is moving away she is going to cry and he is going to console her (as he always does). And then he will tell her that he still wants them to be together- they don't have to break up. They are too perfect for each other.

    "But things aren't clear"
    - He is confused. She didn't reacted like he thought she would. Instead, she broke up with him. Maybe they weren't in the same page or maybe (just maybe) he loved her more than she loved him.

    "We never even tried
    We never even talked
    We never even thought in the long run
    Whenever it was painful
    Whenever I was away
    I'd miss you
    And I miss you"
    - I think this is the same as the other one.

    "Don't drop me in
    It's not my turn"
    - He is saying that he is not ready for them to broke up. He still has too much to fight.

    "If you cut deep
    Then I might learn
    That you scarred and left me
    Like a sunburn"
    - I don't know how the first two lines apply to my theme but the las two mean that she was his sun. She used brighten her day and make everything perfect. But now that she broke up with him he just feels the sunburn and not the warmth and light that the sun used to bring him.
    Flag maris94on November 30, 2012   Link
  • +1
    My Interpretation:I think that he's trying to have a relationship with this new girl, but he's in too much pain from his previous relationship because he keeps looking at the other girl and his being reminded of the girl who broke his heart. I think she might have been deeply depressed and a cutter (if you cut deep/ I might learn). I think he felt partly responsible for taking care of her but the toxic relationship ended in a lot of pain for him, but he's still not over her
    Flag seb27on November 26, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think this song is about him and Alice, for one I think he says
    "I saw your eyes
    And then I saw Alice(or Allie, maybe that was her nickname) staring back at me"

    I think it short this song is telling Alice that he's still very much in love with her and misses her.
    Flag grade.8on September 11, 2012   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:I interpret the song in a different way than a lot of other people because of my personal experiences. My best friend has changed a lot and we used to fool around a bit and I kind of fell for her. I never told her about it but either way, we were always eachothers. We're like soulmates but in the form of friends as of now.

    Over the years, I became really depressed and she just didn't seem to want to help me. She "scarred and left me". She's still here but she's not the same person she used to be. And I wish that maybe we could try at being together but it won't ever happen.
    Flag stylinsonon August 19, 2012   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:I kinda see it as.. like, two sides of a person, his girlfriend. It seems when he refers to the girl as 'her', he is talking about her good side, or the person she used to be. When he is talking about her in second person, 'you' is the person that she turned into, the person he didn't want to be with.

    'Don’t drop me in
    It’s not my turn
    If you cut deep
    Then I might learn
    You scar and leave me
    Like a sunburn'

    He's not ready to leave her yet, either. This also includes the 'i moved far away and i missed you.' And if she leaves him now, then he'll be broken hearted.

    Idk, I'm probably way off.
    Flag gvd97on August 01, 2012   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:This is my favorite song off his album. It's so raw and it makes you feel all of it.
    Flag Jocesauruson June 25, 2012   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:No comments. Imagine that. Ed usually has interesting and noteworthy songs, but perhaps this one just doesn't require a response.
    Flag SweetCheeks2on March 08, 2012   Link

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