Ed Sheeran – Castle On The Hill (Lyrics Review and Song Meaning)

Ed Sheeran has returned with not one but two brand new tracks for 2017, from his upcoming album possibly titled ‘Divide.’ In this post we are solely focusing on the first of the two tracks “Castle On The Hill” just because this is my favorite of the two. This just may be the only song out there that pays homage to Suffolk, England-where Ed Sheeran grew up. The castle on the hill Ed speaks about is a real structure in Framlingham, Suffolk.

Watch “Castle On The Hill” Official Music Video

Watch the Lyric Video for “Castle On The Hill” by Ed Sheeran

This song is full of life and what life has to offer to us as and when we grow up. It’s full of energy and the song fuses a little of Ballad music with Pop-the strong suite of Ed Sheeran.

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Download “Castle On The Hill” Single on iTunes / Amazon

Download “Shape Of You” Single on iTunes / Amazon

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Lyrics Review and Song Meaning of “Castle On The Hill” by Ed Sheeran

As we stated before, this song is all about life and how life happened for Ed Sheeran growing up in the quite town of Suffolk, England. The green pastures he remember are still there today, but so much have changed as well.

Verse 1

When I was six years old I broke my leg
I was running from my brother and his friends
And tasted the sweet perfume of the mountain grass I rolled down
I was younger then, take me back to when I

I’m not sure of the realness of Ed’s comment that he broke his leg when he was six, but I feel like it may have been true because he was running down the hills while his brother and his friends were chasing him. The first verse starts off with the warm memories of childhood where the biggest obstacle in life was not getting caught to his brother. Ed wishes to go back to those times-don’t we all?

Pre-chorus 1

Found my heart and broke it here
Made friends and lost them through the years
And I’ve not seen the roaring fields in so long, I know I’ve grown
But I can’t wait to go home

Ed Sheeran loved and still loves his hometown. It’s a place of new adventures and memories. He fell in love for the first time and he broke his heart for the first time in this town. The friends he made through the years have come and gone. He does not see the things the same way he did 15 years back. He has grown and he knows things around him has grown too, but he would still love to go back to those simpler times.

Chorus

Chorus of “Castle On The Hill” is quite catchy.

I’m on my way
Driving at 90 down those country lanes
Singing to “Tiny Dancer”
And I miss the way you make me feel, and it’s real
We watched the sunset over the castle on the hill

All the nostalgia has him running back to his hometown. Driving at 90 is an expression that he does not care about how he gets there, but he just wants to get there fast.

“Tiny Dancer” is a very popular song by the British music legend Elton John. So Ed Sheeran is headed back home in full British spirit.

Ed Sheeran’s (maybe) first love story was written by this castle on the hill that he keeps singing about. They used to watch the sun set over the Castle of Framlingham.

Verse 2 rolls in…

Fifteen years old and smoking hand-rolled cigarettes
Running from the law through the backfields and getting drunk with my friends
Had my first kiss on a Friday night, I don’t reckon that I did it right
But I was younger then, take me back to when

When we are young and small we can’t wait to grow up. We do grown up things just for the rush of it. So did Ed Sheeran by rolling a ‘blunt’ and having a drink with his friends. Remember 15 is not a legal age for smokes or drinking, yet they are the memories that will cherish with us forever.

Ed Sheeran recalls the day he had his first kiss-it was a Friday but we have no clue about the rest of the story.

Now that he is all grown up, he can’t ask for anything more than to be a child again. That’s the beautiful irony of life.

Watch Ed Sheeran Perform “Castle On The Hill” Live on BBC Radio 1

Pre-chorus 2

We found weekend jobs, when we got paid
We’d buy cheap spirits and drink them straight
Me and my friends have not thrown up in so long, oh how we’ve grown
But I can’t wait to go home

Full time school and part time jobs was the way of life back then. Back then when our parents had our backs, so we could spend the cash we earn on whatever we please. They would drink alcohol in it’s rawest form and throw up everywhere. Now they can hold their liquor-not so fun memories.

Bridge of “Castle On The Hill” tells us where his friends are now…

One friend left to sell clothes
One works down by the coast
One had two kids but lives alone
One’s brother overdosed
One’s already on his second wife
One’s just barely getting by
But these people raised me
And I can’t wait to go home

These may really be his friends’ current situations. They may have not envisioned to be in these jobs, but that’s how life has turned out for them. All these people seem to be living menial lives. Compared to them, Ed Sheeran is doing drasctically well, being one of the most recognized artists in modern times. But Ed Sheeran recalls the times he had with these people because they are the ones who helped shape his life.

The chorus returns once more and “Castle On The Hill” ends in a happy tune.

These lyrics may not match 100% with our lives, but bits and pieces of them are very relatable to everyone who had a childhood. The freedom we enjoyed back then is no more and every decision has quite drastic consequences. We are fed up and we want to go back in time. But we can’t and songs like these help us reminisce.

“Castle On The Hill” has simple lyrics. We do not see the clever lyricism we saw in songs like “A Team” or “Photograph” in the new song, but it gets the job done. It has moved us!

Anyway, we are in love with the song and if you are too, let us know by leaving a comment below and maybe mention your favorite lines from the song.