ed sheeran nancy mulligan история песни
One Of Ed Sheeran’s New Songs Is About Family
Searching for an artistic muse can be a daunting task. There are only so many times you can sing about wooing the person of your dreams, being crushed by a crush, or «Thinking Out Loud» about how great a relationship would be. For his new song «Nancy Mulligan,» Ed Sheeran turned to his grandparents’ love story for inspiration. The Irish folk tune on Sheeran’s new album, Divide, recounts how his grandfather, William, fell in love with his grandmother, Anne, against the wishes of her father and despite their Catholic-Protestant religious differences, according to the Irish Times. Sheeran told the Times that he hopes the traditional Irish sound on «Nancy Mulligan» doesn’t turn off his fans.
«I don’t think enough people use [Irish music] in pop music,» Sheeran said. «For some reason it’s considered twee and old, but it’s such exciting, youthful music, it should be at the forefront of pop culture. Hopefully if these songs are successful, more people will do a bit more like it.»
Each lyric not only reveals beautiful details about the couple, but also how their 60-year marriage has endured, as well as just how enamored William remains of the woman he loves.
The Irish Mirror reported last fall that Sheeran penned a song for his grandmother, Anne. But while the song’s title may be confusing, according to his grandfather’s obituary in the GKT Gazette, «Bill married a Guy’s nurse, Anne Mulligan, in 1951.» Perhaps Nancy is her first or middle name? Guy’s Hospital is located in central London, where William studied and practiced dentistry in the late 1940s.
From the first verse of the song, you learn that William met «Nancy» Mulligan when he was 24 years old. The Irishman intended to propose with a gold ring on a summer day. However, Nancy’s father did not approve. But as the chorus reveals, William and Nancy «went on the run» to marry no matter what.
Sheeran’s grandfather was from the Protestant Northern Ireland and Anne hailed from the Catholic south, so the two fled «down to the Wexford border» to wed, according to the website RaidiГі TeilifГs Г‰ireann.
In the second verse, you learn the couple met during World War II while she was caring for soldiers in a ward. William and Nancy married in «borrowed clothes,» and went on to have five sons and three daughters. The final verse brings you up to speed on where William and Anne’s love story ends. The two grow old together sitting by «the fire in our old armchairs.» William reflects on how he, as a lowly farm boy from Belfast, Ireland, «never worried» about being apart from Nancy because he saw «no difference» between them.
Nancy Mulligan
Nancy Mulligan
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Critical Reception [ ]
Celeb Mix writer Ellie Doe-Demosse stated: «Nancy Mulligan is a banger on so many levels, words cannot describe our love for this song. We love it because of how it makes us feel, and we especially love the story behind this entire song. Rumor has it that Nancy Mulligan is a story of how his grandparents William and Anne, sparked their romance. How cute is that? Nancy Mulligan also happens to be another one of his tribute songs to his grandparents, as another from his past released songs was “Afire Love” for his late grandfather.» [1]
Commercial performance [ ]
The song peaked at #13 on the UK Singles chart.
Lyrics [ ]
I was twenty-four years old
When I met the woman I would call my own
Twenty-two grand kids now growing old
In that house that your brother bought ya
On the summer day when I proposed
I made that wedding ring from dentist gold
And I asked her father, but her daddy said: «No
You can’t marry my daughter»
She and I went on the run
Don’t care about religion
I’m gonna marry the woman I love
Down by the Wexford border
She was Nancy Mulligan
And I was William Sheeran
She took my name and then we were one
Down by the Wexford border
Will, met her at Guy’s in the Second World War
And she was working on a soldier’s ward
Never had I seen such beauty before
The moment that I saw her
Nancy was my yellow rose
And we got married wearing borrowed clothes
We got eight children, now growing old
Five sons and three daughters
She and I went on the run
Don’t care about religion
I’m gonna marry the woman I love
Down by the Wexford border
She was Nancy Mulligan
And I was William Sheeran
She took my name and then we were one
Down by the Wexford border
From her snow white streak in her jet black hair
Over sixty years I’ve been loving her
Now we’re sat by the fire in our old armchairs
You know Nancy, I adore ya
From a farm boy born near Belfast town
I never worried about the king and crown
‘Cause I found my heart upon the southern ground
There’s no difference, I assure ya
She and I went on the run
Don’t care about religion
I’m gonna marry the woman I love
Down by the Wexford border
She was Nancy Mulligan
And I was William Sheeran
She took my name and then we were one
Down by the Wexford border