"Nancy Mulligan" is one of the most personal songs on the album, telling the story of how his grandparents, William Sheeran, a Protestant from Belfast, Northern Ireland and Anne "Nancy" Mulligan, a Catholic from the Republic of Ireland, met, fell in love during the Second World War and got married at the Wexford border. Sheeran said: "They got engaged and no one turned up at their wedding. He stole all the gold teeth in his dental surgery and melted them down into a wedding ring, and they wore borrowed clothes to get married, and just basically have this kind of Romeo and Juliet romance, which is like the most romantic thing. So I thought I'd write a song about it and make it a jig " .
In an interview with the Irish Times, talking about the song's Irish roots, Sheeran said "I don't think enough people use Irish folk in pop music... Hopefully if these songs are successful, more people will do a bit more like it."
In 2017, the song was covered by the Irish country singer Mike Denver with an accompanying music video.
Sheeran performed the song, backed on stage by Beoga, during his headline performance at the Glastonbury Festival 2017.
In 2022, the song was covered by YouTube group The Wellermen, featuring Malinda Kathleen Reese, and Malinda also released a solo a cappella gender-swapped short of the first verse.
Nancy Mulligan
Ed Sheeran Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
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
Well, 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
In "Nancy Mulligan," Ed Sheeran tells the story of his grandparents' love that crossed religious boundaries in Ireland. William Sheeran, Ed's grandfather, was a farm boy from Northern Ireland who fell in love with Nancy Mulligan. Nancy worked as a nurse during World War II, and the two met at Guy's Hospital in London. Ed describes Nancy as his "yellow rose" and implies that she is the reason he has so much affection for Irish culture, stating that he "found [his] heart upon the southern ground."
The song follows their love story, including the obstacles they faced because of religious differences. William could not get Nancy's father's permission to marry her because he was Catholic and she was Protestant. So, William and Nancy ran away to Wexford, on the southeast coast of Ireland, to elope. The lyrics "She and I went on the run, don't care about religion" sum up their feelings toward their differing beliefs.
One of the touching moments in the song is when Ed talks about William and Nancy sitting by the fire in their "old armchairs" after being together for over sixty years. The line "You know Nancy, I adore ya" emphasizes that their love has grown even stronger as they have aged.
Line by Line Meaning
I was twenty-four years old
I was young and full of life when my love story began
When I met the woman I would call my own
I met the woman who would become my wife and life partner
Twenty-two grand kids now growing old
Over the years, we have been blessed with a large, loving family
In that house that your brother bought ya
Our family has a home that was a gift from my wife's brother
On the summer day when I proposed
I proposed to my wife on a beautiful day when the sun was shining
I made that wedding ring from dentist gold
I made my wife's wedding ring myself, using gold from a dentist
And I asked her father, but her daddy said, "No
I asked my wife's father for her hand in marriage, but he refused
You can't marry my daughter"
He did not want me to marry his daughter for some reason
She and I went on the run
My wife and I eloped and left town to start our new life together
Don't care about religion
We did not let religious differences affect our relationship or marriage
I'm gonna marry the woman I love
I was determined to marry the woman I truly loved no matter what
Down by the Wexford border
We got married at a location near the border of Wexford
She was Nancy Mulligan
My wife's name was Nancy Mulligan
And I was William Sheeran
My name was William Sheeran
She took my name and then we were one
My wife took my last name when we got married, symbolizing our unity as one
Well, met her at Guy's in the second world war
I met my wife when we were both working at Guy's hospital during World War II
And she was working on a soldier's ward
My wife was working as a nurse, caring for injured soldiers
Never had I seen such beauty before
My wife's beauty was unparalleled, and I was instantly smitten
The moment that I saw her
I knew from the moment I saw her that we were meant to be together
Nancy was my yellow rose
I saw my wife as a rare, beautiful creature, like a yellow rose
And we got married wearing borrowed clothes
Our wedding was simple and humble, and we wore borrowed clothes
We got eight children now growing old
Over the years, we raised a large family, and our children have grown up
Five sons and three daughters
Our children consist of five sons and three daughters
From her snow white streak in her jet black hair
My wife has a unique and striking feature of a white streak in her black hair
Over sixty years I've been loving her
We have been together for over sixty years, and my love for her has never waned
Now we're sat by the fire in our old armchairs
We are now retired and enjoying peaceful moments together, sitting by the fire in our comfortable armchairs
You know Nancy, I adore ya
I love my wife dearly, and always have since the day we met
From a farm boy born near Belfast town
I was born on a farm near Belfast town
I never worried about the king and crown
I did not concern myself with politics or royal rule
Cause I found my heart upon the southern ground
I found my true love and my heart in the southern part of Ireland
There's no difference, I assure ya
To me, there is no difference between the different regions of Ireland or any other place, for that matter
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Spirit Music Group, BDI Music Limited, Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Amy Victoria Wadge, Benjamin Joseph Levin, Edward Christopher Sheeran, Foy Best Vance, John Mcdaid, Murray Cummings, Foy Vance
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@luismigueltauche1285
if you want to sing :v
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
Well, 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
@EzAvABlink
"I bet the Irish are going to love this"... Yes Ed, Yes we do.
@ninaneufang2408
Germans do too
@kateisamazing2055
Eric Yep
@crimsvn3253
Eric Yes,we definitely do
@RS_0_7______
Eric Everyone would love this song
@endless.lindss
Eric Hell im American and this is my favorite
@Tasnim1970
"Nancy Mulligan" is one of the most personal songs on the album, telling the story of how his grandparents, William Sheeran, a Protestant from Belfast, Northern Ireland and Nancy Mulligan (real name Anne Mulligan), a Catholic from Republic of Ireland, met, fell in love during the Second World War and got married at the Wexford border.
Ed Sheeran said: "They got engaged and no one turned up at their wedding. He stole all the gold teeth in his dental surgery and melted them down into a wedding ring, and they wore borrowed clothes to get married, and just basically have this kind of Romeo and Juliet romance, which is like the most romantic thing. So I thought I'd write a song about it and make it a jig."
In an interview with the Irish Times, talking about the song's Irish roots, Ed Sheeran said "I don't think enough people use Irish folk in pop music... Hopefully if these songs are successful, more people will do a bit more like it."
@rodrigopolo9406
Thank you for this info
@dazillionlkj6428
Tnx man
@merciieandrews1209
Lol I literally just read this on Wikipedia!