You don't need me I don't need you
Ed Sheeran Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴

One, two, three, four

Now I'm in town, break it down, thinkin' of makin' a new sound
Playin' a different show every night in front of a new crowd
That's you now, ciao, seems that life is great now
See me lose focus, as I sing to you loud
I can't, no, I won't hush
I'll say the words that make you blush
I'm gonna sing this now

See, I'm true, my songs are where my heart is
I'm like glue, I stick to other artists
I'm not you, now that would be disastrous
Let me sing and do my thing and move to greener pastures
See, I'm real, I do it all, it's all me
I'm not fake, don't ever call me lazy
I won't stay put, give me the chance to be free
Suffolk sadly seems to sort of suffocate me

'Cause you need me, man, I don't need you
You need me man, I don't need you
You need me man, I don't need you
You need me man, I don't need you
You need me man, I don't need you
You need me man, I don't need you
You need me man, I don't need you at all
You need me

I sing and write my own tune
And I write my own verse
Don't need another word-smith to make my tune sell
Call yourself a singer-writer
You're just bluffin'
Your name's on the credits and you didn't write nothin'
I sing fast, I know that all my shit's cool
I will blast and I didn't go to Brit School
I came fast with the way I act, right
I can't last if I'm smokin' on a crack pipe

And I won't be a product of my genre
My mind will always be stronger than my songs are
Never believe the bullshit that fake guys feed to ya
Always read the stories that you hear on Wikipedia
And musically I'm demonstratin'
When I perform live, feels like I am meditatin'
Times at the Enterprise when some fella filmed me
"A young singer-writer like a Gabriella Cilmi"

'Cause you need me, man, I don't need you
You need me, man, I don't need you
You need me, man, I don't need you,
You need me, man, I don't need you
You need me, man, I don't need you
You need me, man, I don't need you
You need me, man, I don't need you at all
You need me

And all I want in this cold world is to make music and use it
Not to abuse it and get affected, infected with the who's who of music
Who did it, who is it, who's in it or what the hell does it matter?
Chitter chatter, don't matter what a yidder, yidder, yadder, don't matter to me
All I want is a bit of dignity in me to battle this industry freely
To be me in this seedy, needy world, can you hear me? (Hey)
So I keep singin' that

When I first started this rappin' shit, I felt pressure from haters
Became invaded with sadists and just developed a hater radar
And made for the stars, kept my grind in the dark
And then appeared with a remedy kickin' rhymes with a melody

Hennesey shots and all these fools on the block
Who said you gotta be a gangster now to raise to the top?
Just a normal, casual, usual, everyday type of guy with my head in the sky
Ready to die

Ed Sheeran, alone Star
Comin' out here freestylin' with the guitar
'Cause I've forgotten the lyrics of this bit right here
So I freestyle off the top of the bit with the

You get it in in the club, bottle full of bub
Mummy I've got the X if you're into takin' drugs
Into havin' sex, I ain't into makin' love
Come give me a hug if you're into gettin' rough, rough

Find me in the club
Mummy I've got the X if you're into takin' drugs
And I havin' sex, I ain't into makin' love
Come give me a hug if you're into gettin' rough

You need me, man, I don't need you (ah-ha-ha-hah, woo)
You need me, man, I don't need you (ah-ha-ha-ha, woo)
You need me, man, I don't need you (ah-ha-ha-hah, woo)
You need me, man, I don't need you (ah-ha-ha-hah, woo)
You need me, man, I don't need you (ah-ha-ha-hah, woo)
'Cause you need me, man, I don't need you (ah-ha-ha-hah, woo)
You need me, man

My eyes are red, I been burnin', I been burnin'
My eyes are red, I been burnin', I been burnin'
My eyes are red, I been burnin', I been burnin' on a spliff off your high grade
My eyes are red, I been burnin', I been burnin', burn

Now where I come from burnin' weed, it is a habit
A big fat bag of high grade weed, you know I got to have it
'Cause if I don't have it in my pocket, I'm gonna panic
'Cause like I said, "Where I come from weed smokin' is a habit"

Yup, we'll do da burn up the place up in the hood
One of them things I have inherited like a ghetto man should
Thing is smokin' weed, yes, it makes me feel good
But a high-grade sensimilla, yes, it makes me feel

But me is a man, ah, talk about sensimilla is a drug
And if I start to smoke it, I'ma turn into a thug
Where I come from that they talkin' could that only get you mugged
Where I come from burnin' weed, it is a blessin' from above

Where I come from, yes, we burn it when we listen rub a dove
Where I come from, yes, we burn after we dash to make a love
Where I come from, yes, we burn it when the sun starts shine
I blaze high-grade weed all the time

Now my eyes are red
You need me, man, I don't need you
You need me, man, my eyes are red
You need me, man, I don't need you
You need me, man, my eyes are red
You need me, man, I don't need you
You need me, man, my eyes are red
You need me, man, I don't need you
You need me, man, I don't need you

Okay, so this is the breakdown bit where we get a little bit funky
Ugh and I forget about the whole week
You forget about the whole week, the whole weekend
Just forget about everythin'
'Cause it's Sunday and we're all gonna get drunk after this
And have a very, very good time and I'm not stressed anymore
We're just lettin' it unwind
I wanna split the room in, in the middle here
Who's up for that?
Not, not, not literally
Ya don't have to literally divide
It's all good, all good
Peace and love, peace and love and harmony
What was I gonna say?
This side up there are you with me?
This side up there are you with me?
Everyone scream as loud as you can
Okay, so we found out that everyone's voices work
This side, I'm not gonna insult you but you are West Ham, okay?
You're West Ham, yeah?
You're West Ham Football Club, get in the geezer mode, yeah?
This side, you're Millwall, yeah? You two, you two hate each other
You two are gonna beat each other at whatever you do, no matter what
So, if I give you somethin' to sing, you have to sing louder than them
If I give you somethin' to sing, you have to sing louder than them
Are you all up for that? (Yeah)
Millwall, are you ready? (Yeah)
West Ham, are you ready? (Yeah)
Okay, West Ham, you sing this

You need me, man, I don't need you
You need me, man, I don't need you
You need me, man, I don't need you
Millwall, you sing this

My eyes are red
You need me, man, I don't need you
You need me, man, my eyes are red
You need me, man, I don't need you
You need me, man (my eyes are red)
(You need me, man, I don't need you)
(You need me, man, my eyes are red)
You need me, man, I don't need you
Millwall are winnin', I think

My eyes are red
You need me, man, I don't need you
You need me, man, I don't need you (my eyes are red)
You need me, man, I, one, two

I seem to find myself talkin' to the powers that be
Awakin' the shade and shadowed under towerin' trees
Admirin' the scene, inhalin' fumes of flowers that breathe
Jet lagged eyes are beggin' for an hour to sleep

Although my bloodshot whites and irises, they never find any
Clock stops at times where the sunshine can blind many
Although my eyes are heavy, they won't be closin' soon
'Cause I heard that time waits for nobody, I suppose it's true

We make corrosive tunes with acid tabs and vocal booths
To see the flashin' lights at photoshoots, we make our motive moves
I say whatever I feel to vent a rhyme
So I can still invent the lines and stay close to the friends of mine

'Cause real recognize real is what my father says
And I'll be stickin' to this phrase until I pass away
Overworkin', no sleep is just another way to die slow
But I'll just keep goin' strong and never let my eyes close

You need me, I don't need you
You need me, man, I don't need you
You need me, man
I got my friend, very good friend, Random Impulse
He's gonna come up and he's gonna spit a few bars on the beat
Everyone give it up for Random Impulse

Yo
In this game, I am my own damn man, no restriction, post or boundaries
Spoutin' heat, hungry and my circle always round to eat
Crossin' circles, countin' thousands at a thousand feet
Countin' sheep and he's sound asleep

Summoned from the deep, now I float, to sink my boat, you'll need a thousand fleets
Walk on any beat and stomp it like a thousand feet
Talk is cheap, so I could treat you to my words for free
Now that I'm out, man, I ain't playin' like I hurt my knee

It's common courtesy, I left you for a minute
Now I'm back and packin' punches like I'm Popeye poppin' spinach
Eatin' every course, lunch, I ain't forgotten dinners
Play guitars as well as bars so you ain't rockin' with beginners

Sorry, time's tickin', I can't mess with up-and-comers
National lottery business, only winners have my numbers
Man, I'm nothin' like you fronters, show you how it is
I can't really do nothin' for you less you got somethin' to give, Ed

'Cause you need me, man, I don't need you
You need me man, my eyes are red
You need me man, I don't need you
You need me man, my eyes are red
And you need me, I don't need you
You need me man, my eyes are red
You need me man, I don't need you
You need me

I'll keep my last name forever keep the genre pretty basic
Gonna be breakin' into other peoples tunes when I chase it
And replace it with the elephant in the room with a facelift
Step into another rappers shoes usin' new laces

I'm Sellin' CD's from my rucksack aimin' for the papers
Sellin' CD's from my rucksack aimin' for the majors
Nationwide tour with just jack, still had to get the bus back
Clean cut kid without a razor for the mustache

I hit back when the pen hurts me
I'm still a choir boy in a Fenchurch tee
I'm still the same as a year ago
But more people hear me though accordin' to the MySpace and YouTube videos

Always doin' shows if I'm not I'm in the studio
Truly broke, never growin', up call me Ruffio
Melody music maker, readin' all the papers
They say I'm up and comin' like I'm fuckin' in an elevator





Later, thank you
Woo, thank you so much see you soon

Overall Meaning

In "You Need Me I Don't Need You," Ed Sheeran addresses the music industry, critics, and other artists. The song tells of Ed's journey from an unknown artist to his rise to fame. He talks about the pressure he's felt from critics and haters, how he's true to himself, and how he makes music because he loves it. The song also touches on the importance of hard work and the struggle to make it in the industry.


The opening section of the song deals with Ed's newfound success and how he has to make it in front of different crowds every night. He acknowledges how fans take his music to heart and how his words can be very personal. He says he won't change for anyone, and he will always do what he loves. He also talks about being an authentic artist and how he won't pretend to be someone he's not.


In the second verse, Ed is defiant towards critics and other artists. He talks about how he writes and sings his own songs and how he doesn't need anyone else's help. He also mentions how he didn't go to a prestigious music school, but he's still doing well. Ed stresses that he's a unique artist and doesn't want to be like anyone else.


Finally, in the last section of the song, Ed reflects on his journey to get where he is now. He talks about working hard and the dedication it takes to make it in the music industry. He finishes the song by thanking his fans and reminding them that he's still the same person he was a year ago.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Edward Christopher Sheeran

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

@amaenyama9010

singer, song writer, rapper, guitarist...
this is a musician
.

@jameswells6904

don't forget he dabbles in vp too

@justinperez493

Except the rapper part. He's a singer with a flow :]

@NemuHypnos

He can play almost all the instruments he learned the violin like in one day for I see fire hobbit

@justinperez493

+tiana beatz which he also wrote in one day immediately after seeing the movie.

@dynamic-eu1794

Take it back refrence <3

30 More Replies...

@leoulmesfin9384

He’s not a dancer, he’s a sign language translator with a flow

@veronicam2935

yeah BSL - British Sign Language :)

@nishthagupta1357

😂😂😂

@alethayates1598

Exactly with an amazing flow

More Comments

More Versions