Songfacts®:

• On "Sycamore," Ed Sheeran channels the raw emotions of a harrowing chapter in his life. The song reflects the tumultuous period when his wife, Cherry Seaborn, received the gut-wrenching news of a tumor while carrying their second child, Jupiter, in early 2022. Over poignant acoustic melodies, Sheeran bares it all, vividly recounting their haunting visit to the doctor's waiting room and the overwhelming weight of that terrifying diagnosis.
• This was one of the last songs Sheeran wrote for Subtract. With trepidation gripping his soul, he sought solace in the beauty of a towering sycamore tree, all while his world unraveled amidst his wife's illness.
• The song's opening lines transport listeners to Sheeran's sacred realm, where a summer sycamore stands adorned with lush leaves. A swing sways, gently cradling the weight of their precious daughter. In the garden, blossoms dance in the breeze, inviting a vision of a world untarnished by adversity.
  
  Then, the narrative takes a heart-wrenching turn as they enter a doctor's waiting room, consumed by the fear of the unknown. Emotions surge wildly within, the worry for his beloved and their unborn child overwhelming his every thought.
  
  But amidst the turmoil, Sheeran finds solace in the cyclical nature of their love, encapsulated by the chorus. Their story is defined by love's ebb and flow, and they stand resplendent in its glory.
  
  Confronted by an uncertain future, the song concludes with a haunting couplet.
  
  Sycamore in the field, a lonely tree
  Darling what will become of you and me?
• Sheeran collaborated with The National's Aaron Dessner on this song, along with the rest of Subtract. On "Sycamore," Dessner intertwines Sheeran's anxious inquiries with haunting strings that evoke a sense of trepidation, as if happiness stands poised to engulf him, yet fear holds him at bay.