What do you think Friends means?

Ed Sheeran: Friends Meaning

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Album cover for Friends album cover

Friends Lyrics

We're not, no we're not friends, nor have we ever been
We just try to keep those secrets in our lives
And if they find out, will it all go wrong?
I never know, no one wants it to

So I could take the back road
But your eyes'll lead me...

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  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
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     Oct 17th 2016 !⃝

    harry styles and louis tomlinson. read below it check out:
    -ed is good friends with atleast harry which is quite obvious so he would know if harry had some sort of relationship with louis.
    -ed has said this song is about two friends of his who fell in love. (I'm not certain on this one, you can look it up online if its specifically on this song or a different one).
    -there is no gender specific pronoun ever mentioned in this song, ever.
    -the first verse.
    it hints that these two people from the start were always romantic toward each other yet the two had to lie and if THEY (the general public) found out about the romantic involvement it would be disastrous.
    harry and louis in the early days always seemed to be flirting constantly with each other. also if it isn't clear them coming out would have had major effects on the bands career for better or worst is unknown but still.
    -the pre chorus.
    the "backroad" in this is probably meant to mean a secret entrance: a way for someone to see a person without getting caught.
    which the boys would definitely had had to do due to being so far in the closet.
    or
    the "backroad" is meant to be the background, of the person this is song is written to/about, of their life. as in the person the is to has someone else they are now romantically involved with. yet this person is still drawn to them.
    no real explanation needed here to be honest.
    -chorus. (phrased how i see it)
    you should know better that just platonic friends don't do romantic things like share beds and act like the two in this song do. theres a limit to what i can push yet i don't want to reach the point where we aren't well whatever this is.
    harry and louis moved in together (at 16 and 18) and could have for all thats known shared a bed. also again if you look at early videos they didn't really act like friends but like flirty middle schoolers.
    -2nd verse (again paraphrasing)
    we could be more then friends in the safety of our own privacy. as long as we don't let our secrets slip, we don't have to worry about the after effects of us breaking up and people knowing what we went through in a presumably same sex relationship.
    from personal experience a private same sex relationship has perks and thats after a nasty breakup people don't pester you about what happened and you're safe from criticism of morals.
    -bridge.
    if i don't pursue this "relationship" someone else will surely date and marry you
    i have a feeling this is referencing all the publicity stunts (beards) the louis and harry have had.
    -endy bit
    this would all be avoided if we were opposite genders and not suppose to be friends yet I couldn't find this kind of love anywhere else.
    this one is self explanatory.

  2. 2TOP RATED

    #2 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
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     Sep 3rd 2016 !⃝

    I think it's about two people who have feelings for each other, and they both know it. However, they're scared of what could happen if they were "official," so instead they refuse to label it. They sleep in the same bed when they stay over, they kiss, they may even state their feelings for each other but refuse to call it anything more than friends. They act like they're in a relationship, but in the most technical sense aren't.

  3. 3TOP RATED

    #3 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
     Mar 1st 2017 !⃝

    I believe this is about two celebrities hiding (most likely a homosexual relationship) from the public. The first lines "We're not, no we're not friends, nor have we ever been
    We just try to keep those secrets in our lives" Shows that the public believes they are friends, just friends but the speaker is confirming that to be inaccurate. They just try to keep the secret that they are more than friends in their lives and not out for the public. I think this is learned towards a homosexual relationship considering that the pronouns are gender neutral. The next line "And if they find out, will it all go wrong?" They is the public. Since these two celebrities are famous if people find out that they are more than friends their careers could go south. This makes me think that these two people are associated with each other and their careers are based on fangirls. Skipping to the chorus, "Friends just sleep in another bed,
    And friends don't treat me like you do.
    Well I know that there's a limit to everything,
    But my friends won't love me like you.
    No, my friends won't love me like you." The speaker seems to be upset that them and their partner are not public. It compares their relationship to their other friends whom he is just friends with unlike this person. This song seems to be a cry for freedom but the speaker knows its a long time coming. Ed has said before that this song was not about him, but it was for his two best friends who fell in love. Who do you think this could be? Ed stated that this song was gender neutral for a reason. Ed also tweeted a tweet talking about his best friend getting married in 2013, the year before the song was written. On the same day that it was tweeted, a celebrity's mother tweeted "good decision louis (tomlinson)" The celebrity himself tweeted "we don't need to papers from city hall". This celebrity was Harry Styles. Harry and Ed are known to be best friends. From what I stated before, i now can reach the conclusion that this song was written for/about Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson about how their romantic relationship is closeted, as is their sexualities. It is also very possible that Ed wrote this song for Harry and Louis for a wedding present or just to talk about how beautiful their love is behind closed doors.

  4. anonymous
    click a star to vote
     May 28th 2020 !⃝

    I feel it is about Harry Styles and Zayn Malik.
    The approximate timeline of the song being written.
    It was around that time the announcement was made that Zayn and Perrie were engaged.
    Harry and Ed have been friends for years and years yes Ed knew whole band but from what have seen for last few years is the two boys have been BFF for years.
    I don't think many people know about H and Z in their real lives it is all speculation by fans for most part I think Ed knew.
    I understand why people believe in Larry in my opinion Larry in early days were BFF that is all he truly in love with Eleanor always has been.
    Harry has been always pictured as a ladies man a womaniser which is so far from the truth you do not hear often of him being in a relationship bar Camille Rowe and Kendall but even then didn't see them together all that often.
    There is way to much evidence that it is Harry and Zayn expecially now Zayn and Harry have solo careers and seem to have lyrics of Z leaving and H asking someone not to leave and also of love on the run or in hiding or at night even stating hotel rooms (H)
    So my conclusion is that Ed knows about Harry and Zayn.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  5. anonymous
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     Dec 7th 2019 !⃝

    My interpretation is that he is in love with this person that doesn’t One to admit that she loves him back.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  6. anonymous
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     Aug 19th 2019 !⃝

    Well, in my interpretation. it’s about two close friends in a friends with benefits situation and are trying to keep that a secret.

    each time i listen to this song, reminds me of my good friend that i’m in a fwb with lmao.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  7. anonymous
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     May 27th 2015 !⃝

    Two friends who look really well suited to each other.
    They're not quite anything yet but they both like each other and think that the other likes them too.
    However, neither of them has the courage to say anything in case the whole friendship is ruined if they break up. They know that all along, they have had something and the chemistry has always been between them. Both can't cope with not being closer to their 'friend' but they're having to settle with the friendship status for now, despite the fact theyre incredibly close. There is a lot of confusion. I love this song.

  8. anonymous
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     Apr 1st 2015 !⃝

    There's this girl that he's "friends" with. But they're more than just friends, but not officially a "thing". They kiss ("friends don't kiss me like you do")

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway

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