Galway Girl

Song Meaning of Galway Girl by Ed Sheeran

Irish folk band Beoga and Sheeran collaborated on the song, which has a strong Irish traditional music influence.

In an interview with Zane Lowe of Beats 1, Sheeran said:

I came up with this song with Foy, and Johnny, and Amy. We were recording in Suffolk and we were just sitting in the garden, and we had Beoga, this Irish folk band, come and [record] some other songs. And I was kinda like: Beoga would be here for two or three days, it would be a shame to waste them, shall we try and write another song? [...] Beoga came out tried to do some bits in it, we just didn't really know where to go. But they have a song called "Minute 5", which is that riff. So I just said: "Can you try that on it?" And they did, and it sounded brilliant, so we just kept it.

"She played the fiddle in an Irish band" is the first lyric of Sheeran's song, which was inspired by Niamh Dunne of Beoga, according to an interview with The Irish Times. Though Sheeran is English, his paternal Irish ancestry is from County Limerick, and Dunne is from County Limerick; the remainder of the song is made up and not about any specific person.

Ireland, Iceland, Slovenia, and Slovakia had the highest position on their charts; the UK, Australia, Belgium, Denmark, and Poland had the second-highest position; Germany, Hungary, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden had the fifth-highest position on their charts.

Lyrics of Galway Girl by Ed Sheeran

She played the fiddle in an Irish band

But she fell in love with an English man

Kissed her on the neck and then I took her by the hand

Said, "Baby, I just want to dance"

I met her on Grafton street right outside of the bar

She shared a cigarette with me while her brother played the guitar

She asked me what does it mean the Gaelic ink on your arm?

Said it was one of my friend's songs do you want to drink on?

She took Jamie as a chaser, Jack for the fun

She got Arthur on the table, with Johnny riding as shotgun

Chatted some more, one more drink at the bar

Then put Van on the jukebox, got up to dance, you know

She played the fiddle in an Irish band

But she fell in love with an English man

Kissed her on the neck and then I took her by the hand

Said, "Baby, I just want to dance"

With my pretty little Galway Girl

You're my pretty little Galway Girl

You know she beat me at darts and then she beat me at pool

And then she kissed me like there was nobody else in the room

As last orders were called, was when she stood on the stool

After dancing to Cèilidh, singing to trad tunes

I never heard Carrickfergus ever sung so sweet

Acapella in the bar using her feet for a beat

Oh I could have that voice playing on repeat for a week

And in this packed out room, swear she was singing to me, you know

She played the fiddle in an Irish band

But she fell in love with an English man

Kissed her on the neck and then I took her by the hand

Said, "Baby, I just want to dance"

My pretty little Galway girl

My my my my my my my Galway girl

My my my my my my my Galway girl

My my my my my my my Galway girl

Now we've outstayed our welcome and it's closing time

I was holding her hand, her hand was holding mine

Our coats both smell of smoke, whisky and wine

As we fill up our lungs with the cold air of the night

I walked her home then she took me inside

Finish some Doritos and another bottle of wine

I swear I'm going to put you in a song that I write

About a Galway girl and a perfect night

She played the fiddle in an Irish band

But she fell in love with an English man

Kissed her on the neck and then I took her by the hand

Said, "Baby, I just want to dance"

My pretty little Galway girl

My my my my my my my Galway girl

My my my my my my my Galway girl

My my my my my my my Galway girl