Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
I'm Henry the eighth, I am
Henry the eighth, I am, I am
I got married to the widow next door
She's been married seven times before
And every one was an Henry (Henry)
She wouldn't have a Willy or a Sam (no Sam)
I'm her eighth old man, I'm Henry
Henry the eighth, I am
Second verse, same as the first
I'm Henry the eighth, I am
Henry the eighth, I am, I am
I got married to the widow next door
She's been married seven times before
And every one was an Henry (Henry)
She wouldn't have a Willy or a Sam (no Sam)
I'm her eighth old man, I'm Henry
Henry the eighth, I am
I'm Henry the eighth, I am
Henry the eighth, I am, I am
I got married to the widow next door
She's been married seven times before
And every one was an Henry (Henry)
She wouldn't have a Willy or a Sam (no Sam)
I'm her eighth old man, I'm Henry
Henry the eighth, I am
H-E-N-R-Y
Henry (Henry) Henry (Henry)
Henry the eighth, I am, I am
Henry the eighth, I am, yeah
Henry the eighth, I am, I am
I got married to the widow next door
She's been married seven times before
And every one was an Henry (Henry)
She wouldn't have a Willy or a Sam (no Sam)
I'm her eighth old man, I'm Henry
Henry the eighth, I am
Second verse, same as the first
I'm Henry the eighth, I am
Henry the eighth, I am, I am
I got married to the widow next door
She's been married seven times before
And every one was an Henry (Henry)
She wouldn't have a Willy or a Sam (no Sam)
I'm her eighth old man, I'm Henry
Henry the eighth, I am
I'm Henry the eighth, I am
Henry the eighth, I am, I am
I got married to the widow next door
She's been married seven times before
And every one was an Henry (Henry)
She wouldn't have a Willy or a Sam (no Sam)
I'm her eighth old man, I'm Henry
Henry the eighth, I am
H-E-N-R-Y
Henry (Henry) Henry (Henry)
Henry the eighth, I am, I am
Henry the eighth, I am, yeah
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
Midnight
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Midnight” is a song about finding a love that is so true that it provides a calming feeling through every storm. Ed Sheeran reflects on his good fortunes in landing someone with such peace and support and speaks of not fearing the dark days because he knows they’ll all end in the safety nets of her arms.
“Well, good morning there / What a way to start the day / With everything laid bare,” Ed Sheeran sings in the first verse, enthusiastic to be waking up beside his woman. He apologizes for missing her calls in the second verse and promises to return them because for him, speaking to her is the most important thing. “Well, I get lost inside my head / In this chaos, you’re my calm / And I will find my feet again / ‘Cause еven the worst days of my life will always еnd / At midnight in your arms,” sings Ed Sheeran in the chorus, revelling in his good luck.
This is so fun live. At the Summer Oldies concert in PA awhile ago I heard this on the radio on the way and then it was performed there and it got the whole crowd going. :)
This song really touches a special place in my heart, I am just overcome with emotion, these lyrics really speak to me.
This is a fun song. Fun to sing along to. Henry the VIII did have a lot of wives...
I have always found this song deeply disturbing. The key word to unlock the meaning of this song is "widow". She's been married seven times, and widowed. Is that not suspicious?
And she refuses to marry anyone but a Henry - why? She's clearly obsessive, but when that lines up with "widow"...
My interpretation is that this woman is psychopathic and sociopathic. She sees Henry VIII as an oppressor of women (due to his 6 wives, 2 of whom were beheaded) and is taking her own revenge by killing 8 Henrys.
And frighteningly, the narrator has no concept of the ghastly fate that awaits him. Brrrrr.
could henry be herion? and eigth of herion, married (addiction) to the widow next door. her problems result in her being married to a drug. I don't enjoy relating songs to drugs, but it's one of those silly happy songs that sometimes carry a disturbing undertone.
it's my opinion that almost ever punk song is based off of this song.
I don't find the song disturbing, I find it comical. I believe it is intended as a parody, primarily on marriages and failing relationships.
I find it ironic that the singer claims to be Henry VIII simply because he is the 8th husband of the widow next door, not because he is Henry the king of an 8th generation. I'm not fully versed on the English history, though a simple Google search informed me that Henry VIII had trouble getting an heir to the throne because none of his sons and daughters would have kids, though Edward did take the throne at early age. Thus comes the idea of "failure." In the song, the woman had 7 Henrys of failed marriages, no William or Sam, so the singer is destined to be the 8th failure, similar to King Henry the 8th struggling to get an heir.
The fact that the singer sings this as a nursery rhyme brings to light it's comedic heritage, considering how such a lovely tune ironically symbolizes the failure of marriage. Although he seems happily married to the widow next door, the allusion to the king emphasizes this upcoming failure.