I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Sean says he can't sit here and tell her that it's really that simple
Because it's not that simple, it's exhausting and confusing and it's scary and complex
He hates how Shannon talks about herself like she's a whole separate person
And he's still pissed at her doctors but he's mostly just sick of not connecting
What the hell are we going to do when they finally let you come home from the hospital?
Sit around the house and make fake plans and then walk down to the Wagon Wheel?
The bills are gonna come and we'll just shrug our shoulders at the notion
The numbers so far into the beyond they look a little bit surreal
Satisfaction is a funny thing
Funny enough that when she brings it up he laughs a little bit
Before he breaks down.
It was obvious to anyone
The way she took her medication at the bar
The way she crossed herself
When it's the bartender's round
He's not gonna tell her its a matter of just kind of trying harder
He's not going to tell her if you love someone then you should set them free
He wishes that she wasn't always saying that she's sorry and looking up with terrified eyes
He said I wish that you could try to love yourself the same way that you love me
Frustration is a funny friend
Funny enough that he keeps coming up
And making me do things that I don't like
When you come home from the hospital
We can't go back to the Wagon Wheel
And if we do we can't go every night
In the middle of the day, she mostly feels okay
But when nighttime comes, she just feels terrified
Because it's not that simple, it's exhausting and confusing and it's scary and complex
He hates how Shannon talks about herself like she's a whole separate person
And he's still pissed at her doctors but he's mostly just sick of not connecting
What the hell are we going to do when they finally let you come home from the hospital?
Sit around the house and make fake plans and then walk down to the Wagon Wheel?
The bills are gonna come and we'll just shrug our shoulders at the notion
The numbers so far into the beyond they look a little bit surreal
Satisfaction is a funny thing
Funny enough that when she brings it up he laughs a little bit
Before he breaks down.
It was obvious to anyone
The way she took her medication at the bar
The way she crossed herself
When it's the bartender's round
He's not gonna tell her its a matter of just kind of trying harder
He's not going to tell her if you love someone then you should set them free
He wishes that she wasn't always saying that she's sorry and looking up with terrified eyes
He said I wish that you could try to love yourself the same way that you love me
Frustration is a funny friend
Funny enough that he keeps coming up
And making me do things that I don't like
When you come home from the hospital
We can't go back to the Wagon Wheel
And if we do we can't go every night
In the middle of the day, she mostly feels okay
But when nighttime comes, she just feels terrified
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Just A Little Lovin'
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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.
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“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
For me, this is a song about a couple trying to make it through their overall station in life with the male lead (Sean) taking on the parent role whether he likes it or not. Shannon is in rehab and is an alcoholic, and maybe Sean is an alcoholic as well; he is certainly an enabler. And possibly he doesn’t want her to change.
Sean doesn’t really believe in rehabilitation or, perhaps, doesn’t believe Shannon can be rehabilitated. He certainly doesn’t trust the doctors, and is leery of what will happen to their relationship when/if she actually does come back clean. "What the Hell we gonna do when they finally let you come home from the hospital? Sit around the house and make fake plans and then walk down to the Wagon Wheel?” He certainly doesn’t see change on the horizon, because there will still be the same massive bills and worries at home after she is released from the hospital that caused her (maybe him) to turn to alcohol abuse in the first place.
Shannon loves Sean in a way she doesn’t love herself. She’s a good but beaten down person and she knows it. She is constantly saying “to him that she’s sorry lookin’ up with terrified eyes.” I don’t know if she does this because she is ashamed or because Sean abuses her. She’s got her problems and doesn’t even try to hide them as she takes medication at the bar, and crosses herself Catholic style when receiving a free drink.
Sean is frustrated by Shannon’s behavior, but he can’t let her go. He holds on. “Frustration is a funny friend, funny enough that he keeps coming up and making me do things that I don't like.” Does that mean he wants to let go of her but can’t, or is that an excuse for his potential abuse I spoke of earlier? I don’t know.
I do know this; Sean decides to leave the door open for Shannon to continue to be her self-destructive-self after leaving rehab when he says, “When you come home from the hospital we can’t go back to the Wagon Wheel. And if we do, we can’t go every night.”
Great song by Craig Finn, per the usual.