An Analysis of Love Metaphors in Ed Sheeran’s Song Lyrics
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24256/ideas.v14i2.8772Keywords:
Conceptual Metaphor, Ed Sheeran, Love MetaphorsAbstract
This study examines the use of conceptual metaphors in Ed Sheeran’s love-themed song lyrics to understand how emotional meanings are expressed through figurative language. The study aims to classify the metaphors, identify their frequency, and explain their conceptual meanings based on Conceptual Metaphor Theory. A descriptive qualitative design was employed using textual analysis of twenty selected love-themed songs. The lyrics were initially obtained from Genius and subsequently cross-checked with other available lyric sources to ensure consistency. The data were collected through observation and note-taking, followed by metaphor identification, classification, and interpretation. The analysis identified 106 metaphorical expressions categorized into structural, ontological, and orientational metaphors. Structural metaphors were the most dominant, accounting for 53% of the data, followed by ontological metaphors at 34% and orientational metaphors at 13%. The findings show that Ed Sheeran frequently conceptualizes love through dynamic and experiential mappings, particularly journey and unity, while ontological metaphors represent love as a concrete entity that can be held, owned, or contained. Orientational metaphors contribute spatial representations of emotional closeness and intensity. The novelty of this study lies in its systematic examination of conceptual mappings across a corpus of twenty love-themed songs, providing a broader analysis of metaphorical patterns than studies focusing on individual songs or other linguistic features in Sheeran’s work. The findings contribute to the linguistic understanding of how metaphor structures emotional meaning in contemporary song lyrics and may also support the use of song lyrics as authentic materials for teaching metaphor and figurative language in English language learning. Although limited to a selected corpus, this study provides a systematic basis for further research on conceptual metaphors across other artists, songs, and musical genres.
References
Akmajian, A., Demer, R. A., Farmer, A. K., & Harnish, R. M. (2017). Linguistics: An introduction to language and communication. MIT Press. https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/4252.001.0001
Bora, J. T., & Agung, I. G. A. M. (2023). Figurative language used in Ed Sheeran’s song “Give Me Love.” ELite Journal: International Journal of Education, Language and Literature, 3(2), 67–76. https://doi.org/10.26740/elitejournal.v3n2.p67-76
Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. SAGE Publications.
Hermintoyo, M. (2018). Metaforis dalam lirik lagu populer bertemakan percintaan [Metaphors in popular love-themed song lyrics]. Nusa: Jurnal Ilmu Bahasa dan Sastra, 13(2), 291–300. https://doi.org/10.14710/nusa.13.2.291-300
Jannah, R., & Istiqomah, K. (2021). Conceptual metaphor in Kahitna’s song lyrics. NOBEL: Journal of Literature and Language Teaching, 12(2), 199–213. https://doi.org/10.15642/nobel.2021.12.2.199-213
Kövecses, Z. (2010). Metaphor: A practical introduction. Oxford University Press.
Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (1980). Metaphors we live by. University of Chicago Press.
Low, P. (2017). Translating song: Lyrics and texts. Taylor & Francis.
Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook (2nd ed.). Sage Publications.
Nasution, D. R. A., Setiadi, G., & Ilza, S. S. (2018). Deixis analysis in the song lyrics of Ed Sheeran’s Divide album. English Language and Literature International Conference (ELLiC), 2, 376–382.
Newmark, P. (1988). A textbook of translation. Prentice-Hall International.
Nurgiantoro, B. (2024). Teori pengkajian fiksi [Theory of fiction analysis]. Gadjah Mada University Press.
Pardede, P. (2013). Strategi penerjemahan metafora Bahasa Indonesia ke dalam Bahasa Inggris dalam antologi puisi On Foreign Shores: American Image in Indonesian Poetry [Strategies for translating Indonesian metaphors into English in the poetry anthology On Foreign Shores]. Jurnal Dinamika Pendidikan, 6(2), 56–62.
Perkasa, I. M. D. F., Netra, M., & Beratha, N. L. S. (2024). Figurative language and its meaning on Ed Sheeran’s song lyrics. Kulturistik: Jurnal Ilmu Bahasa dan Budaya, 8(1), 51–58. https://doi.org/10.22225/kulturistik.8.1.6821
Pfaff, K. L., Gibbs, R. W., & Johnson, M. D. (1997). Metaphor in using and understanding euphemism and dysphemism. Applied Psycholinguistics, 18(1), 59–83. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0142716400009875
Sharifian, F. (2017). Cultural linguistics: Cultural conceptualisations and language. John Benjamins Publishing.
Sheeran, E. (2011). Autumn Leaves. On + (Plus) [Album]. Asylum Records. Retrieved from https://genius.com/Ed-sheeran-autumn-leaves-lyrics
Sheeran, E. (2011). Drunk. On + (Plus) [Album]. Asylum Records. Retrieved from https://genius.com/Ed-sheeran-drunk-lyrics
Sheeran, E. (2011). Give Me Love. On + (Plus) [Album]. Asylum Records. Retrieved from https://genius.com/Ed-sheeran-give-me-love-lyrics
Sheeran, E. (2011). Kiss Me. On + (Plus) [Album]. Asylum Records. Retrieved from https://genius.com/Ed-sheeran-kiss-me-lyrics
Sheeran, E. (2011). Sunburn. On + (Plus) [Album]. Asylum Records. Retrieved from https://genius.com/Ed-sheeran-sunburn-lyrics
Sheeran, E. (2014). All of the Stars. On X (Multiply) [Album]. Atlantic Records. Retrieved from https://genius.com/Ed-sheeran-all-of-the-stars-lyrics
Sheeran, E. (2014). Bloodstream. On X (Multiply) [Album]. Asylum Records. Retrieved from https://genius.com/Ed-sheeran-bloodstream-lyrics
Sheeran, E. (2014). Nina. On X (Multiply) [Album]. Asylum Records. Retrieved from https://genius.com/Ed-sheeran-nina-lyrics
Sheeran, E. (2014). Photograph. On X (Multiply) [Album]. Asylum Records. Retrieved from https://genius.com/Ed-sheeran-photograph-lyrics
Sheeran, E. (2014). Thinking Out Loud. On X (Multiply) [Album]. Asylum Records. Retrieved from https://genius.com/Ed-sheeran-thinking-out-loud-lyrics
Sheeran, E. (2017). Dive. On ÷ (Divide) [Album]. Asylum Records. Retrieved from https://genius.com/Ed-sheeran-dive-lyrics
Sheeran, E. (2017). Hearts Don’t Break Around Here. On ÷ (Divide) [Album]. Atlantic Records. Retrieved from https://genius.com/Ed-sheeran-hearts-dont-break-around-here-lyrics
Sheeran, E. (2017). How Would You Feel. On ÷ (Divide) [Album]. Asylum Records. Retrieved from https://genius.com/Ed-sheeran-how-would-you-feel-lyrics
Sheeran, E. (2017). Perfect. On ÷ (Divide) [Album]. Atlantic Records. Retrieved from https://genius.com/Ed-sheeran-perfect-lyrics
Sheeran, E. (2017). Save Myself. On ÷ (Divide) [Album]. Atlantic Records. Retrieved from https://genius.com/Ed-sheeran-save-myself-lyrics
Sheeran, E. (2017). Shape of You. On ÷ (Divide) [Album]. Atlantic Records. Retrieved from https://genius.com/Ed-sheeran-shape-of-you-lyrics
Smith, J. A. (2017). Textual analysis. In The International Encyclopedia of Communication Research Methods (pp. 1–7). https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118901731.iecrm0248
Thu, N. T. H. (2019). Structural metaphor of love in English songs in the late 20th century from stylistic and cognitive perspectives. JOALL (Journal of Applied Linguistics & Literature), 4(2), 185–202. https://doi.org/10.33369/joall.v4i2.7797
Yule, G. (2020). The study of language. Cambridge University Press.
Zbikowski, L. M. (2002). Conceptualizing music: Cognitive structure, theory, and analysis. Oxford University Press.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
Citation Check
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Yudhi Afrian, Indah Tri Purwanti, Maria Safriyanti
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under an Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See the Effect of Open Access)
