Boat (Ed Sheeran song)

Sheeran announced the song alongside the album on 1 March 2023, setting up several pre-order opportunities.^[2] On 17 April, he shared a preview of the song on his socials, with a clip of its accompanying music video, in which he said that it was the first song that he had recorded for his new album.^[3]

In a press release on the same day that the song was released, Sheeran used the song serves as "a metaphor for depression; a track that combats the struggles of feeling very low and not knowing how to break the cycle".^[4] The song is led by a soft guitar melody, in which he shows his emotional strength as he sings on the chorus: "The more that I love, the less that I feel / The times that I jumped never were real / They say that all scars will heal, but I know / Maybe, I won't / But the waves won't break my boat / But the waves won't brеak my boat".^[5]

The official music video for "Boat", directed by Mia Barnes, was released alongside the song on 21 April 2023. It sees Sheeran around waves in a beach in the United Kingdom.^[6] When he enters the ocean, he gets swallowed by the waves as he tries to go to the shore.^[7]