Cold in Ohio

So, how did a UK-born musician end up singing a tune about frigid temperatures in the eastern United States, anyway? Lawson, who became the first artist to sign with fellow Brit Ed Sheeran's Gingerbread Man Records label, teamed up with Ohio-born alt country singer Kim Richey to write the tune. After seeing one of Richey's performances in the UK, Lawson got a creative jolt when someone asked Richey about her home state. He explained in a track-by-track commentary: "We were walking back with some other friends to the tube station after the show and someone asked her, 'Is it cold in Ohio?'... The phrase kind of just stuck. Just between that being said and the tube, the whole chorus was in my head. 'It's cold in Ohio, so I'm not going there,' which I quite liked. I liked the idea that you wouldn't go somewhere because it's cold, so I looked up other cold places. And Vostok station [Antarctica], which is the second line in that chorus, is the coldest inhabited place on the planet. I think only scientists live there. Then we kind of threw in New York, because everyone knows New York and has some association with it. But she really managed to kind of pull the rest of the song out of that, so it was a real honor to be able to work with her, and it turns out it's Ed's favorite song as well, so that's kinda cool."

This isn't really a song about Ohio; it's about the person keeping Lawson warm at night. Apparently, she has some doubts about their relationship (I understand you're worrying, I know the feeling. Love is always shifting sand, it's not much to believe in), but he promises he's not going anywhere. Not Ohio, New York City, or Vostok station, because "it's warm here next to you."

Ed Sheeran provides backing vocals.