Anyway, on to Ed Sheeran's song "The A Team," this song has me spell-bound. I even woke up once with the song in my head to try to figure out what it means. What I came across in the Wikipedia page (I know, not really the best source there is) is that he does philanthropy work for sex workers. It hit me, then, that it was written for one sex worker, and that the song's story is about a girl who "sells love to another man." This created more disquiet in me--what 21-year-old will have this kind of sensibility to write about prostitution in such a transcendent way?
The lyrics are simply beautiful. Add to it, Ed Sheeran's smooth, velvety voice. However, more than both of these, the message of the song should not be left unnoticed.It makes me think, yeah, why do very few singers write about this subject? After getting desensitized with pop songs that call women "hookers" and pop artists whose farthest way into sympathy is to say "I'm in love with a stripper," I am awaken from the dead. This song has given me a refreshed look at women who live in the fringes of society, who lurk in the streets and dark alleys of life. They deserve just as much compassion and sympathy as everyone else.
Particularly, what struck me the most about the song is how it paints a woman who dreams of a better life, who hopes of a different future. Even if the government has forgotten about her or how people look down on her, she can dream on. There is light at the end of the tunnel.
Actually, there are not enough words to describe "The A Team" (I'm still figuring out what the "A" means--Anonymous?). It gives you so much thought and a subtle tugging at your heart, that you couldn't pinpoint exactly what it means for you--and your life. Maybe, I will just let the lyrics speak for itself:
"The A Team"
Ed Sheeran
White
lips, pale face
Breathing in snowflakes
Burnt lungs, sour taste
Light's gone, day's end
Struggling to pay rent
Long nights, strange men
And they say
She's in the Class A Team
Stuck in her daydream
Been this way since eighteen
But lately her face seems
Slowly sinking, wasting
Crumbling like pastries
And they scream
The worst things in life come free to us
Cause we're just under the upper hand
And go mad for a couple grams
And she don't want to go outside tonight
And in a pipe she flies to the Motherland
Or sells love to another man
It's too cold outside
For angels to fly
Angels to fly
Ripped gloves, raincoat
Tried to swim and stay afloat
Dry house, wet clothes
Loose change, bank notes
Weary-eyed, dry throat
Call girl, no phone
And they say
She's in the Class A Team
Stuck in her daydream
Been this way since eighteen
But lately her face seems
Slowly sinking, wasting
Crumbling like pastries
And they scream
The worst things in life come free to us
Cause we're just under the upper hand
And go mad for a couple grams
And she don't want to go outside tonight
And in a pipe she flies to the Motherland
Or sells love to another man
It's too cold outside
For angels to fly
An angel will die
Covered in white
Closed eye
And hoping for a better life
This time, we'll fade out tonight
Straight down the line
And they say
She's in the Class A Team
Stuck in her daydream
Been this way since eighteen
But lately her face seems
Slowly sinking, wasting
Crumbling like pastries
They scream
The worst things in life come free to us
And we're all under the upper hand
Go mad for a couple grams
And we don't want to go outside tonight
And in a pipe we fly to the Motherland
Or sell love to another man
It's too cold outside
For angels to fly
Angels to fly
To fly, fly
For angels to fly, to fly, to fly
Or angels to die
Breathing in snowflakes
Burnt lungs, sour taste
Light's gone, day's end
Struggling to pay rent
Long nights, strange men
And they say
She's in the Class A Team
Stuck in her daydream
Been this way since eighteen
But lately her face seems
Slowly sinking, wasting
Crumbling like pastries
And they scream
The worst things in life come free to us
Cause we're just under the upper hand
And go mad for a couple grams
And she don't want to go outside tonight
And in a pipe she flies to the Motherland
Or sells love to another man
It's too cold outside
For angels to fly
Angels to fly
Ripped gloves, raincoat
Tried to swim and stay afloat
Dry house, wet clothes
Loose change, bank notes
Weary-eyed, dry throat
Call girl, no phone
And they say
She's in the Class A Team
Stuck in her daydream
Been this way since eighteen
But lately her face seems
Slowly sinking, wasting
Crumbling like pastries
And they scream
The worst things in life come free to us
Cause we're just under the upper hand
And go mad for a couple grams
And she don't want to go outside tonight
And in a pipe she flies to the Motherland
Or sells love to another man
It's too cold outside
For angels to fly
An angel will die
Covered in white
Closed eye
And hoping for a better life
This time, we'll fade out tonight
Straight down the line
And they say
She's in the Class A Team
Stuck in her daydream
Been this way since eighteen
But lately her face seems
Slowly sinking, wasting
Crumbling like pastries
They scream
The worst things in life come free to us
And we're all under the upper hand
Go mad for a couple grams
And we don't want to go outside tonight
And in a pipe we fly to the Motherland
Or sell love to another man
It's too cold outside
For angels to fly
Angels to fly
To fly, fly
For angels to fly, to fly, to fly
Or angels to die
(courtesy of azlyrics.com)
Have a good day!
