Abuse In Ed Sheeran's Song, The A Team

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People in our society harshly judge those with drug problems; they are viewed as a burden on the community. A majority of abusers had goals and wished to succeed in life until, all of the sudden, they were trapped in a perpetual cycle. The song, “The A Team” by the British alternative singer, Ed Sheeran, narrates the unfortunate story of a prostitute fighting a battle against her addiction to cocaine. Sheeran uses comparisons and clever expressions to narrate the girl’s story, consciously using ambiguous lyrics such as, “Stuck in her daydream” (Line 9) which are open to different interpretations. He keeps an upbeat tune from beginning to end in attempts to hide the depressing tale. The lyrics show empathy for the addict, who has lost control …show more content…
In the chorus, Sheeran writes, “It’s too cold outside / For angels to fly,” which compares the prostitute to an angel. The image of angels unable to fly away is used to explain the situation the abuser faces. The cold is keeping the creatures from departing. Likewise, the abuser is incapable of escaping the path followed in the last years. The connection is made to explain to the audience that the woman cannot quit her addiction because it is not a choice but a need. The uncontrollable urge for cocaine and the mistakes made along the way prevent her from starting over. The second chorus resembles the first, except now, the musician adds, “An angel will die / Covered in white / Closed eye / And hoping for a better life” (Lines 45-49). In this part of the lyrics, the woman’s dreadful end is hinted taking into account that most abusers of similar illegal stimulants eventually overdose. The expression “covered in white” is a figure of speech since the woman is not literally covered in cocaine, but rather has inhaled a great amount of the substance. As the drug addict becomes aware of the overdose, she regrets the decisions made and wishes for her life to be different. In the quote, the singer no longer compares the nameless human to an the spiritual being but instead identifies her as an angel. Doing so, Sheeran forces the audience to accept her as the angel in his song since there is no other name to call her by. Every chorus has a slightly different ending; however, the concept of angels remains constant to maintain the innocence of the

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