If there was a song that describes the darkness and loneliness of prostitution, Ed Sheeran’s “The A Team” hits it out the park. Based off a true story, “The A Team” is a walk through a young woman’s struggles in the world of drugs and prostitution. This beautifully written song conveys a murky truth that is all too sad and familiar today. I remember when I first heard this song back in high school. I was sitting at my desk at home doing homework while listening to Pandora radio in the background when this song came on. The song proved to be catchy as I found myself throughout the day humming along to the tune in my head. One day I decided to look up this song for myself. When I read the lyrics, it hit close to home as Sheeran’s beautiful
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There he met a girl who told him stories of how she was abused and used for sex; how she was an alcoholic who took drugs and harmed herself. In general, drugs and prostitution have been around a lot longer than “The A Team,” but this song brings this secluded world into perspective. When the song was released in 2011, it was during a time (late 2000s/early 2010s) when the U.S. economy was not doing so well as a Recession had occurred only a few years’ prior (2008). Lots of people lost their jobs and could not properly support their families. The unemployment rate skyrocketed and many people were forced to find alternate ways to provide for their families. Faced with fewer compelling jobs, some men and women may found the sex industry an attractive option. Even before 2011, when this song was released, people turned to prostitution to make a living as it is “the world’s oldest profession,” but the Recession was huge economic factor that drove many into the sex industry. The first aspect I noticed with this song is the loneliness. She is literally stuck in this perfunctory fueled by drugs and money. She cannot seem to escape this life style no matter how hard she tries. She is seeking for something more than this life, but cannot get out of the rut she is in. To her, she has no alternative so she continues to get high. She gets high to escape this world to escape to …show more content…
She has been struggling from a drug addiction since she was 18, which has not been easy for her. She cannot hold a steady job due to the struggle with addiction so she needed a way to make money. She has these “long nights” with these “strange men” so she can afford a place to stay and to feed her growing addiction. Her life is just “Slowly sinking, wasting” – going downhill – and “Crumbling like pastries” – falling apart. She does not “want to go outside, tonight” because she wishes she did not have to go out and sell her body just to achieve this high feeling. Lastly, I noticed the use of the word “angel,” biblical word used to describe a white-robed winged figure of human form, but typically it is used to describe a person of virtue. In this song “It’s too cold outside for angels to fly.” This is how I have come to interpret this. Angles are beautiful beings that are created by God. They are meant to fly as God has given them the ability to do so. The girl in this song is perceived as an angel, but for her it is too “cold” to fly so she decides to stay stuck on the inside and remain in the mess she is
There he met a girl who told him stories of how she was abused and used for sex; how she was an alcoholic who took drugs and harmed herself. In general, drugs and prostitution have been around a lot longer than “The A Team,” but this song brings this secluded world into perspective. When the song was released in 2011, it was during a time (late 2000s/early 2010s) when the U.S. economy was not doing so well as a Recession had occurred only a few years’ prior (2008). Lots of people lost their jobs and could not properly support their families. The unemployment rate skyrocketed and many people were forced to find alternate ways to provide for their families. Faced with fewer compelling jobs, some men and women may found the sex industry an attractive option. Even before 2011, when this song was released, people turned to prostitution to make a living as it is “the world’s oldest profession,” but the Recession was huge economic factor that drove many into the sex industry. The first aspect I noticed with this song is the loneliness. She is literally stuck in this perfunctory fueled by drugs and money. She cannot seem to escape this life style no matter how hard she tries. She is seeking for something more than this life, but cannot get out of the rut she is in. To her, she has no alternative so she continues to get high. She gets high to escape this world to escape to …show more content…
She has been struggling from a drug addiction since she was 18, which has not been easy for her. She cannot hold a steady job due to the struggle with addiction so she needed a way to make money. She has these “long nights” with these “strange men” so she can afford a place to stay and to feed her growing addiction. Her life is just “Slowly sinking, wasting” – going downhill – and “Crumbling like pastries” – falling apart. She does not “want to go outside, tonight” because she wishes she did not have to go out and sell her body just to achieve this high feeling. Lastly, I noticed the use of the word “angel,” biblical word used to describe a white-robed winged figure of human form, but typically it is used to describe a person of virtue. In this song “It’s too cold outside for angels to fly.” This is how I have come to interpret this. Angles are beautiful beings that are created by God. They are meant to fly as God has given them the ability to do so. The girl in this song is perceived as an angel, but for her it is too “cold” to fly so she decides to stay stuck on the inside and remain in the mess she is