The A Team

Ed Sheeran * Track #1 On + (Plus) (Japanese Edition)

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ALBUM

Ed Sheeran

2011

The A Team by Ed Sheeran

Release Date

Sun Jun 12 2011

Performed by

Ed Sheeran

Produced by

Jake Gosling

Writed by

Ed Sheeran & Grant Edward Palmer

About

Sonically minimalistic and emotive, “The A Team” was Ed’s debut single, which catapulted his career to new heights.

The song focuses on a girl that Ed spoke to “when [he] did a gig at a homeless shelter.” The girl’s name was Angel, so that’s what inspired the “for angels to fly” lyric.

Ed, who was...

The A Team Lyrics

[Verse 1]
White lips, pale face
Breathin' in the snowflakes
Burnt lungs, sour taste
Light's gone, days end
Struggling to pay rent
Long nights, strange men

[Pre-Chorus]
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

[Chorus]
'Cause we're just under the upper hand
And go mad for a couple grams
And she don't wanna 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

[Verse 2]
Ripped gloves, raincoat
Tried to swim and stay afloat
Dry house, wet clothes
Loose change, banknotes
Weary-eyed, dry throat
Call girl, no phone

[Pre-Chorus]
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

[Chorus]
'Cause we're just under the upper hand
And go mad for a couple grams
But she don't wanna 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

[Bridge]
An angel will die
Covered in white
Closed eyes and hopin' for a better life
This time, we'll fade out tonight
Straight down the line

[Pre-Chorus]
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

[Chorus]
And we're all under the upper hand
And go mad for a couple grams
And we don't wanna 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

[Outro]
Angels to fly
Fly, fly
For angels to fly
To fly, to fly
For angels to die

The A Team Q&A

Who wrote The A Team's ?

The A Team was written by Ed Sheeran & Grant Edward Palmer.

Who produced The A Team's ?

The A Team was produced by Jake Gosling.

When did Ed Sheeran release The A Team?

Ed Sheeran released The A Team on Sun Jun 12 2011.

What did Ed Sheeran say about "The A Team"?

“The A Team” was written about a woman that I met whilst doing some volunteering for Crisis.

via Crisis’s Youtube

What prompted Ed to write this song?

“The A Team” came from an experience I had when I did a gig at a homeless shelter. I was 18 at the time and kind of quite naïve. So, I was a bit taken aback by some of the stories that I heard.

I got home that night and I just wrote a lot of the lyrics. I wanted to write it so it sounded kind of up...

Why is the song titled "The A Team"?

A drug like crack cocaine is called a ‘class A’ drug. That’s in the same category as heroin. Instead of making it clear and just saying what the problem was, I’d say, “She’s in the ‘class A’ team.” It was kind of my way of covering up (a person’s addiction), I guess, making it a bit more subtle.

vi...