How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Well, a cop got away
With murder today
Sparked the march
Of the fiery brigade
How they screamed at the lenses, the lawyers and lights
And they hurled all their curses with all of their might
And the news
Said glad that it's over
The newspaper rags
Said there goes another
And both sides left the signs with the stacked barricades
It'll wash it all away when it rains
Well, they came down from high rises
Mansions, estates
Down into a city
Of catered champagne
And they laughed
And they danced
And they dined on their steaks
There were floors to be swept
And bills to be paid
And the mayor
Said glad you came over
And now what to do
With these jailed wild rovers?
All the courts, and confetti, and dumpsters in flames
It'll wash it all away when it rains
There's a man on the bridge
Old rust and new paint
While the marching machine's
Spilling sand by the bay
Pump's busted again
For the rivers and trains
While the choirs all preach
'Bout an earth to be saved
Don't you know
There's no need to worry
Of the old tale
With a beautiful ending
All the shells
And the smoke
And the hallowed ground paved
And the scraps
And the crumbs
And the mess that we made
And I wish that it all would just go away
It'll wash it all away
When it rains
With murder today
Sparked the march
Of the fiery brigade
How they screamed at the lenses, the lawyers and lights
And they hurled all their curses with all of their might
And the news
Said glad that it's over
The newspaper rags
Said there goes another
And both sides left the signs with the stacked barricades
It'll wash it all away when it rains
Well, they came down from high rises
Mansions, estates
Down into a city
Of catered champagne
And they laughed
And they danced
And they dined on their steaks
There were floors to be swept
And bills to be paid
And the mayor
Said glad you came over
And now what to do
With these jailed wild rovers?
All the courts, and confetti, and dumpsters in flames
It'll wash it all away when it rains
There's a man on the bridge
Old rust and new paint
While the marching machine's
Spilling sand by the bay
Pump's busted again
For the rivers and trains
While the choirs all preach
'Bout an earth to be saved
Don't you know
There's no need to worry
Of the old tale
With a beautiful ending
All the shells
And the smoke
And the hallowed ground paved
And the scraps
And the crumbs
And the mess that we made
And I wish that it all would just go away
It'll wash it all away
When it rains
Lyrics submitted by fermium
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Magical
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Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
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“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.