Ed Sheeran

Released: September 7, 2010

Songwriter: Jake Gosling Ed Sheeran

Producer: Jake Gosling

[Verse 1]
This city never sleeps
I hear the people walk by when it's late
Sirens bleed through my windowsill
I can't close my eyes
Can't control what I'm into
This tower is alive
The lights that blind keep me awake
With my hood up and lace untied
Sleep fills my mind
Can't control what I'm into

[Pre-Chorus]
London calls me a stranger
A traveler
This is now my home, my home

[Chorus]
I'm burning on the back street
Stuck here sitting in the backseat
I'm blazing on the street
What I do isn't up to you
And if the city never sleeps
Then that makes two

[Verse 2]
The pavement is my friend
And it will take me where I need to go
I find it trips me up
And puts me down
This is not what I'm used to
The shop across the road
Fulfills my needs and gives me company
When I need it
Voices speak through my walls
I don't think I'm gonna make it
Past tomorrow

[Pre-Chorus]
London calls me a stranger
A traveler
This is now my home, my home

[Chorus]
I'm burning on the back street
Stuck here sitting in the backseat
I'm blazing on the street
What I do isn't up to you
And if the city never sleeps
Then that makes two

[Bridge]
And my lungs hurt
And my ears bled
With the sound of the city life
Echoed in my head
Do I need this to keep me alive?
The traffic stops and starts
But I need to move along

[Rap Verse]
I’m from a city where the rain won’t cease
Pollution in the air matches that on the street
The black smoke gets your head into a muddle, like
Walking into elephant syringes in the puddle, like
I was a country boy when I moved out
Grew up too fast for my family to find out
Now I try to stop my music running into nosedives
Can’t resort to arrogance with white lies
This city won’t erase me
But I can’t help to see how this dark city changed me
It’s all the same see, music is my life, but
Now I try to fight whatever I need to hide from
North, South, East, West, London’s my home now
Knees weak, but we never slow down
Now I start to do my music properly
And stay from all the negative shit that will follow me

[Pre-Chorus]
London calls me a stranger
This is not my home, home

[Chorus]
I'm burning on the back street
Stuck here sitting in the backseat
I'm blazing on the street
What I do isn't up to you
And if the city never sleeps
Then that makes two

[Chorus]
I'm burning on the back street
Stuck here sitting in the backseat
I'm blazing on the street
What I do isn't up to you
And if the city never sleeps
Then that makes two

That was fun!

Ed Sheeran is a singer/songwriter who was born in Halifax, England but was raised in Suffolk, England. He’s known for his energetic live shows, which involve him using a loop pedal and sometimes throwing some raps in for good measure.

Ed’s success story began with him playing music in older people’s homes. He first was picked up by a record producer when busking in the USA. He performed nearly a thousand gigs and street performances before getting the recognition he deserved. Unsigned projects such as Loose Change and Songs I Wrote with Amy relied on the production of long-term collaborator Jake Gosling and signaled the start of their hugely successful musical relationship. Soon he’d made countless industry friends.

Teaming up with some of the biggest names in UK grime – Wiley, Ghetts, Jme and more – he released the No. 5 Collaborations Project in January 2011, and it reached number 46 on the UK Singles Chart. One of the songs, “Little Lady” (feat. Mikill Pane), was a fan favourite, so Ed made a more radio-friendly solo version entitled “The A Team” and the rest is history. The song now has over a million sales in the UK and two million in the US.

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