Released: January 9, 2011

Featuring: Devlin

Songwriter: Devlin Jake Gosling Ed Sheeran

Producer: Ed Sheeran Jake Gosling

[Verse 1: Ed Sheeran]
I seem to find myself talking to the powers that be
Awaking the shade and shadowed under towering trees
Admiring the scene, inhaling fumes of flowers that breathe
Jet lagged eyes are begging for an hour to sleep
Although my bloodshot whites and irises they never find any
Clock stops at times where the sun shine can blind many
Although my eyes are heavy, they won't be closing soon
Cause I heard that time waits for nobody, I suppose it's true
We make corrosive tunes with acid tabs and vocal booths
To see the flashing lights at photo shoots, we make our motive moves
I say whatever I feel to vent a rhyme
So I can still invent the lines and stay close to the friends of mine
Cause real recognise real is what my father says
And I'll be sticking to this phrase until I pass away
Overworking, no sleep is just another way to die slow
But I'll just keep going strong and never let my eyes close

[Verse 2: Devlin]
5 o'clock with lights off, interview with a vampire
Sleep is for the living and not a utensil that I require
I swear I said, that I'll sleep when I'm dead
Who's on the beat upon the feature with Ed?
It's D-E-V to the Zed
Over tired, pale faced like Michael Myers
Bags underneath my eyes can show the baggage I've acquired
And over the time within this maze I think you'll find you'll
Never find that peace of mind you seek to find until you're dying
Cause I got too much to stay awake for
To sleep, or even take four seconds out the game, it's time to wage war
Scissors, grab a sword, and sharpen up your hunting knives
Two psychopathic lyricists are driving on the hunt tonight
I'm hailing from the Essex and the East London border line
Villans never sleep, they mastermind in all sorts of crimes
Be wide awake just like you're snorting lines
Or get left mortified like you just seen the ghost of Jesus walking by

[Hook: Ed Sheeran]
I never sleep
When trouble steals thoughts from a restless mind for free
It could be
The times I'm living in
I never sleep
When trouble steals thoughts from a restless mind for free
It could be
The times I'm living in lately

[Verse 3: Ed Sheeran]
I brush my teeth every night but still I wake up with a bad mouth
And the background is my past and my presence will bring it back out
Deliver the raps how I flow, I live with the rats now and those
That hate me call me Ron but they won't slither in too easy
Believe me I'm snake minded, be within this great time, be
On minimum wage, life is a prison escape that I'm in
It's all to do with timing not the label that you sign with
Then my mates are doing fine but then they never put the time in
I try to hide my cold side like when I flip my pillows
Some of the songs I write are real because the charts are filled with si-li-cone
I'm still broke without the money for a Mac Pro
Living out of three bags, no talk about my cash flow
Opposite of sober cause I never did my homework
Which has got me on the sofa, no degree but growing older
I played a fool to catch the wise, I will never tell a lie
I wake dead, take deep breaths, try to never die (never die)

[Verse 4: Devlin]
Two guys with the same view, keep it tight like Scrooge
Making metaphors flow and move, like typhoons and tunes
And if we got our eyes on you, we'll catch you while you snooze
Times elapsing while you're catching Zed's, the masses like to move
We scan the situation, analyse information
And then decide what probably is most practical to do
Driven young gentlemen, I've hardly changed my bed sheets
At all over the last 12 months cause I haven't slept in 'em, true
I'm coming home, the lights are on, your rights are wrong, so I'm correcting 'em
We got the fans all like, "Oh wow it's Devs and Ed"
What less did you bloody expect from 'em?"
In the end sleep deprivation might just be our detriment
Fighting through writers block from 9 o'clock to 5 o'clock
And no way will I ever waste a second of the time I got
I keep my pupils engaged
Like a classroom in holy matrimony, but I'm only trying to stay awake

[Hook]
I never sleep
When trouble steals thoughts from a restless mind for free
It could be
The times I'm living in
I never sleep
When trouble steals thoughts from a restless mind for free
It could be
The times I'm living in lately
I never sleep
When trouble steals thoughts from a restless mind for free
It could be
The times I'm living in
I never sleep
When trouble steals thoughts from a restless mind for free
It could be
The times I'm living in lately

Ed Sheeran

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.