Ed Sheeran
Take It Back lyrics
- Language
- English
- Level
- Intermediate
- Released
- 2014
- Genre
- Pop
- Length
- 3:29
I'm not a rapper, I'm a singer with a flow
I've got a habit for spitting quicker lyrics you know
You'll find me ripping the written out of the pages they sit in
I never want to get bitten 'cause plagiarism is hidden
Watch how I sit on the rhythm, prisoner with a vision
Signed to a label but didn't listen to any criticism
Thought you knew, but you didn't, so perk your ears up and listen
Studio is a system, and you could say that I'm driven
And now it's onto the next saga, we drink the best lager
I'll never try to win you over like your stepfather
I do my own thing now and get respect after
And I'm avoiding the 'cain like it was Get Carter
For four years, I never had a place to stay
But it's safe to say that it kept me grounded like a paper weight
At 16 years old, yeah, I moved out of my home
I was Macy Gray, I tried to say goodbye and I choked
And went from sleeping at a subway station
To sleeping with a movie star and adding to the population
Not my imagination, I don't wanna relax
Would it hurt your reputation if I put it on wax?
I take it back now
Mmm, come on and take it back, love
Come on and take it back for us
Don't you fade into the back, love
No
I take it back with the rhythm and blues
With my rap pack, I'll be singing the news
Tryna act like Jack Black when I bring it to school
I make a beat with my feet by just hitting the loop
Bringing the lyrics to prove that I can fit in these shoes
I give you the truth through the vocal booth
And stars burst out on the scene like an Opal Fruit
They try to take aim like Beckham when he goes to shoot
But then again, that's what they're supposed to do
And I'm supposed to be calm, I tattooed the lyrics onto my arm
Whispering, "Everything that happens is from now on"
I'll be ready to start again by the end of the song
And still they're claiming that I handle it wrong
But then I've never had an enemy except the NME
But I'll be selling twice as many copies as their magazines'll ever be
With only spectacles ahead of me
And festival fees are healthier than a Dalmatian on pedigree
Singing for the masses, rubber dinghy rapids
I keep this rapping a habit and keep on fashioning magic
I'm battling for respect and I don't know if I have it
This song's from the heart, cover the planet
I'll take it back now
Mmm, come on and take it back, love
Come on and take it back for us
Don't you fade into the back, love
No
And take it back now
Now, I don't ever wanna be perfect
'Cause I'm a singer that you never wanna see shirtless
And I accept the fact that someone's got to win worst-dressed
Taken my first steps into the scene giving me focus
Putting on a brave face like Timothy Dalton
Considering a name change, thinking it was hopeless
Rhyming over recordings, avoiding tradition
'Cause every day some lyrics and a melody can be written
Now, absence can make your heart ache
But drinking Absinthe can change your mind state
Vividly, need to let my liver be
And I'll say it again, living life on the edge with a close handful of friends
Is good advice from the man that took his life on the road with me
And I hope to see him blowing up globally
'Cause that how it's supposed to be
I'm screaming out vocally
It might seem totally impossible achieving life's dreams
But, but I just write schemes
I'm never having a stylist giving me tight jeans
Madison Square Garden is where I might be, but more likely
You'll find me in the back room of a dive bar with my mates
Having a pint with McDaid, discussing records we made
And every single second knowing that we'll never betray
The way we were raised, remembering our background, sat down
That's how we plan it out, it's time to take it back now
Mmm, come on and take it back, love
Come on and take it back for us
Don't you fade into the back, love
No
Mmm, come on and take it back, love
Come on and take it back for us
Don't you fade into the back, love
No
Lyrics powered by www.musixmatch.com
Key vocabulary
- act
- do somethingA2
- beat
- hit; strikeA2
- blowing
- making air moveA2
- considering
- thinking aboutA2
- masses
- large groups of peopleB2
- rubber
- elastic materialB2
- liver
- body organ that processes foodC1
- melody
- a pleasing sequence of notesC1
- shoot
- send out sudden burstB1
- studio
- place for filming/recordingB1
Test yourself
How much of Take It Back did you catch?
A quick quiz on the key words from this song.
About this song
Ed Sheeran is an English singer-songwriter known for his blend of folk, pop, and hip-hop, beginning with his rise from UK pub gigs to major albums including +. He is associated with chart-topping singles such as “Shape of You” and “Perfect,” and has also collaborated with artists like Taylor Swift, Chance the Rapper, and Beyoncé.