In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. 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. “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. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through.
“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.