Slayyyter has announced companion album ‘Wor$t Man in America’ for December•
Welly are going to headline a very special Dork’s Night Out at The 100 Club•
Down With Boring returns tonight with The North, plus bags of new music•
Keo have announced their 2027 UK, European and North American headline tour•
Primavera Sound Barcelona has announced its 2027 anniversary line-up•
Madra Salach have released new single ‘Ribbon Factory’•
Bleech 9:3 have dropped new track 'Tourniquet' and announced their biggest headline tour yet•
Mollie Elizabeth has announced her new EP ‘People Pleaser’ and shared ‘Kiss The Ring’•
Baby Dave and The Works have kicked off a new collaboration with ‘Wings’•
RAYE, Olivia Dean, JADE and more are set to perform at the 2026 Mercury Prize ceremony•
Fontaines D.C. have released ‘Tongue’ and its New York-shot video•
LCD Soundsystem have announced 12 New York residency shows, including their 100th•
Saint Clair have shared new single ‘Dreams’ ahead of sold-out autumn headline tour•
overpass and Nieve Ella have shared a new version of ‘Fall In Love’•
Pollyfromthedirt has shared ‘White Wine Vinegar’ and announced a first London headline show•
Audrey Hobert has unveiled a new video for 'Sex and the City' as she begins her headline tour•
The Dork 2025 Readers' Poll nominations are in, featuring CMAT, Turnstile, Wolf Alice, Djo, Hayley Williams and loads more•
flowerovlove has released her first-ever first Christmas track, 'wishlist'•
Mighty Hoopla and Olly Alexander have announced Trans Mission, a concert for trans solidarity•
JADE has announced a deluxe edition of her debut album, 'THAT'S SHOWBIZ BABY! THE ENCORE'•
Slayyyter has announced companion album ‘Wor$t Man in America’ for December•
Welly are going to headline a very special Dork’s Night Out at The 100 Club•
Down With Boring returns tonight with The North, plus bags of new music•
Keo have announced their 2027 UK, European and North American headline tour•
Primavera Sound Barcelona has announced its 2027 anniversary line-up•
Madra Salach have released new single ‘Ribbon Factory’•
Bleech 9:3 have dropped new track 'Tourniquet' and announced their biggest headline tour yet•
Mollie Elizabeth has announced her new EP ‘People Pleaser’ and shared ‘Kiss The Ring’•
Baby Dave and The Works have kicked off a new collaboration with ‘Wings’•
RAYE, Olivia Dean, JADE and more are set to perform at the 2026 Mercury Prize ceremony•
Fontaines D.C. have released ‘Tongue’ and its New York-shot video•
LCD Soundsystem have announced 12 New York residency shows, including their 100th•
Saint Clair have shared new single ‘Dreams’ ahead of sold-out autumn headline tour•
overpass and Nieve Ella have shared a new version of ‘Fall In Love’•
Pollyfromthedirt has shared ‘White Wine Vinegar’ and announced a first London headline show•
Audrey Hobert has unveiled a new video for 'Sex and the City' as she begins her headline tour•
The Dork 2025 Readers' Poll nominations are in, featuring CMAT, Turnstile, Wolf Alice, Djo, Hayley Williams and loads more•
flowerovlove has released her first-ever first Christmas track, 'wishlist'•
Mighty Hoopla and Olly Alexander have announced Trans Mission, a concert for trans solidarity•
JADE has announced a deluxe edition of her debut album, 'THAT'S SHOWBIZ BABY! THE ENCORE'•
Dork
News
Features
Reviews
Magazine
  • Dork
  • Popzines
Shop
Listings
Directory
Festivals
Hype-THE BEST NEW NAMES, FIRST
Upset-DORK'S HOME FOR ALL THINGS LOUD
The 19755SOSAlessi RoseArctic MonkeysArlo ParksBastillebeabadoobeeBillie EilishBleachersblink-182BlossomsBlur
Bring Me The HorizonCarly Rae JepsenCavetownChappell RoanCharli xcxCHVRCHESCMATConan GrayDeclan McKennaDjoFall Out BoyFoals
Fontaines D.C.Ghostgirl in redGlass AnimalsGorillazGracie AbramsHAIMHarry StylesHolly HumberstoneInhalerJames MarriottThe Japanese House
The Last Dinner PartyLewis CapaldiLinkin ParkLouis TomlinsonMaggie RogersMaisie PetersMUNAMy Chemical RomanceNiall HoranOasis Live '27Olivia DeanOlivia Rodrigo
Pale WavesParamorePhoebe BridgersPinkPantheressRemi WolfReneé RappSabrina CarpenterSam FenderShameSlipknotTate McRaeTaylor Swift
Twenty One PilotsWallowsWet LegWolf AliceYard ActYUNGBLUDZara Larsson
etc.
Film & TV
Gaming
Literature
Culture
Festival Guides-YOUR ESSENTIAL FESTIVAL COMPANION
Hype-THE BEST NEW NAMES, FIRST
Mixtape-DORK'S BEST NEW TRACKS
Play-DORK'S NEW MUSIC FRIDAY EDIT
Upset-DORK'S HOME FOR ALL THINGS LOUD
Playlist Covers
Playlist Directory
Recommender
Before Doors-LIVE SESSIONS
After Gates-FESTIVAL SESSIONS
Music Video Directory
Down With Boring-THE DORK PODCAST
Chart Attack-UK NUMBER ONES, DISSECTED
Dork Live
Oasis Live ’27Tickets. Dates. What’s the story?Explore the tour
Dork Radio
Live
Live 24/7
Dork Radio
Dork
Down With Boring

Join thousands of music lovers getting the best new tracks, exclusive interviews, and breaking news delivered straight to your inbox every week.

In print now

October 2026

Latest issue variants

View archive
Dork, October 2026 (Cara Delevingne cover)

Cara Delevingne

Dork, October 2026 (Keo cover)

Keo

Dork, October 2026 (Lizzy McAlpine cover)

Lizzy McAlpine

Dork, October 2026 (Tove Lo cover)

Tove Lo

Advertise|Support|About Dork|Editorial standards & corrections|Privacy Policy|Genres|Years|Sitemap|RSS|Cookie settings
© 2026 The Bunker Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.
Powered by PlaywireAdvertise on this site.
  1. Tracks
  2. Dave
  3. The Boy Who Played the Harp
  4. Selfish
Selfish by Dave

TRACK

Dave

Selfish

Release date: 23rd October 2025

From The Boy Who Played the Harp
Track 6
4:32
Hip-Hop/RapMusic
Spotify Apple Music More on Dave

About This Track

Dave and James Blake collaborate on a track that unfolds as a prolonged interrogation of self, ambition and the collateral damage of success. The song moves through a series of conditional questions, each one probing deeper into the gap between intention and impact: whether Dave's protectiveness damages those close to him, whether his pursuit of greatness has come at the cost of his relationships, whether he has become toxic to the people he loves. The architecture is relentless, a monologue that circles back to its title refrain with the weight of accumulated doubt. Blake's presence anchors the second half, offering a counterpoint to Dave's self-examination. The song touches on the specifics of a failed relationship, the regret of announcing a split via text, the compulsion to monitor an ex's social media. But these details serve a larger reckoning: Dave interrogating whether he is fundamentally broken, whether his fear of failure has actually caused it, whether peace itself is just an illusion. The final verses shift into something more vulnerable, a desire to shed the performance and offer something genuine, even if all he has to give is fractured.

"Selfish" is a track by Dave, from the album The Boy Who Played the Harp, released 23rd October 2025. The track is 4:32 long. It's filed under Hip-Hop/Rap. Full lyrics are available below. Dork has published 16 articles about Dave.

About the Artist

Dave

Dave

Lyrics

Selfish

What if I'm selfish? What if I'm the reason behind it?
What if I'm overprotective with family because of how mine is?
What if I'm jealous?
Maybe that's what's making me nervous
What if my effort of pullin' you close are pushin' you further?
What if I'm selfish?
What if the reason they call me "The Greatest"
Is also the reason that me and you livin' on different pages?
What if I'm too much?
What if I settled and I didn't fight?
What if my fear of doin' it wrong's the reason I haven't been doin' it right?
What if I'm selfish?
What if the kids just wanna be kids
And don't wanna live in and out of the news and chill
And don't even wanna be rich?
And what if I'm so self-centred that I don't even realise what I could miss?
And what if I'm, what if I'm fallin' in the abyss?
Maybe it's— (What if I'm—)
Yeah

Maybe it's dark, maybe it's day, maybe it's too many nights in L.A.​
Look at the house in Surrey and still, all of the feelings we hid in the Hills
Maybe it's you, maybe it's me, maybe the media or the provokin'
Gave you my heart, I laid it bare, funny you went and you poked it
What if it's better with me out the way? What if it's better with me out the—
Like, what if it's better with me out the way?
What if I'm poison? What if I'm cancer?
What if I'm dangerous and I'm wild?
Look in my eyes, you're seein' a child
What if he's broken? What if he's scared?
What if he's ostracised and vilified?
See, peace is just an illusion
Ain't got a home, I live in confusion
What if I'm selfish?

Forever, forever, forever
I manage the symptoms forever
You can love how you want
I know to give is no loss
Can you settle for second
And let go of your idea of heaven?
I know it's a lot
But it might be all that I've got
I wanna throw myself in
Snap off the mask
I want a clown that sings
And a love that lasts
I wanna escape the wedding
Go with you to the carriage
I wanna give you my life
Or at least somethin' to cherish
But what if I'm selfish?

I done a lot of things I regret
Like announcin' our split on a text
Don't know why, but I still buy gifts for my ex
Watchin' her stories to see if she checks
I'm a mess, I don't know if my head's in the game
She told me don't mention her name
I'm suggestin' the same, I'ma get through the pain
Wanna see the sunshine, gotta get through the rain
Bag full of trauma, I left on the train
I'm ashamed for the days that I said that I changed, I'm a cheat
Sat in a therapist chair cryin' like a baby in the middle of a Harley Street
Like I'm fightin' this sickness that I can't beat, I'm disloyal
And then I go mad, reflection tellin' me I'm just like my dad
And this white woman tellin' me it ain't so bad
Middle of my sentence she cut me off, like, "Sorry, David, we don't have any more time
Your appointment till 4 and it's 3:55"
Bruh, I feel like she wouldn't even care if I died
Man, I tried all this therapy shit, man, I tried all this therapy shit
Bruh, I know, wouldn't even say I'm depressed
But I'm low in the Grosvenor Casino in Edgware Road
I've got too many sins to atone and a voice in my head, like
At this point, like, at this point where you should've been rich, like
At this point where you should've had kids, like
At this point, should've built you a life, like
Look around you, don't you feel you're behind? Like
Look around you, don't you feel you're behind? Like
Look around you, don't you feel like, like
What if I never find love?
Don't know if it's scarier, the thought of us two together or bein' alone
I'm so used to bein' alone
What if I'm somebody nobody wants?
What if I'm damaged? Or what if I waited too long
And have mould on me? What if I'm cold on me?
What if I cut off the hand that I hold on me?
What if I'm rapidly spiralin' and tired and jaded?
Or what if I'm faded? Or what if anxiety's growin' inside me
That I might have left all my best years behind me?
Or what if I'm scared as I touch twenty-seven
That you don't appear in my idea of heaven?
Or what if I'm, what if I'm
What if I'm selfish?

Lyrics provided by LRCLIB

View full lyrics page →

Track details

From The Boy Who Played the Harp

4:322025
Listen
Album
The Boy Who Played the Harp
The Boy Who Played the Harp
Dave
24th October 2025
Track number
6
Release year
2025
  1. 1History
    4:07
  2. 2175 Months
    4:34
  3. 3No Weapons
    3:18
  4. 4Chapter 16
    6:21

More from Dave

Albums & EPs

We're All Alone In This Together
We're All Alone In This Together
2021
Souviens-toi d'aimer
Souviens-toi d'aimer
2019
J'assume tout
J'assume tout
2019
PSYCHODRAMA
PSYCHODRAMA
2019
Six Paths - EP
Six Paths - EP
2016
Doux Tam Tam
Doux Tam Tam
2004

Explore

More tracks by Dave

  1. 175 MonthsThe Boy Who Played the Harp
    4:34
  2. Atlanta Freestyle
  3. Casa Cruiz*
  4. Chapter 16The Boy Who Played the Harp
    6:21
  5. FairchildThe Boy Who Played the Harp
    5:47
  6. HistoryThe Boy Who Played the Harp
    4:07
  7. History (Vinyl Edition)
  8. MarvellousThe Boy Who Played the Harp
    3:01
  9. Midlife Crisis*
  10. My 14th Birthday

Showing 10 of 20

If you like Dave

Stormzy

Stormzy

AJ Tracey

AJ Tracey

Headie One

Headie One

Knucks

Knucks

J Hus

J Hus

Giggs

Giggs

5Raindance
3:40
  • 6Selfish
    4:32
  • 7My 27th Birthday
    7:52
  • 8Marvellous
    3:01
  • 9Fairchild
    5:47
  • 10The Boy Who Played the Harp
    4:38
  • Credits

    Production & Engineering

    Writer
    Dave, James Blake
    Lyricist
    Dave, James Blake
    Composer
    Dave, James Blake
    Producer
    Dave, James Blake
    Engineer
    James Blake, Jonny Leslie
    Additional Production
    Jo Caleb, Jonny Leslie
    Additional Programming
    Jo Caleb, Jonny Leslie
    Mastering Engineer
    Joe LaPorta
    Mixing Engineer
    David Wrench
    Piano
    James Blake
    Trautonium
    Matthias Kabel
    READ MORE ABOUT DAVEREAD MORE ABOUT DAVEREAD MORE ABOUT DAVEREAD MORE ABOUT DAVE
    READ MORE ABOUT DAVEREAD MORE ABOUT DAVEREAD MORE ABOUT DAVEREAD MORE ABOUT DAVE
    RAYE, Olivia Dean, JADE and more are set to perform at the 2026 Mercury Prize ceremony
    News

    RAYE, Olivia Dean, JADE and more are set to perform at the 2026 Mercury Prize ceremony

    Pulp to perform 'HELP(2)' tribute as full Newcastle line-up confirmed.

    1 Oct 2026 • 2:13 pm
    6 James Blake collaborations to try beyond his solo records
    Features

    6 James Blake collaborations to try beyond his solo records

    From Bon Iver to Normani, these collaborations show the different routes James Blake has taken into other artists’ worlds.

    19 Sept 2026 • 2:15 pm
    Mercury Prize has revealed this year's 12 shortlisted albums
    News

    Mercury Prize has revealed this year's 12 shortlisted albums

    Twelve albums are in the running, with the ceremony heading to Newcastle in October.

    30 Jul 2026 • 9:45 am
    Reading & Leeds rebrand stages and launch a dedicated dance arena for 2026
    News

    Reading & Leeds rebrand stages and launch a dedicated dance arena for 2026

    The main stage becomes The Grid as the festival introduces custom-built dance space The Warehouse.

    14 Jul 2026 • 9:42 pm
    Reading & Leeds has added Villanelle, Beth McCarthy and more to its 2026 bill
    News

    Reading & Leeds has added Villanelle, Beth McCarthy and more to its 2026 bill

    Dylan John Thomas and Fiona-Lee are also among the latest additions.

    3 Jun 2026 • 5:15 pm
    Joe James shares ‘Back Together’ and details his debut album, featuring Dave, Loyle Carner and Lancey Foux
    News

    Joe James shares ‘Back Together’ and details his debut album, featuring Dave, Loyle Carner and Lancey Foux

    New single 'Back Together' arrives with a black-and-white video featuring the rapper's mum.

    3 Jun 2026 • 9:31 am