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  1. Tracks
  2. Khalid
  3. Free Spirit
  4. Self
Self by Khalid

SINGLE

Khalid

Self

Release date: 4th April 2019

From Free Spirit
Track 14
3:50
R&B/SoulMusic
Spotify Apple Music More on Khalid

About This Track

Khalid turns inward on 'Self', a track built around the friction between public composure and private doubt. He sketches a portrait of a man at odds with himself, someone who has learned to suppress vulnerability as a form of control. The song moves between bluesy restraint and moments of falsetto release, the production space itself becoming a mirror for that internal division. The lyrics circle around self-examination as both necessity and burden. Khalid questions whether emotional openness diminishes him, whether raw feeling is weakness, and whether the work of self-improvement is really about growth or just another form of performance. There is no easy resolution here, only the acknowledgement that competing against yourself is a losing game. The track, co-written with RØMANS and produced by Hit-Boy, sits at the heart of the album's project: the slow, unglamorous business of learning to live with yourself.

"Self" is a single by Khalid, from the album Free Spirit, released 4th April 2019. The track is 3:50 long. It's filed under R&B/Soul. Full lyrics are available below. Dork has published 3 articles about Khalid.

About the Artist

Khalid

Khalid

Lyrics

Self

I've ran away from love
It's gettin' hard for me to breathe
'Cause the man that I've been runnin' from is inside of me
I tell him, "Keep it quiet"
So all he does is speak
'Cause he wants to keep his distance
But it's hard for him to leave

He knows I hear him cryin'
Cryin' out for help
I don't know how to save him
I can't even save myself
There's many people dyin'
I've always been afraid
Not that I'm scared of livin'
I'm scared of feeling pain

I don't need another hand, I need a couple suggestions
Always had a little trouble with self-reflections
Now, does my raw emotion make me less of a man? Hm
Always had a little trouble with self-reflections

I've been so used to winnin'
It was hard for me to lose
No, there's nothing wrong with me
There's just something wrong with you
So I've been making changes
Been workin' on my health
No more competition
Can't compete against myself, no, no, no
I'm not doin' this to be loved, no, no
I've been doin' this to be remembered
Let the people hear if they want to
All the one's around me gettin' onto
If I die tomorrow and I'm gone na-ah
Let the blood run high
Let the carpets drown
I'll be forever numb

I don't need another hand, I need a couple suggestions
Always had a little trouble with self-reflections
Now, does my raw emotion make me less of a man? Hm
Always had a little trouble with self-reflections
I don't need another hand, I need a couple suggestions
Always had a little trouble with self-reflections
Now, does my raw emotion make me less of a man? Hm
Always had a little trouble with self-reflections

Let this be our problems
That one day's said and done
Be a flower in a garden
Be born with the sun
Be born with the sun
Be born with the sun
Be born with the sun
Be born with the sun

Lyrics provided by LRCLIB

View full lyrics page →

Track details

From Free Spirit

3:502019Single
Listen
Album
Free Spirit
Free Spirit
Khalid
5th April 2019
Track number
14
Release year
2019
  1. 1Intro
    3:32
  2. 2Bad Luck
    3:52
  3. 3My Bad
    2:44
  4. 6Right Back
    3:35

More from Khalid

Albums & EPs

after the sun goes down
after the sun goes down
2025
Sincere (Deluxe)
Sincere (Deluxe)
2024
Sincere
Sincere
2024
Scenic Drive (The Tape)
Scenic Drive (The Tape)
2021
Suncity
Suncity
2018
American Teen
American Teen
2017

Explore

More tracks by Khalid

  1. Save My Love - MEDUZA Remix
    2:31
  2. angel boyafter the sun goes down
    3:00
  3. Chori Chupke
  4. Dive Into Me
  5. dumbstruckafter the sun goes down
    2:40
  6. hurt peopleafter the sun goes down
    4:29
  7. impulsiveafter the sun goes down
    2:42
  8. in plain sightafter the sun goes down
    2:25
  9. instantafter the sun goes down
    3:52
  10. Last Christmas
    3:07

Showing 10 of 20

If you like Khalid

Bazzi

Bazzi

Josh Levi

Josh Levi

Normani

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Alina Baraz

Alina Baraz

Amber Mark

Amber Mark

Chlöe

Chlöe

8Paradise
2:54
  • 9Hundred
    4:37
  • 10Outta My Head (with John Mayer)
    2:57
  • 11Free Spirit
    3:02
  • 12Twenty One
    3:04
  • 13Bluffin'
    3:19
  • 14Self
    3:50
  • 15Alive
    2:57
  • 16Heaven
    3:33
  • —Outta My Head
  • —Talk
  • —Don't Pretend

    • Credits

    Production & Engineering

    Writer
    Hit-Boy, Khalid, NITNEQ, RØMANS
    Composer
    Hit-Boy, Khalid, RØMANS
    Producer
    Hit-Boy
    Mastering Engineer
    Dale Becker
    Mixing Engineer
    Denis Kosiak, Jon Castelli
    Recording Engineer
    Denis Kosiak
    READ MORE ABOUT KHALIDREAD MORE ABOUT KHALIDREAD MORE ABOUT KHALIDREAD MORE ABOUT KHALID
    READ MORE ABOUT KHALIDREAD MORE ABOUT KHALIDREAD MORE ABOUT KHALIDREAD MORE ABOUT KHALID
    West London’s new British Airways ARC venue has revealed its first shows with Self Esteem, McFly and more
    News

    West London’s new British Airways ARC venue has revealed its first shows with Self Esteem, McFly and more

    The 3800-capacity Kensington venue confirms its opening run of live dates.

    19 Mar 2026 • 10:50 am
    Dove Cameron and Khalid have joined forces for their new single, ‘We Go Down Together’
    News

    Dove Cameron and Khalid have joined forces for their new single, ‘We Go Down Together’

    It's Dove's first release since the 'Girl Like Me' EP.

    10 Feb 2023 • 5:27 pm
    Ed Sheeran has announced new North America tour dates for 2023, with special guests including Maisie Peters, Dylan & more
    News

    Ed Sheeran has announced new North America tour dates for 2023, with special guests including Maisie Peters, Dylan & more

    Khalid, Russ, Rosa Linn, and Cat Burns will also join Ed on the road next summer.

    4 Oct 2022 • 8:42 am