
Why Sam Smith saved ‘To Be Free’ from the ‘Gloria’ sessions, and what its rivers mean
Written during the ‘Gloria’ period but held back for five years, ‘To Be Free’ became a personal marker for Sam Smith before finding its place on ‘Hazel Eyes’.
Tickets. Dates. What’s the story?Explore the tour About This Track
A response to the breakdown of his parents' marriage, 'Scars' finds Sam Smith writing with unusual directness about how his mother and father navigated the separation and, in doing so, helped him heal. The song moves between addresses to each parent, offering praise for their handling of a difficult situation and their role in mending what the split had fractured in him. It is, by his own account, the most raw and honest song he has written. The track builds its emotional weight through repetition and restraint. The chorus circles back to a single idea: that parental love has cleared up his scars. There is no melodrama here, no reaching for easy catharsis. Instead, Smith lets the plainness of the sentiment do the work, the song structured as a letter of gratitude to two people who chose to put their children's wellbeing ahead of their own pain.
"Scars" is a track by Sam Smith, from the album The Thrill of It All, released 3rd November 2017. It's filed under Pop. Full lyrics are available below. Dork has published 20 articles about Sam Smith.
About the Artist
Lyrics
Lyrics provided by LRCLIB
View full lyrics page →Track details
More from Sam Smith
Explore
Showing 10 of 20
Credits

Written during the ‘Gloria’ period but held back for five years, ‘To Be Free’ became a personal marker for Sam Smith before finding its place on ‘Hazel Eyes’.

From Bring Me The Horizon’s ‘1x1’ to their Doechii cover, these are the Nova Twins releases that sit outside their three-album catalogue.

Sam Smith’s 2025 Castro Theatre residency announcement joined a song about personal freedom to a neighbourhood with a long queer political and cultural history.

Four Kim Petras team-ups that run from Charli xcx’s ‘Pop 2’ to 2026 album preview ‘Jeep’.

A federal judge has denied Sam Smith and Normani’s bid to dismiss a lawsuit alleging their 2019 hit copied a 2015 song’s hook.

Released in 2024, Sam Smith’s expanded debut adds the previously unreleased ‘Little Sailor’, live performances and collaborations to the record’s original 10 songs.