Dork and Glass Animals have announced a one-night-only ‘How To Be A Human Being’ anniversary party•

Stella Lefty has announced her debut album 'Long Way Home'•

venbee has announced her new EP 'back to the drawing board' with 'stars (john's local)'•

HMLTD have returned with their confrontational new single 'Blitzkrieg'•

Slayyyter is buying herself out of heartbreak with 'brand new chanel$'•

Remi Wolf has returned with buttless banger 'Twiggy'•

Keo have packed out a Manchester skatepark for their new 'Pistol' video•

Rachel Chinouriri has announced her second album 'I think I spoke too soon'•

Mercury Prize has revealed this year's 12 shortlisted albums•

Do Nothing question life on autopilot with their new single 'Act Natural'•

Robyn has released a new version of 'Talk To Me' with Zara Larsson•

Dua Lipa's London Literature Festival has revealed its full programme•

Down With Boring reports in from Dork's Latitude 2026 takeover•

NCT 127 have announced their seventh full-length album 'BLINGY'•

Nieve Ella has announced her debut album 'How Long Will It Take?'•

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 and Glass Animals have announced a one-night-only ‘How To Be A Human Being’ anniversary party•

Stella Lefty has announced her debut album 'Long Way Home'•

venbee has announced her new EP 'back to the drawing board' with 'stars (john's local)'•

HMLTD have returned with their confrontational new single 'Blitzkrieg'•

Slayyyter is buying herself out of heartbreak with 'brand new chanel$'•

Remi Wolf has returned with buttless banger 'Twiggy'•

Keo have packed out a Manchester skatepark for their new 'Pistol' video•

Rachel Chinouriri has announced her second album 'I think I spoke too soon'•

Mercury Prize has revealed this year's 12 shortlisted albums•

Do Nothing question life on autopilot with their new single 'Act Natural'•

Robyn has released a new version of 'Talk To Me' with Zara Larsson•

Dua Lipa's London Literature Festival has revealed its full programme•

Down With Boring reports in from Dork's Latitude 2026 takeover•

NCT 127 have announced their seventh full-length album 'BLINGY'•

Nieve Ella has announced her debut album 'How Long Will It Take?'•

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'•

Hype-THE BEST NEW NAMES, FIRST

Upset-DORK'S HOME FOR ALL THINGS LOUD

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

Before Doors-LIVE SESSIONS

After Gates-FESTIVAL SESSIONS

Music Video Directory

Down With Boring-THE DORK PODCAST

Chart Attack-UK NUMBER ONES, DISSECTED

Dork Radio

Live

Live 24/7

Dork Radio

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

August 2026

Latest issue variants

Dork, August 2026 (Fat Dog cover)

Fat Dog

Dork, August 2026 (Ravyn Lenae cover)

Ravyn Lenae

Dork, August 2026 (Yard Act cover)

Yard Act

Advertise|Support|About Dork|Privacy Policy|Genres|Years|Sitemap|RSS|Cookie settings

© 2026 The Bunker Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.

Advertise on this site.

SZA – Prom (2017) | Track profile | Dork

Tracks
SZA
Ctrl
Prom

TRACK

Prom

Release date: 8th June 2017

From Ctrl

Track 5

3:16

R&B/Soul Music Contemporary R&B

Spotify Apple Music More on SZA

About This Track

The fifth track on 'Ctrl' carries a pop-disco sound that recalls SZA's earlier EPs, a bright production choice that frames a lyric preoccupied with arrested development. She addresses a partner who waits whilst she fails to grow at the expected pace, the chorus a repeated plea not to take her shortcomings personally. The verses catalogue small failures of adulthood: forgetting to ring her mother, living too much in the present to think about consequences, the shame of knowing better but not yet doing better.

SZA credits herself in the lyric, singing 'Promise to get a little / Better as I get older / And you're so patient / And sick of waiting'. The prom of the title functions as metaphor, the last big event before graduation, the moment when living for now collides with the future you've been ignoring. The production stays buoyant even as the subject matter turns inward, the tension between sound and sentiment doing much of the song's work.

"Prom" is a track by SZA, from the album Ctrl, released 8th June 2017. The track is 3:16 long. It's filed under R&B/Soul. Full lyrics are available below. Dork has published 20 articles about SZA.

About the Artist

SZA

SZA

Lyrics

Prom

Fearing not growing up
Keeping me up at night
Am I doing enough?
Feel like I'm wasting time

Promise to get a little
Better as I get older
And you're so patient
And sick of waiting
Promise to do better
Shoulda coulda
Prolly wanna let me go
But you can't, oh
Right now I feel it pouring
I need a little bit
Just a little bit
Just a little bit
Right now I feel it pouring
I need a little bit
Just a little bit
Just a little bit

Please don't take it, don't take it personal
Like I know you usually do
Please don't take it, don't take it personal
Like I know you usually do
Please, please
Don't take it personal
Don't take it personal
Darling, like I know you will

Forget to call your mama on the weekend
You should put yourself in time out
Shame, shame on you
But lately you've been feeling so good
I forget my future, never pull out
Shame, shame on me
Baby the money'll make it easier for me
To run and hide out somewhere
So far away
Hopping through poppy fields
Dodging evil witches
These houses keep dropping everywhere

Promise to get a little
Better as I get older
And you're so patient
And sick of waiting
Promise to do better
Shoulda coulda
Prolly wanna let me go
But you can't, oh
Right now I feel it pouring
I need a little bit
Just a little bit
Just a little bit
Right now it's really pouring
I need a little bit
Just a little bit
Just a little bit

Please don't take it, don't take it personal
Like I know you usually do
Please don't take it, take it personal
Like I know you usually do

Like winters fall on us, heavy
Take it off me, all it off
Winter, I can't stand this
Snow is falling all on me

Lyrics provided by LRCLIB

View full lyrics page →

Track details

From Ctrl

3:162017

Listen

Album

Track number

5

Release year

2017

1Supermodel
3:01
3Doves In The Wind (feat. Kendrick Lamar)
4:26
4Drew Barrymore
3:51
5Prom
3:16

More from SZA

Albums & EPs

SOS Deluxe: LANA

SOS Deluxe: LANA

Saturn - Single

Saturn - Single

Kill Bill - Single

Kill Bill - Single

SOS

Ctrl (Deluxe)

Explore

More tracks by SZA

One More Time*SZA3*

Die for You (Solo Version)

luther (Acoustic)

Camp Freestyle*

Time Will Reveal*SZA3*

View all tracks by SZA →

BOY IN RED
3:10
girl, get up.
Bell Atlantic
Call Me Back
Camp Freestyle*
ChoiceSZA3*
Collect
Die for You (Solo Version)
Drill Me*
Fantasize*

Showing 10 of 20

If you like SZA

Summer Walker

Summer Walker

Doja Cat

Doja Cat

Kali Uchis

Kali Uchis

Jhené Aiko

Jhené Aiko

Victoria Monét

Victoria Monét

Mariah the Scientist

Mariah the Scientist

8Garden (Say It Like Dat)

11Wavy (Interlude) [feat. James Fauntleroy]

13Pretty Little Birds (feat. Isaiah Rashad)

—Wavy (Interlude)

—Doves in the Wind

—Pretty Little Birds

Credits

Production & Engineering

Writer: Carter Lang, SZA, The Antydote
Producer: The Antydote
Engineer: Prophit
Additional Production: Carter Lang
Mastering Engineer: Mike Bozzi
Mixing Engineer: MixedByAli
Recording Engineer: Hector Castro

READ MORE ABOUT SZA

READ MORE ABOUT SZA

READ MORE ABOUT SZA

READ MORE ABOUT SZA

READ MORE ABOUT SZA

READ MORE ABOUT SZA

READ MORE ABOUT SZA

READ MORE ABOUT SZA

Steve Lacy has teamed up with SZA on new single 'is it cool?'

Steve Lacy has teamed up with SZA on new single 'is it cool?'

The R&B collaborators link up ahead of his album 'Oh yeah?'.

29 Jun 2026 • 9:30 am

Kacey Musgraves has given SZA’s ‘Kill Bill’ a country twist in a BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge session

Kacey Musgraves has given SZA’s ‘Kill Bill’ a country twist in a BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge session

'Middle of Nowhere' arrives on 1st May through Lost Highway Records.

25 Apr 2026 • 7:54 pm

It feels like SZA could do anything next, as she takes on London's O2 Arena

It feels like SZA could do anything next, as she takes on London's O2 Arena

There’s a pop dungeon where artists live, sometimes for years, where they say, “it’s coming!” about an album that’s in the works (ahem, Rihanna, ahem, Sky Ferreira). SZA did a stint down there after releasing her cult and critical fave debut ‘Ctrl’ in 2017.

21 Jun 2023 • 10:51 am

SZA - SOS

SZA - SOS

A great leap forward from now indisputable pop superstar.

15 Jan 2023 • 5:56 pm

SZA has shared her vengeful new video for 'Kill Bill'

SZA has shared her vengeful new video for 'Kill Bill'

The clip follows SZA as she exacts her revenge on her ex-boyfriend.

11 Jan 2023 • 10:26 am

SZA is teasing a new video for ‘SOS’ track ‘Kill Bill’

SZA is teasing a new video for ‘SOS’ track ‘Kill Bill’

A 20 second clip appears to be heavily influenced by the Quentin Tarantino film of the same name.

30 Dec 2022 • 1:47 pm