Parks grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, US, where she "messed around with instruments in the house" and took up violin in the fourth grade, eventually teaching herself how to play the instrument by ear. When she discovered the violin playing style of Northeast Africa, her eyes opened to the possibilities of the instrument. "The way they played it was different from classical music. I resonated with the style, and I was like, 'Maybe I can use this style with electronic music,'" she says. She has released two projects to date, including the self-titled Sudan Archives in July 2017, and Sink in 2018, both on Stones Throw Records.
Selfish Soul
Sudan Archives Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Back long, back time like way before
If I wear it straight will they like me more?
Like those girls on front covers
Long hair make 'em stay little longer
Stay here, stay straight though we feel ashamed
By the curls, waves and natural things
Curls, waves and natural things
Okay, one time if I grow it long
Am I good enough, am I good enough?
'Bout time I embrace myself and soul
Time I feed my selfish soul
It's been so long since I had a sew in
With a frontal and some color
If I cut it all off, will it even grow?
It'll grow back real long
Gotta prove 'em all wrong
I don't want no struggles, I don't want no fears
I don't want no struggles, I don't want no fears
I don't want no struggles, I don't want no
Does it make sense to you
Why I cut it off?
Okay, one time if I grow it long
Am I good enough, am I good enough?
'Bout time I embrace myself and soul
Time I feed my selfish soul
Met a nigga last year, Jimmy Mack was his name
And he told me that he wanna go and ride
I was worried 'bout the clip-ins in my hair coming out
Couldn't even catch a vibe
Hope he still loves me if he knows that this weave is getting old
The extension that I had to offer
He said, "Baby, don't you bother"
But when it's gone just don't act surprised
'Cause I don't want no struggles, I don't want no fears
I don't want no struggles, I don't want no fears
I don't want no struggles, I don't want no
Does it make sense to you (ayy)
Why I cut it off? (Ayy)
Okay, one time if I grow it long
Am I good enough? Am I good enough?
'Bout time I embrace myself and soul (ayy, ayy, ayy)
Time I feed my selfish soul
In Sudan Archives's song Selfish Soul, the artist reflects on her personal struggles with self-acceptance and internalized societal beauty standards. The lyrics express how she has continuously altered her appearance in order to conform to society's expectations of the "perfect" look, questioning her own sense of worth if she were to let go of these societal pressures. She sings about cutting off her hair and hoping it grows back long, potentially emulating a time when she felt more desirable, and wondering if embracing her natural self will be enough.
The lyrics also explore the complexities of romantic relationships and how physical appearance plays a role in them. The artist brings up her own anxiety about her extensions coming out while riding with a love interest, fearing that he will no longer find her attractive. Ultimately, the song is about self-discovery, self-love, and the journey towards being comfortable in one's own skin, even if it means going against societal norms.
Line by Line Meaning
If I cut my hair, hope I grow it long
I hope cutting my hair and letting it grow long will give me a new start.
Back long, back time like way before
I want to go back to a time when my hair was long and carefree.
If I wear it straight will they like me more?
I wonder if people will accept me more if I straighten my hair.
Like those girls on front covers
I see society's beauty standards portrayed by girls on magazine covers that look nothing like me.
Long hair make 'em stay little longer
Having long hair may make people stay in your life longer.
Stay here, stay straight though we feel ashamed
We feel ashamed of our natural curls and waves, but try to straighten our hair to fit in.
By the curls, waves and natural things
Our natural curls, waves and hair are unique and something to be embraced.
Okay, one time if I grow it long
If I give growing my hair long one more try.
Am I good enough, am I good enough?
Am I enough as I am, without changing my appearance?
'Bout time I embrace myself and soul
It's time to love and accept myself for who I am.
Time I feed my selfish soul
It's time to take care of myself and do what makes me happy.
It's been so long since I had a sew in
It's been a while since I've had a weave sewn into my hair.
With a frontal and some color
With a hairpiece that covers the front hairline and some hair dye.
If I cut it all off, will it even grow?
If I chop off all my hair, will it even grow back?
It'll grow back real long
If my hair does grow back, it will be very long.
Gotta prove 'em all wrong
I need to prove those who doubt me wrong and show them I can rock my natural hair.
I don't want no struggles, I don't want no fears
I don't want to struggle or fear being myself.
Does it make sense to you
Can you understand why I made this decision?
Why I cut it off?
Why did I cut off my hair?
Met a nigga last year, Jimmy Mack was his name
I met a person named Jimmy Mack last year.
And he told me that he wanna go and ride
He said he wanted to go for a ride with me.
I was worried 'bout the clip-ins in my hair coming out
I was concerned that the extensions clipped into my hair would come out during the ride.
Couldn't even catch a vibe
I was too preoccupied and couldn't properly enjoy the moment.
Hope he still loves me if he knows that this weave is getting old
I hope he will still accept and care for me even if he knows I am wearing an old weave.
The extension that I had to offer
The hair extensions that I had to offer seemed to be not that great.
He said, "Baby, don't you bother"
He reassured me to not worry about it.
But when it's gone just don't act surprised
However, when the weave is eventually taken out, he should not be surprised with my natural hair.
Ayy
Ad lib vocalization.
Bout time I embrace myself and soul
It is high time I begin to accept and celebrate who I am.
Time I feed my selfish soul
It is time for me to focus on my own wants and needs.
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: Ben Dickey, Brittney Parks, Dexter Story
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind