Khalid’s “Hundred” Lyrics Meaning

The message behind Khalid’s “Hundred” is an admonishment for listeners to keep themselves composed and focused throughout the numerous concerns we face in life. And the word “hundred”, which serves as the title of the track, is used in different contexts throughout. However, it primarily serves as an adjective to describe the multitude of aforementioned obligations Khalid in particular has to deal with.  And as such, he is not privy to give in to distractions.

Amongst these potential setbacks are friends and other people who do not have Khalid’s best interests in mind. The negativity of these individuals, as well as his own associated thought processes, sometimes causes the American Teen to feel stifled and challenged. But ultimately he does not let such interactions knock him off balance. Instead he stays focused on the “hundred things (he has to) do today” while simultaneously acknowledging that circumstances will not always be ideal.

In the second verse, Khalid stays on the theme of staying committed and optimistic towards reaching goals. Once again he also brings up other people with distracting personalities, even classifying some as “enemies”. But Khalid understands that life has such inherent, unavoidable challenges.

Throughout most of the track, Khalid addresses the audience from a first-person perspective. However, it is during the bridge that he switches to the third person and begins directly advising the audience.  And what he is telling us – just as he has basically been instructing himself throughout the song – is to maintain composure, stand firm and keep focused in the face of challenges.

In the outro, which is the longest section of the song, Khalid starts to use the word hundred in different ways than he had prior. However, what it basically boils down to is an appreciation of life. But more-notably he concludes that many of his “hundred friends” aren’t actually so, and as such, he would be better off without them.