Encore
Yellow Brick Road
Eminem
Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis
51
End
256
Internal
100
Multi
383
Slant
25
Chain
Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Chorus: Eminem]
So, let's go back, follow✦ the yellow✦ brick road
As we go on another✦ episode✦
Journey✦ with me as I take you through this nifty✦ little place
That I once used✦ to call home sweet home
Come on, let's go back, follow✦ the yellow✦ brick road
As we go on another✦ episode✦
Journey✦ with me as I take you through this nifty✦ little place
That I once used✦ to call home sweet home
[Bridge: Eminem]
I'd roam the streets so much they called✦ me a drifter
Sometimes I'd stick up a thumb just to hitchhike
Just to get picked✦ up to get me a lift to
8 Mile and Van Dyke or steal a goddamn✦ bike
From somebody's backyard, and drop it off at the park
That was the halfway✦ mark, to meet Kim had to walk
Back to her mama's✦ on Chalmers after✦ dark
To sneak me in the house when I'm kicked✦ out my mom's
That's about✦ the time I first met Proof
With Goofy✦ Gary✦ on the steps at Osborn, handin'✦ out some flyers
We was doin' some talent shows at Center✦ Line High
I told him to stop by and check us out sometime✦
He looked✦ at me like I'm out my mind
Shook his head like, "White boys don't know how to rhyme."
I spit out a line and rhymed✦ "birthday"✦ with "first place"
And we both had the same rhymes✦ that sound alike✦
We was on the same shit, that Big Daddy✦ Kane shit
Where compound syllables sound combined
From that day we was down to ride
Somehow we knew we'd meet again✦ somewhere down the line
[Chorus: Eminem]
So, let's go back, follow✦ the yellow✦ brick road
As we go on another✦ episode✦
Journey✦ with me as I take you through this nifty✦ little place
That I once used✦ to call home sweet home
Come on, let's go back, follow✦ the yellow✦ brick road
As we go on another✦ episode✦
Journey✦ with me as I take you through this nifty✦ little place
That I once used✦ to call home sweet home
[Verse 2: Eminem]
My first year in 9th grade, can't forget✦ that day at school
It was cool 'til your man MC Shan came through
He said that Puma's✦ the brand ‘cause the Klan makes✦ Troops
It was rumors, but man, goddamn,✦ they flew
Musta✦ been true, because man, we done banned✦ they shoes
I had the new ones,✦ the Cool J Ice Lamb, suede too
But we just threw 'em in the trash like they yesterday's news
Guess who came through next? X Clan debuted
Professor X (Vanglorious!)
"Exist✦ in a state of red, black and green, with a key, sissies!"
Now with this bein' the new trend, we don't fit in
Crackas is out with Cactus✦ Albums, blackness is in
African symbols and medallions represent Black Power✦
And we ain't know what it meant, me and my man Howard✦
And Butter✦ would go to the mall
With 'em all over✦ our necks like we're showin'✦ 'em off
Not knowin'✦ at all we was bein' laughed at
"You ain't even✦ half black!
You ain't 'posed✦ to have that, homie, let me grab that!
And that Flavor✦ Flav clock, we gon' have to snatch that!"
All I remember is meetin'✦ back at
Manix's basement, sayin' how we hate this
How racist✦ but dope the X Clan's tape is
Which reminds me, back in '89, me
And Kim broke up for the first time; she was tryin' to two-time✦ me
And there was this black girl at our school, who thought I was cool
‘Cause I rapped,✦ so she was kinda✦ eyein' me
And oh the irony,✦ guess what her name was?
Ain't even✦ gonna✦ say it, plus
The same color✦ hair as hers was and blue contacts
And a pair of jugs, the bombest goddamn✦ girl in our whole school
If I could pull her, not only✦ would I become✦ more popular
But I would be able to piss Kim off at the same time
But it backfired
I was supposed to dump her but she dumped✦ me for this black guy
And that's the last I ever✦ seen or heard
Or spoke to the "Ole Foolish Pride" girl, but I've heard
People say they heard the tape and it ain't that bad
But it was: I singled out a whole race
And for that I apologize, I was wrong
‘Cause no matter✦ what color✦ a girl is, she's still a—
[Chorus: Eminem]
So, let's go back, follow✦ the yellow✦ brick road
As we go on another✦ episode✦
Journey✦ with me as I take you through this nifty✦ little place
That I once used✦ to call home sweet home
Come on, let's go back, follow✦ the yellow✦ brick road
As we go on another✦ episode✦
Journey✦ with me as I take you through this nifty✦ little place
That I once used✦ to call home sweet home
[Outro: Debbie Mathers]
Fuck out of my house, you fuckin'✦ pieces✦ of shit!
Get the fuck out of my house, you stupid✦ fucker!✦
You son of a bitch!
Technical Breakdown
8.6
Multisyllabic Rhymes8.5
Complexity of rhyme schemes (data-driven)
Internal Rhymes9.5
Rhymes within a line (data-driven)
Wordplay / Double Entendres6.5
Clever language, metaphors, punchlines
Cadence / Rhythm10.0
Flow variation and timing (data-driven)
Vocabulary Complexity7.0
Range and depth of words used (data-driven)
Delivery / Breath Control8.0
Performance and control
Computed Score8.63
Production
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Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™
The verse functions as a masterclass in narrative continuity, using a conversational, rhythmic autobiography that prioritizes atmospheric storytelling and precise temporal mapping over abstract metaphor.
A
8.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
10
Cadence / Flow
7
Vocabulary
6.5
Wordplay
8
Delivery
Narrative autobiographyInternal rhyme stackingConversational cadenceTemporal anchoringMultisyllabic enjambment
Rhyme Architecture: Uses highly dense, repetitive multisyllabic clusters (e.g., 'drifter/hitchhike/lift to') integrated into a long-form, conversational flow that maintains a consistent pocket despite the irregular sentence lengths.
Verified Doubles & Entendres
"I'd roam the streets so much they called me a drifter / Sometimes I'd stick up a thumb just to hitchhike"
① A literal description of Eminem's adolescent experience of being homeless and transient.② A play on the 'drifter' archetype in hip-hop mythology, repurposed as a grounded, real-world admission of instability.
"The halfway mark, to meet Kim had to walk / Back to her mama's on Chalmers after dark"
① A geographic description of his route between locations in Detroit.② A symbolic 'halfway' point in his life arc, representing the transition between his childhood environment and the emergence of his adult identity.
Exceptional rhythmic integration of conversational vernacular
Strong structural arc transitioning from setting the scene to key biographical milestones
Compelling emotional resonance through specific location-based storytelling
Minimal reliance on complex wordplay or abstract metaphors
Over-reliance on literal description rather than linguistic flair
Some phrasing feels utilitarian to facilitate rhyme progression