Recovery
Going Through Changes
Eminem
Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis
32
End
233
Internal
87
Multi
263
Slant
6
Chain
Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Chorus: Ozzy Osbourne]
I'm going through changes✦
I'm going through changes✦
[Verse 2: Eminem]
I lock myself in the bedroom,✦ bathroom,✦ nappin'✦ at noon
Yeah, Dad's in a bad mood, he's always✦ snappin' at you
Marshall, what happened that you can't stop with these pills?
And you've fallen✦ off with your skills and your own fans are laughin' at you
It become✦ a problem you're too pussy✦ to tackle? Get up
Be a man, stand, a real man woulda✦ had this shit handled
Know you just had your heart ripped✦ out and crushed
They say Proof just flipped✦ out, homie just whipped✦ out and bust
Nah, it ain't like Doody✦ to do that, he wouldn't fuckin'✦
Shoot at nobody,✦ he'd fight first, but dwellin'
On it only✦ makes✦ the night worse, now I'm poppin'✦ Vics, Percs
And Methadone pills, "Yeah, Em, tight verse
You killed✦ it" Fuckin'✦ drug dealers hang around✦ me like yes men
And they gon' do whatever I says when I says it
It's in their best interest to protect their investment
And I just lost my fuckin'✦ best friend, so fuck it, I guess then—
[Chorus: Eminem & Ozzy Osbourne]
(I'm going through changes)✦ Don't know what I'm gonna✦ do
(I'm going through changes)✦ But I just keep on going through changes✦
[Verse 3: Eminem & Hailie Jade]
My friends can't understand this new me
That's understandable, man, but think how bananas you'd be
You'd be an animal,✦ too
If you were trapped in this fame and caged✦ in it like a zoo
And everybody's lookin'✦ at you, what you want me to do?
I'm startin'✦ to live like a recluse
And the truth is, fame's✦ startin'✦ to give me an excuse✦
To be at an all-time low; I sit alone✦ in my home theater
Watchin' the same damn DVD of the
First tour; the last tour, he was still alive✦
And it hurts so I fast forward, sleeping pills'll make me feel alright
And if I'm still awake✦ in the middle of the night
I'll just take a couple more, yeah, you're motherfuckin' right
I ain't slowin'✦ down for no one, I am almost✦ homeward bound
Almost✦ in a coma,✦ yeah homie, come on, dole 'em out
"Daddy,✦ don't you die on me (Daddy),✦ better✦ hold your ground"
Fuck, don't I know the sound of that voice? Yeah, baby,✦ hold me down (Daddy)✦
[Chorus: Eminem, Ozzy Osbourne & Hailie Jade]
(I'm going through changes)✦ (Daddy)✦ Don't know what I'm gonna✦ do
(I'm going through changes)✦ But I just keep on going through changes✦
[Verse 4: Eminem]
Wake up in the hospital, full of tubes✦
But somehow I'm pullin'✦ through
Swear when I come back I'ma✦ be bulletproof
I'ma✦ do it just for Proof, I think I should state a few
Facts, 'cause I may not get a chance again✦ to say the truth
Shit, it just hit me that what if I would not've made it through?
I think about✦ the things I woulda✦ never✦ got to say to you
I'd never✦ get to make it right, so here's✦ what I came to do
Hailie, this one is for you, Whitney and Alaina✦ too
I still love your mother,✦ that'll never✦ change
Think about✦ her every✦ day
We just could never✦ get it together, hey
Wish there was a better✦ way for me to say it
But I swear on everything,✦ I'd do anything✦ for her on any✦ day
There are just too many✦ things to explain
When it rains, guess it pours — yes, it does
Wish there wasn't any✦ pain, but I can't pretend there ain't
I ain't placin'✦ any✦ blame
I ain't pointin' fingers, Heaven✦ knows I never✦ been a saint
I know that it feels like we just pissed✦ away✦ our history
And just today✦ I looked✦ at your picture, almost✦ if to say
I miss you subconsciously, wish it didn't end this way
But I just had to get away,✦ don't know why, I don't know what else to say
I guess I'm—
[Chorus: Eminem & Ozzy Osbourne]
(I'm going through changes)✦ Don't know what I'm gonna✦ do
(I'm going through changes)✦ But I just keep on going through changes✦
Technical Breakdown
8.5
Multisyllabic Rhymes9.5
Complexity of rhyme schemes (data-driven)
Internal Rhymes9.5
Rhymes within a line (data-driven)
Wordplay / Double Entendres7.5
Clever language, metaphors, punchlines
Cadence / Rhythm8.0
Flow variation and timing (data-driven)
Vocabulary Complexity8.0
Range and depth of words used (data-driven)
Delivery / Breath Control9.0
Performance and control
Computed Score8.50
Production
— Emile Haynie [2, 3, 4, 6]Be the first to rate the production
Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™
The verse utilizes internal, claustrophobic rhyme structures to mimic the narrator's psychological entrapment, prioritizing raw, confessional delivery over complex wordplay to ground the emotional stakes of grief and addiction.
A
9.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
8
Cadence / Flow
8
Vocabulary
7.5
Wordplay
9
Delivery
Internal rhyme stackingConversational stream-of-consciousnessDynamic tone shiftingMulti-syllabic enjambment
Rhyme Architecture: A high-density AAAA internal scheme that relies on heavy vowel assonance (o-oo-u-a) to create a cyclical, obsessive cadence that mirrors the narrator's deteriorating mental state.
Verified Doubles & Entendres
"protect their investment"
① Drug dealers protecting the financial profit they make from Eminem's addiction.② The commodification of Eminem as an artist/brand where his health is secondary to his output.
"they gon' do whatever I says when I says it"
① Literal obedience by enablers/dealers to the narrator's demands.② A dark irony where the artist believes he is in control, while in reality, his addiction dictates his actions.
Exceptional emotional resonance through vocal inflection
Cohesive narrative arc regarding personal loss
Seamless blending of internal dialogue with external confrontation
Occasional reliance on colloquial filler phrases to maintain rhyme count
Narrative transparency limits the potential for deeper metaphorical complexity