The Marshall Mathers LP 2
Rhyme or Reason
Eminem
Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis
34
End
213
Internal
94
Multi
318
Slant
16
Chain
Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Chorus]
Now sometimes when I'm sleepin'
She comes✦ to me in my dreams
Is she taken?✦ Is she mine?
Don't got time, don't care, don't have two shits to give
Let me take you by the hand to promised✦ land
And threaten everyone✦
'Cause there's✦ no rhyme or no reason✦ for nothing✦
[Post-Chorus: Sample + Eminem]
("Now, what's your name?") Marshall
("Who's your daddy?")✦ I don’t know him, but I wonder—✦
("Is he rich like me?") Ha
("Has he taken✦ any✦ time to show you what you need to live?")
[Verse 2]
No, if he had
He wouldn't have ended✦ up in these rhymes✦ on my pad
I wouldn't be so mad, my attitude wouldn't be so bad
Yeah, Dad, I'm the epitome and the prime
Example of what happens✦ when the power✦ of the rhyme
Falls into✦ the wrong hands and
Makes✦ you want to get up and start dancin'✦
Even✦ if it is Charles Manson✦
Who just happens✦ to be rappin',✦ blue lights flashin'
Laughin' all the way to the bank, lampin'✦ in my K-Mart mansion✦
I’m in the style department
With a pile in my cart, rippin'✦ the aisle apart✦ but
With great power✦ comes✦
Absolutely✦ no responsibility for content
Completely✦ despondent and condescending
The king of nonsense and controversy is on a
Beat-killing spree, Your Honor
I must plead guilty,✦ 'cause I sparked a revolution✦
Rebel✦ without✦ a cause who caused✦ the evolution✦
Of rap, to take it to the next level,✦ boost it
But several rebuked it, and whoever✦ produced it
("Hip-hop is the Devil's music")
Does that mean it belongs to me?
'Cause I just happen✦ to be a white honky✦ devil✦ with two horns
That don't honk but every✦ time I speak you hear a beep
But lyrically I never✦ hear a peep, not even✦ a whisper
Rappers better✦ stay clear of me, bitch, 'cause it's the—
[Chorus]
It's the time of the season✦
When hate runs high
And this time, I won't give it to you easy✦
When I take back what's mine
With pleasured hands
And torture everyone,✦ that is my plan
My job here isn't done
'Cause there's✦ no rhyme or no reason✦ for nothing✦
[Post-Chorus: Sample + Eminem]
("What's your name?") Shady✦
("Who's your daddy?")✦ I don’t give a fuck, but I wonder✦
("Is he rich like me?") Doubt it, ha
("Has he taken✦ any✦ time to show you what you need to live?")
[Verse 3]
So, yeah, Dad, let's walk
Let's have us a father-and-son talk
But I bet we wouldn't probably get one block
Without✦ me knocking your block off, this is all your fault
Maybe that's why I'm so bananas I appealed to all those walks
Of life, whoever✦ had strife
Maybe that's what dad and son talks are like
'Cause I related to the struggles of young America
When their fucking parents were unaware of their troubles
Now they're rippin'✦ out their fuckin'✦ hair again,✦ it's hysterical
I chuckle as everybody bloodies their bare knuckles
Yeah, uh-oh, better✦ beware,✦ knuckle heads
The sign of my hustle says:
"Don't knock”, the door's broken,✦ it won't lock
It might just fly open,✦ get cold-cocked
You critics come to pay me a visit?✦
Misery✦ loves✦ company, please stay a minute✦
Kryptonite✦ to a hypocrite✦
Zip your lip if you dish it but can't take it
Too busy✦ gettin'✦ stoned✦ in your glass house
To kick rocks, then you wonder✦ why I lash out
Mr. Mathers✦ as advertised✦ on the flyers, so spread the word
'Cause I'm promoting my passion✦ 'til I'm passed✦ out
Completely✦ brain-dead:✦ Rain Man
Doing a Bankhead✦ in a restraint chair
So, bitch, shoot me a look, it better✦ be a blank stare
Or get shanked in the pancreas
I'm angrier than all eight other✦ reindeer
Put together with Chief Keef 'cause I hate every✦ fuckin'✦ thang, yeah
Even✦ this rhyme, bitch
And quit tryin' look for a fuckin'✦ reason✦ for it that ain't there
But I still am a "Criminal"
Ten-year-old degenerate grabbin' on my genitals
The last Mathers✦ LP done went diamond
This time I'm predicting that this one will go emerald (Hehe)
When will the madness end?
How can it when there's✦ no method to the pad and pen?
The only✦ message that I have to send
Is: "Dad, I'm back at it again"✦
[Outro]
Bitch (Who's your daddy?)✦
Technical Breakdown
8.8
Multisyllabic Rhymes8.5
Complexity of rhyme schemes (data-driven)
Internal Rhymes9.5
Rhymes within a line (data-driven)
Wordplay / Double Entendres7.0
Clever language, metaphors, punchlines
Cadence / Rhythm10.0
Flow variation and timing (data-driven)
Vocabulary Complexity8.0
Range and depth of words used (data-driven)
Delivery / Breath Control8.0
Performance and control
Computed Score8.79
Production
— Rick Rubin, EminemBe the first to rate the production
Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™
Eminem utilizes a rigid, aggressive rhythmic pocket to mask deep-seated paternal resentment, blending dark cultural iconography with biographical angst.
A
8.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
10
Cadence / Flow
8
Vocabulary
7
Wordplay
8
Delivery
internal multisyllabic rhymingrhythmic syncopationpop-culture allusionaggressive enunciation
Rhyme Architecture: The verse relies on a dense AAAA chain focused on 'ad' vowel sounds (pad, mad, bad) transitioning into a rapid-fire sequence of 'i' and 'an' sounds (prime, rhyme, hands, dancin', Manson, flashin', mansion).
Verified Doubles & Entendres
"K-Mart mansion"
① The literal, humble beginnings of Eminem's life, referencing the store his mother frequented.② A biting contradiction implying that even his current wealth is still tainted by his lower-class upbringing and psychological baggage.
"Falls into the wrong hands"
① A commentary on the dangerous influence and impact of his rap career on listeners.② A self-deprecating reflection on how his artistic gift became an outlet for his own emotional instability.
exceptional rhythmic consistency within the pocket
seamless integration of personal trauma with pop-culture juxtaposition
high density of internal rhymes maintaining momentum
limited metaphorical depth beyond the core biographical narrative
slight reliance on shock-value imagery over complex subtext