The Marshall Mathers LP 2
So Far...
Eminem
Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis
37
End
232
Internal
98
Multi
368
Slant
10
Chain
Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Chorus: Eminem & Joe Walsh]
Maybe that's why I feel so strange
Got it all, but I still won't change
Maybe that's why I can't leave Detroit✦
It's the motivation✦ that keeps me goin'
This is the inspiration✦ I need
I could never✦ turn my back on a city✦ that made me
And (Life's✦ been good to me so far)
[Verse 2: Eminem]
They call me classless, I heard that, I second and third that
Don't know what the fuck I'd be doin' if it weren't✦ rap
Probably be a giant turd sack
But I blew, never✦ turned✦ back
Turned✦ 40 and still sag—teenagers act more fuckin'✦ mature,✦ Jack
Fuck you gonna✦ say to me? I'll leave on my own terms, asshole
I'm goin' berzerk, my nerves✦ are bad
But I love the perks my work has
I get to meet famous people, look at her dag
Her nylons✦ are ran, her skirt's snagged
And I heard she drag-races, *burp* swag
Tuck in my Hanes✦ shirt tag
You're Danica✦ Patrick (Yeah?) word, skag
We'd be the perfect match
'Cause you're a vacuum, I'm a dirtbag
My apologies,✦ no disrespect to technology
But what the heck's all of these buttons?
You expect me to sit here and learn that?
Fuck I gotta✦ do to hear this new song from Luda?✦
Be an expert at computers?
I'd rather✦ be an Encyclopedia Britannica,✦ hell with
PlayStation,✦ I'm still on my first man on some Zelda✦
Nintendo, bitch! Run, jump, punch, stab, and I melt the
Mozzarella on my spaghetti
Put in on bread, make a sandwich with Welch's, and belch
They say this spray butter's bad for my health, but
I think this poor white trash from the trailer
Jed Clampett, Fred Sanford, and welfare
Mentality helps to keep me grounded
That's why I never✦ take full advantage of wealth, I
Managed to dwell within✦ these parameters
Still crammin' the shelves full of Hamburger Helper✦
I can't even✦ help it, this is the hand I was dealt, a
Creature✦ of habit,✦ feel like I'm trapped in an animal shelter
With all these pet peeves,✦ goddamn it, to hell, I
Can't stand all these kids with their camera✦ cellphones
I can't go anywhere, I get so mad I could yell, the
Other✦ day, someone got all elaborate
And stuck a head from a fuckin'✦ dead cat in my mailbox
Went to Burger✦ King—they spit on my onion rings
I think my karma's catchin' up with me
[Chorus: Eminem & Joe Walsh]
Maybe that's why I feel so strange
Got it all, but I still won't change
Maybe that's why I can't leave Detroit✦
It's the motivation✦ that keeps me goin'
This is the inspiration✦ I need
I could never✦ turn my back on a city✦ that made me
And (Life's✦ been good to me so far)
[Bridge: Eminem]
Got friends on Facebook all over✦ the world
Not sure what that means, they tell me it's good
So I'm artist of the decade,✦ I even✦ got a plaque
I'd hang it up, but the frame is all cracked
[Verse 3: Eminem]
I'm tryin' to be low-key,✦ hopefully nobody✦ notices me
In produce, hunched over,✦ giant nosebleed
Ogre style as I mosey✦ over✦ to the frozen✦ aisle
By the frozen✦ yogurt this guy approached me
Embarrassed, I just did Comerica✦ with Hova✦
The show's over,✦ I'm hidin'✦ in Kroger,✦ buyin' groceries✦
He just had front-row seats
Told me to sign this poster,✦ then insults me
"Wow! Up close didn't know you had crow's feet!"
I'm at a crossroads, lost, still shoppin' at Costco's
Sloppy✦ Joe's, bulk waffles
Got caught pickin'✦ my nose (Agh!)
Look over,✦ see these two hot hoes
Finger✦ still up one of my nostrils
Right next to 'em, stuck at the light, the fuckin'✦ shit's
Takin'✦ forever to change, it's stuck, these bitches✦ are lovin'✦ it
Rubbin'✦ it in, chucklin', couldn't do nothin'✦
Play it off, "What you bumpin'?"✦
"Trunk Muzik, Yelawolf's better,"✦ fuckin'✦ bitch!
They want me to flip at the label,✦ but I won't succumb to it
The pressure,✦ they want me to follow✦ up with
Another one, after✦ Recovery✦ was so highly✦ coveted
But what good is a fuckin'✦ recovery✦ if I fumble it?
'Cause I'ma✦ drop the ball if I don't get a grip
Hoppin'✦ out shrubbery✦ on you sons of bitches✦
Wrong subdivision✦ to fuck with, bitch
Quit snappin' fuckin'✦ pictures of my kids
I love my city,✦ but you pushed✦ me to the limit—what a pity!✦
The shit I complain about✦
It's like there ain't a cloud in the sky and it's rainin'✦ out
Kool-Aid stain on the couch, I'll never✦ get it out
But bitch, I got an elevator in my house
Ants and a mouse—I'm livin'✦ the dream!
[Chorus: Eminem & Joe Walsh]
Maybe that's why I feel so strange
Got it all, but I still won't change
Maybe that's why I can't leave Detroit✦
It's the motivation✦ that keeps me goin'
This is the inspiration✦ I need
I could never✦ turn my back on a city✦ that made me
And (Life's✦ been good to me so far)
Technical Breakdown
8.3
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 / Rhythm8.5
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 Score8.27
Production
— Rick RubinBe the first to rate the production
Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™
Eminem utilizes a conversational, self-deprecating flow to bridge the gap between his celebrity persona and his blue-collar roots, anchored by a masterful deployment of internal rhyme clusters and rhythmic pocket shifts.
A
8.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
8.5
Cadence / Flow
8
Vocabulary
7
Wordplay
8
Delivery
Multisyllabic internal rhyme chainsPhonetic play/Slant rhymesConversational cadence shiftingSelf-referential humor
Rhyme Architecture: Dense internal rhyme clusters utilizing 'a-a-a' vowel consistency (classless/that/rap/sack/back/sag/Jack) transitioning into a rapid-fire multi-syllabic sequence near the end of the verse.
Verified Doubles & Entendres
"You're a vacuum, I'm a dirtbag"
① A play on household objects: a vacuum cleaner and a bag used to collect dirt.② An insult implying she is an empty/insatiable person, while he describes himself as a piece of trash, reinforcing his 'classless' self-deprecating theme.
"I'll leave on my own terms, asshole"
① Quitting or retiring on one's own schedule.② A double entendre referencing 'terms' as both a duration of time and the literal conditions under which he operates.
Exceptional technical mastery of rhyme density
Strong sense of vocal presence and personality
Effective use of conversational pacing to subvert listener expectations
Occasional reliance on juvenile imagery that borders on filler
Rhyme schemes occasionally dictate content rather than vice-versa