Relapse
Deja Vu
Eminem
Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis
34
End
235
Internal
72
Multi
259
Slant
11
Chain
Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Chorus]
Sometimes✦ I feel so alone,✦ I just don't know
Feels like I been down this road before✦
So lonely✦ and cold, it's like something✦ takes✦ over✦ me
As soon as I go home and close the door
Kinda✦ feels like déjà vu
I wanna✦ get away✦ from this place, I do
But I can't and I won't, say I try, but I know that's a lie
'Cause I don't and why, I just don't know
[Verse 2]
"Maybe just a nice cold brew, what's a beer?"
That's the Devil✦ in my ear, I've been sober✦ a fuckin'✦ year
And that fucker✦ still talks to me, he's all I can fucking hear
"Marshall, come on, we'll watch the game, it's the Cowboys and Buccaneers"
"And maybe if I just drink half I'll be half-buzzed for half of the time"
Who's the mastermind behind✦ that little line?
With that kind of rationale, man, I got half a mind
To have another half a glass of wine sounds asinine, yeah, I know
But I never✦ had no problem with alcohol
Ouch, look out for the wall, aim for the couch, I'm 'bout to fall
I miss the couch and down I go, lookin'✦ like a bouncing ball
Shit must've knocked me out 'cause I ain't feel the ground at all
Wow, what the fuck happened last night? Where am I?
Man, fuck, am I hungover? And, goddamn, I
Got a headache, shit, half a Vicodin?✦ Why can't I?
All systems ready✦ for take off, please, stand by
[Chorus]
Sometimes✦ I feel so alone,✦ I just don't know
Feels like I been down this road before✦
So lonely✦ and cold, it's like something✦ takes✦ over✦ me
As soon as I go home and close the door
Kinda✦ feels like déjà vu
I wanna✦ get away✦ from this place, I do
But I can't and I won't, say I try, but I know that's a lie
'Cause I don't and why, I just don't know
[Verse 3]
So I take a Vicodin,✦ splash, it hits my stomach, then (Ah)
Couple of weeks go by, it ain't even✦ like I'm gettin'✦ high
Now I need it just not to feel sick, yeah, I'm gettin'✦ by
Wouldn't even✦ be taking✦ this shit if DeShaun didn't die
Oh yeah, there's✦ an excuse;✦ you lose Proof, so you use
There's✦ new rules,✦ it's cool if it's helpin'✦ you to get through
It's twelve-noon, ain't no harm in self-inducin' a snooze
What else is new? Fuck it, what would Elvis do in your shoes?
Now here I am three months later,✦ full-blown relapse
"Just get high until✦ the kids get home from school, homes,✦ relax"
And since I'm convinced that I'm an insomniac
I need these pills to be able to sleep, so I take three naps
Just to be able to function throughout the day, let's see
That's an Ambien✦ each nap, how many✦ Valium?✦ Three?
And that will average out to about✦ one good hour's sleep
Okay,✦ so now ya see the reason✦ how come he
Has taken✦ four years to just put out an album,✦ B
See, me and you, we almost had the same outcome, Heath
'Cause that Christmas, you know the whole pneumonia thing?
It was bologna, was it the methadone,✦ ya think?
Or the hydrocodone✦ you hide inside✦ your pornos?✦
Your VCR tape cases,✦ with your Ambien✦ CR
Great places✦ to hide 'em, ain't it? So you can lie to Hailie
"I'm going beddy-bye, Whitney, baby;✦ good night, Alaina"✦
Go in the room and shut the bedroom✦ door
And wake up in an ambulance, they said they found me on the bathroom✦ floor, damn
[Chorus]
Sometimes✦ I feel so alone,✦ I just don't know
Feels like I been down this road before✦
So lonely✦ and cold, it's like something✦ takes✦ over✦ me
As soon as I go home and close the door
Kinda✦ feels like déjà vu
I wanna✦ get away✦ from this place, I do
But I can't and I won't, say I try, but I know that's a lie
'Cause I don't and why, I just don't know
Technical Breakdown
8.8
Multisyllabic Rhymes8.5
Complexity of rhyme schemes (data-driven)
Internal Rhymes9.5
Rhymes within a line (data-driven)
Wordplay / Double Entendres7.5
Clever language, metaphors, punchlines
Cadence / Rhythm9.0
Flow variation and timing (data-driven)
Vocabulary Complexity7.0
Range and depth of words used (data-driven)
Delivery / Breath Control9.5
Performance and control
Computed Score8.76
Production
— Dr. DreBe the first to rate the production
Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™
Eminem utilizes a conversational, stream-of-consciousness delivery to bridge the gap between narrative realism and the internal struggle of addiction, effectively mirroring the instability of a relapse.
A
8.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
9
Cadence / Flow
7
Vocabulary
7.5
Wordplay
9.5
Delivery
Assonance-heavy internal rhyme schemesStaccato rhythmic cadencePersona-driven dialogueNarrative arc integrationPhonetic play with numerical fractions
Rhyme Architecture: The verse employs a high-density, multi-syllabic approach, utilizing internal rhymes built on consistent vowel sounds (/e/, /a/, /ai/) that sustain a rhythmic pocket while allowing for rapid-fire narrative shifts.
Verified Doubles & Entendres
"half-buzzed for half of the time"
① A measurement of duration (half of the duration of the event)② A psychological rationalization attempting to minimize the impact of alcohol consumption by mathematically splitting the 'dose'
"I got half a mind"
① An idiomatic expression meaning 'I am strongly considering'② A literal reference to his impaired cognitive state caused by the substance abuse mentioned in the previous line
Exceptional vocal inflection that captures emotional vulnerability
Seamless integration of internal character dialogue
Masterful use of rhythmic tension during the collapse/fall sequence
High density of internal phonetics that reinforce the cyclical theme
Occasional reliance on straightforward narrative exposition
Punchline mechanics are subservient to the dark thematic tone, limiting 'witty' wordplay