Relapse
Underground
Eminem
Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis
42
End
171
Internal
116
Multi
282
Slant
19
Chain
Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Chorus]
Here comes✦ the rain and thunder✦ now
Nowhere✦ to run, to run to now
I disappeared,✦ don't wonder✦ how
Lookin'✦ for me? I'm underground✦
Here comes✦ the rain and thunder✦ now
Nowhere✦ to run, to run to now
I disappeared,✦ don't wonder✦ how
Lookin'✦ for me? I'm underground✦
[Verse 2]
Six semen✦ samples, seventeen✦ strands of hair
Found in the back of a van after✦ the shoot with Vanity✦ Fair
Hannah✦ Montana, prepare to elope✦ with a can opener✦
And be cut open✦ like cantaloupe on canopy✦ beds
And Glad bags, yeah glad to be back
'Cause last year was a tragedy that landed✦ me smack-dab in rehab
Fuckin'✦ doctor,✦ I ain't understand a damn word he said
I planned to relapse the second I walked✦ out of that bitch
Two weeks in Brighton, I ain't enlightened
Bitin'✦ into✦ a fuckin'✦ Vicodin like I'm a Viking✦
Oh, lightning is strikin', it might be a fuckin'✦ sign I need a psychic
Evaluation,✦ fuck Jason,✦ it's Friday✦ the 19th
That means it's just a regular day (Hah)
And this is the kind of shit I think of regularly
Fuckin'✦ lesbian shouldn't have had her legs in the way
Now she's pregnant and gay, missin'✦ both legs and beggin'✦ to stay
[Chorus]
Here comes✦ the rain and thunder✦ now
Nowhere✦ to run, to run to now
I disappeared,✦ don't wonder✦ how
Lookin'✦ for me? I'm underground✦
Here comes✦ the rain and thunder✦ now
Nowhere✦ to run, to run to now
I disappeared,✦ don't wonder✦ how
Lookin'✦ for me? I'm underground✦
[Verse 3]
Tell the critics I'm back and I'm comin'✦ to spit it back in abundance
Hit a fag with onions, then split a bag of Funyuns
Mad at me? Understandable,✦ cannibal,✦ shoot an animal✦
Out of a cannon✦ and have 'em catapult at an adult✦
Captain of a cult with an elite✦ following
To turn Halloween✦ back into✦ a trick-or-treat holiday
Have Michael Myers lookin'✦ like a liar, swipe his powers✦
Replace his knife with flowers and a stack of fliers
Hit Jason✦ Vorhees with a 40; stuck a suppository
Up his ass, and made him tell me a story✦
Gave Hannibal✦ Lector✦ a fuckin'✦ nectarine
And sat him in the fuckin'✦ fruit and vegetable✦ section✦
And gave him a lecture
Walked✦ up Elm Street with a fuckin'✦ Wiffle bat drew
Fought Freddy✦ Krueger and Edward✦ Scissorhands too
And came out with a little scratch, ooh
Lookin'✦ like I got in a fuckin'✦ pillow✦ fight with a Triple F.A.T. goose
Insanity,✦ can it be vanity?✦
Where's✦ the humanity✦ in having✦ a twisted fantasy
With an arm-and-leg amputee?
Straitjacket with a hundred and eight brackets
And a strap that wraps twice around✦ my back
Then they latch it; cut your fuckin'✦ head off
And ask where you're headed✦ off to
Get it? "Headed✦ off to?" Medic, this headache's awful
This anesthetic's pathetic,✦ so is this diabetic✦ waffle
And this prosthetic✦ arm keeps crushin' my hard taco✦
[Chorus]
Here comes✦ the rain and thunder✦ now
Nowhere✦ to run, to run to now
I disappeared,✦ don't wonder✦ how
Lookin'✦ for me? I'm underground✦
Here comes✦ the rain and thunder✦ now
Nowhere✦ to run, to run to now
I disappeared,✦ don't wonder✦ how
Lookin'✦ for me? I'm underground✦
[Outro]
So, it wasn't a choice, it was "I had to do this"
And now I got ninety✦ days clean
And uh, that's all I have to share, thanks
(Thanks for sharing, Brian
Is there anyone✦ else who'd like to share this evening?)
Yeah, I got something to share:
"When you walked✦ through the door you were queer to me
So come here, baby✦ boy, just come here to me
You're a cock-boy, everybody✦ wants you
You're gayer than you would ever✦ claim to
I won't have to rape you
So, homie, lay down, down, down
Lay down, down, down
Lay down, down, down, lay down, lay down"
Where's✦ everybody✦ going?
This always✦ went over✦ real big in Gay-A
Okay,✦ wait, I got another one
"I just love condoms and lots of cum"
No? Well, shit
Technical Breakdown
9.1
Multisyllabic Rhymes9.5
Complexity of rhyme schemes (data-driven)
Internal Rhymes8.5
Rhymes within a line (data-driven)
Wordplay / Double Entendres8.5
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 Control9.0
Performance and control
Computed Score9.08
Production
— Dr. DreBe the first to rate the production
Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™
Eminem utilizes extreme phonetic density and aggressive multis to create a sense of manic disorientation that mirrors his narrative of relapse and psychological instability.
A+
9.5
Multisyllabic
8.5
Internal Rhymes
10
Cadence / Flow
7
Vocabulary
8.5
Wordplay
9
Delivery
Phonetic chainingInternal multisyllabic rhymingEnjambmentDynamic flow switching
Rhyme Architecture: Highly complex, rapid-fire AAAA-BBBB-CCCC pattern relying on assonance and consonant clustering rather than simple end-rhymes.
Verified Doubles & Entendres
"Can opener / And be cut open like cantaloupe"
① The literal, horrific imagery of dismemberment.② A clever phonetic play connecting the tool ('can opener') to the state of the victim ('cut open') and the fruit (cantaloupe) for visceral alliteration.
"Bitin' into a fuckin' Vicodin like I'm a Viking"
① Literal description of his drug-seeking behavior and addiction.② A metaphorical comparison to a Viking, suggesting his addiction is a pillaging, destructive force of nature.
"Friday the 19th"
① A play on the 'Friday the 13th' horror franchise date.② Grounds the verse in his personal timeline/reality, suggesting his life is a perpetual horror movie regardless of the date.
Exceptional rhythmic precision
High-density phonetic layering
Consistent thematic coherence
Aggressive, visceral imagery
High reliance on shock-value imagery which can overshadow thematic nuance
Occasionally claustrophobic pacing