The Marshall Mathers LP
The Real Slim Shady
Eminem
Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis
9
End
288
Internal
95
Multi
276
Slant
3
Chain
Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Chorus]
I'm Slim Shady,✦ yes, I'm the real Shady✦
All you other✦ Slim Shadys✦ are just imitating✦
So won't the real Slim Shady✦ please stand up
Please stand up, please stand up?
'Cause I'm Slim Shady,✦ yes, I'm the real Shady✦
All you other✦ Slim Shadys✦ are just imitating✦
So won't the real Slim Shady✦ please stand up
Please stand up, please stand up?
[Verse 2]
Will Smith don't gotta✦ cuss in his raps to sell records (Nope)
Well, I do, so fuck him, and fuck you too
You think I give a damn about✦ a Grammy?✦
Half of you critics can't even✦ stomach me, let alone✦ stand me
"But Slim, what if you win? Wouldn't it be weird?"
Why? So you guys could just lie to get me here?
So you can sit me here next to Britney Spears?
Yo, shit, Christina Aguilera better✦ switch me chairs
So I can sit next to Carson✦ Daly✦ and Fred Durst
And hear 'em argue over✦ who she gave head to first
Little bitch put me on blast on MTV
"Yeah, he's cute, but I think he's married to Kim, hee-hee"
I should download her audio✦ on MP3
And show the whole world how you gave Eminem✦ VD (Agh)
I'm sick of you little girl and boy groups, all you do is annoy✦ me
So I have been sent here to destroy you
And there's✦ a million of us just like me
Who cuss like me, who just don't give a fuck like me
Who dress like me, walk, talk and act like me
And just might be the next best thing, but not quite me
[Chorus]
'Cause I'm Slim Shady,✦ yes, I'm the real Shady✦
All you other✦ Slim Shadys✦ are just imitating✦
So won't the real Slim Shady✦ please stand up
Please stand up, please stand up?
'Cause I'm Slim Shady,✦ yes, I'm the real Shady✦
All you other✦ Slim Shadys✦ are just imitating✦
So won't the real Slim Shady✦ please stand up
Please stand up, please stand up?
[Verse 3]
I'm like a head trip to listen✦ to
'Cause I'm only✦ givin'✦ you things you joke about✦ with your friends inside✦ your livin'✦ room
The only✦ difference is I got the balls to say it in front of y'all
And I don't gotta✦ be false or sugarcoat it at all
I just get on the mic and spit it
And whether you like to admit✦ it (Err), I just shit it
Better✦ than ninety✦ percent of you rappers out can
Then you wonder,✦ "How can kids eat up these albums like Valiums?"
It's funny,✦ 'cause at the rate I'm goin', when I'm thirty✦
I'll be the only✦ person✦ in the nursin'✦ home flirting
Pinchin' nurse's✦ asses✦ when I'm jacking off with Jergens
And I'm jerking, but this whole bag of Viagra✦ isn't working✦
And every✦ single person✦ is a Slim Shady✦ lurkin'✦
He could be working✦ at Burger✦ King, spittin' on your onion✦ rings (Ch, puh)
Or in the parkin'✦ lot, circling, screaming, "I don't give a fuck!"
With his windows down and his system✦ up
So will the real Shady✦ please stand up
And put one of those fingers on each hand up?
And be proud to be out of your mind and out of control
And one more time, loud as you can, how does it go?
[Chorus]
I'm Slim Shady,✦ yes, I'm the real Shady✦
All you other✦ Slim Shadys✦ are just imitating✦
So won't the real Slim Shady✦ please stand up
Please stand up, please stand up?
'Cause I'm Slim Shady,✦ yes, I'm the real Shady✦
All you other✦ Slim Shadys✦ are just imitating✦
So won't the real Slim Shady✦ please stand up
Please stand up, please stand up?
'Cause I'm Slim Shady,✦ yes, I'm the real Shady✦
All you other✦ Slim Shadys✦ are just imitating✦
So won't the real Slim Shady✦ please stand up
Please stand up, please stand up?
'Cause I'm Slim Shady,✦ yes, I'm the real Shady✦
All you other✦ Slim Shadys✦ are just imitating✦
So won't the real Slim Shady✦ please stand up
Please stand up, please stand up?
[Outro]
Ha-ha✦
I guess there's✦ a Slim Shady✦ in all of us
Fuck it, let's all stand up
Technical Breakdown
7.3
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 / Rhythm5.5
Flow variation and timing (data-driven)
Vocabulary Complexity5.0
Range and depth of words used (data-driven)
Delivery / Breath Control9.0
Performance and control
Computed Score7.34
Production
— Dr. Dre, Mel-ManBe the first to rate the production
Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™
The verse functions as a high-velocity satirical takedown, utilizing conversational aggression and pop-culture meta-commentary to establish persona dominance over the industry standard of the era.
B+
9.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
5.5
Cadence / Flow
5
Vocabulary
7.5
Wordplay
9
Delivery
Conversational cadenceInternal rhyme chainsPop-culture intertextualityAggressive direct addressMock-interview format
Rhyme Architecture: A dense, high-frequency AABB/CCDD structure supported by relentless internal multisyllabic rhyming (e.g., 'Grammy/stomach me/stand me', 'Spears/chairs/chairs/years').
Verified Doubles & Entendres
"Half of you critics can't even stomach me, let alone stand me"
① Critics find his offensive content literally nauseating or impossible to digest.② Refers back to the chorus/hook refrain 'please stand up,' implying they cannot endure his presence in the industry.
"And show the whole world how you gave Eminem VD"
① A vulgar insult accusing the artist of transmitting a venereal disease.② A clever phonetic play where 'VD' acts as a stand-in for 'V-D' (Vocal/Verbal Damage), implying the audio recording will destroy her reputation.
Exceptional rhythmic elasticity that mimics natural, albeit frantic, speech
High-impact pop culture integration that cements the verse in its 2000 context
Effective use of the 'interruption' technique to maintain pacing and urgency
Relies heavily on shock value, which occasionally supersedes complex thematic depth
Vocabulary is intentionally simplified to maximize the reach of the insults