The Marshall Mathers LP
Drug Ballad
Eminem
Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis
41
End
292
Internal
114
Multi
291
Slant
26
Chain
Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Chorus: Eminem & Dina Rae]
(Yeah) 'Cause every✦ time I go to try to leave (Woah)
(Yeah) Somethin'✦ keeps pullin'✦ on my sleeve (Woah)
(Oh) I don't wanna,✦ but I gotta✦ stay (Woah)
These drugs really✦ got a hold of me (Woah)
'Cause every✦ time I try to tell 'em "no" (No)
They won't let me ever✦ let 'em go (Go)
I'm a sucker✦ all I gotta✦ say (Woah)
These drugs really✦ got a hold of me (Woah; yeah, yeah, yeah)
[Verse 2: Eminem & Dina Rae]
In third grade, all I used✦ to do
Was sniff glue through a tube and play Rubik's Cube
Seventeen✦ years later✦ I'm as rude as Jude
Schemin' on the first chick with the hugest boobs (Oh-oh)✦
I've got no game, every✦ face looks the same
They've got no name, so I don't need game to play
I just say whatever✦ I want to whoever✦ I want
Whenever✦ I want, wherever✦ I want, however✦ I want
However,✦ I do show some respect to few (Uh)
This ecstasy's got me standin' next to you (Uh)
Gettin'✦ sentimental as fuck, spillin' guts to you (Oh-oh)✦
We just met, but I think I'm in love with you
But you're on it too, so you tell me you love me too
Wake up in the morning like, "Yo, what the fuck we'd do?"
I gotta✦ go, bitch, you know I got stuff to do
'Cause if I get caught cheatin', then I'm stuck with you (Yeah)
But in the long run, these drugs are prolly✦
Gonna✦ catch up sooner✦ or later,✦ but fuck it, I'm on one
So let's enjoy,✦ let the X destroy your spinal✦ cord
So it's not a straight line no more (Yeah, oh-oh-oh)✦
'Til we walk around✦ lookin'✦ like some wind-up dolls
Shit's stickin' out of our backs like a dinosaur
Shit, six hits won't even✦ get me high no more
So bye for now, I'm gonna✦ try to find some more (Oh-oh-oh)✦
[Chorus: Eminem & Dina Rae]
'Cause every✦ time I go to try to leave (Woah)
Somethin'✦ keeps pullin'✦ on my sleeve (Woah)
I don't wanna,✦ but I gotta✦ stay (Woah)
These drugs really✦ got a hold of me (Woah)
(Oh-oh-oh)'Cause every✦ time I try to tell 'em "no" (No)
They won't let me ever✦ let 'em go (Go)
I'm a sucker✦ all I gotta✦ say (Woah)
These drugs really✦ got a hold of me
[Verse 3: Eminem & Dina Rae]
That's the sound of a bottle when it's hollow✦
When you swallow it all wallow✦ and drown in your sorrow✦ (Mm)
And tomorrow✦ you're prob'ly✦ gonna✦ wanna✦ do it again✦
What's a little spinal✦ fluid between✦ you and a friend? (Mm)
Screw it, and what's a little bit of alcohol poisonin'? (Mm)
And what's a little fight? Tomorrow,✦ you'll be boys again✦
It's your life, live it however✦ you wanna✦
Mari-ju-ana is everywhere, where was you brought up?
It don't matter✦ as long as you get where you're goin' (Oh)
'Cause none of this shit's gonna✦ mean shit where we're goin'
They tell you to stop, but you just sit there ignorin' (Yeah, oh-oh,✦ oh-oh)✦
Even✦ though you wake up feelin'✦ like shit every✦ mornin'✦
But you're young, you've got a lot of drugs to do
Girls to screw, parties✦ to crash, sucks to be you
If I could take it all back now, I wouldn't (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
I woulda✦ did more shit that people said that I shouldn't
But I'm all grown up now and upgraded
And graduated✦ to better✦ drugs and updated✦
But I still got a lotta✦ growin'✦ up to do
I still got a whole lotta✦ throwin' up to spew (Oh-oh-oh)✦
But when it's all said and done, I'll be forty✦
Before✦ I know it with a 40 on the porch tellin'✦ stories✦
With a bottle of Jack, two grandkids in my lap
Babysittin' for Hailie while Hailie's✦ out gettin'✦ smashed
[Chorus: Eminem & Dina Rae]
'Cause every✦ time I go to try to leave (Woah)
Somethin'✦ keeps pullin'✦ on my sleeve (Woah)
(Oh) I don't wanna,✦ but I gotta✦ stay (Woah)
These drugs really✦ got a hold of me (Woah)
'Cause every✦ time I try to tell 'em "no" (No)
(Oh-oh)✦ They won't let me ever✦ let 'em go (Go)
(Yeah, yeah) I'm a sucker✦ all I gotta✦ say (Woah)
These drugs really✦ got a hold of me (Woah)
'Cause every✦ time I go to try to leave (Woah)
(Yeah, oh-oh-oh)✦ Somethin'✦ keeps pullin'✦ on my sleeve (Woah)
I don't wanna,✦ but I gotta✦ stay (Woah)
(Oh, woah) These drugs really✦ got a hold of me (Woah)
'Cause every✦ time I try to tell 'em "no" (No)
They won't let me ever✦ let 'em go (Go)
I'm a sucker✦ all I gotta✦ say (Woah)
These drugs really✦ got a hold of me (Woah)
[Outro: Eminem & Dina Rae]
Drugs really✦ got a hold of me (Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh)
Really✦ got a hold of me (Hahaha,✦ these drugs)
These drugs really✦ got a hold of me (Uh, uh, yeah)
They really✦ got a hold of me
Technical Breakdown
8.8
Multisyllabic Rhymes9.5
Complexity of rhyme schemes (data-driven)
Internal Rhymes9.5
Rhymes within a line (data-driven)
Wordplay / Double Entendres6.5
Clever language, metaphors, punchlines
Cadence / Rhythm10.0
Flow variation and timing (data-driven)
Vocabulary Complexity6.0
Range and depth of words used (data-driven)
Delivery / Breath Control8.5
Performance and control
Computed Score8.75
Production
— Eminem, F.B.T.Be the first to rate the production
Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™
Eminem utilizes a conversational, stream-of-consciousness delivery to mirror the erratic psychological state of substance dependence, effectively transitioning from technical internal rhyme chains to raw, unvarnished emotional vulnerability.
A
9.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
10
Cadence / Flow
6
Vocabulary
6.5
Wordplay
8.5
Delivery
Assonance-heavy internal rhymingStaccato rhythmic burstsConversational cadence shiftingAnaphoric repetition for rhythmic emphasis
Rhyme Architecture: The verse relies on dense, multi-syllabic internal chains ('glue'/'tube'/'Cube'/'Jude'/'boobs') that maintain momentum across long lines, punctuated by a rapid-fire anaphoric repetition ('I want') that breaks the rhyme scheme to build tension before resolving into the narrative coda.
Verified Doubles & Entendres
"sniff glue through a tube and play Rubik's Cube"
① Literal description of juvenile activities associated with early substance abuse② A sonic alignment where the rhythmic density of the internal rhymes ('u' vowel sounds) creates a claustrophobic, chaotic atmosphere mirroring a drug-induced state
"This ecstasy's got me standin' next to you"
① A play on the chemical name of MDMA (Ecstasy) causing physical proximity to the subject② A pun on the state of being in an ecstatic, disoriented emotional condition leading to social over-familiarity
Exceptional rhythmic integration of multi-syllabic clusters
Strong characterization through voice and cadence shifts
Effective use of repetition to simulate the compulsion of drug use
Vocabulary constraints reflect a deliberate 'low-brow' aesthetic that limits lyrical complexity
Some punchlines rely on shock value over intricate wordplay