Released: November 12, 2004

Songwriter: Michael Jay Luis Resto Martika Eminem

Producer: Luis Resto Eminem

[Intro]
Step by step, heart to heart
Left, right, left, we all fall down...

[Chorus]
Step by step, heart to heart
Left, right, left, we all fall down
Step by step, heart to heart
Left, right, left, we all fall down
Like toy soldiers
Bit by bit, torn apart
We never win, but the battle wages on
For toy soldiers

[Verse 1]
I'm supposed to be the soldier who never blows his composure
Even though I hold the weight of the whole world on my shoulders
I ain't never supposed to show it
My crew ain't supposed to know it
Even if it means goin' toe-to-toe with a Benzino
It don't matter, I never drag 'em in battles that I can't handle
'Less I absolutely have to, I'm supposed to set an example
I need to be the leader, my crew looks for me to guide 'em
If some shit ever does pop off, I'm supposed to be beside 'em
That Ja shit, I tried to squash it, it was too late to stop it
There's a certain line you just don't cross, and he crossed it
I heard him say Hailie's name on a song and I just lost it
It was crazy, the shit went way beyond some JAY-Z and Nas shit
And even though the battle was won, I feel like we lost it
I spent so much energy on it, honestly I'm exhausted
And I'm so caught in it that I almost feel I'm the one who caused it
This ain't what I'm in hip-hop for, that's not why I got in it
That was never my object, for someone to get killed
Why would I wanna destroy something I helped build?
That wasn't my intentions, my intentions were good
I went through my whole career without ever mentionin' ****
And that was just outta respect, for not runnin' my mouth
And talkin' about somethin' that I knew nothin' about
Plus Dre told me stay out, this just wasn't my beef
So I did, I just fell back, watched and gritted my teeth
While he's all over TV, down-talkin' the man
Who literally saved my life, like fuck it, I understand
This is business, and this shit just isn't none of my business
But still knowin' the shit could pop off at any minute, 'cause—

[Chorus]
Step by step, heart to heart
Left, right, left, we all fall down
Like toy soldiers
Bit by bit, torn apart
We never win, but the battle wages on
For toy soldiers

[Verse 2]
There used to be a time when you could just say a rhyme and
Wouldn't have to worry about one of your people dyin'
But now it's elevated, 'cause once you put someone's kids in it
The shit gets escalated—it ain't just words no more, is it?
It's a different ballgame, you call names and you ain't just rappin'
We actually tried to stop the 50 and Ja beef from happenin'
Me and Dre had sat with him, kicked it and had a chat with him
And asked him not to start it, he wasn't gonna go after him
Until Ja started yappin' in magazines how he stabbed him
Fuck it, 50, smash him! Mash on him, let him have it
Meanwhile my attention's pulled in another direction
Some receptionist at The Source who answers phones at his desk
Has an erection for me and thinks that I'll be his resurrection
Tries to blow the dust off his mic and make a new record
But now he's fucked the game up
'Cause one of the ways I came up
Was through that publication, the same one that made me famous
Now the owner of it has got a grudge against me for nothin'?
Well, fuck it, that motherfucker could get it too, fuck him then!
But I'm so busy bein' pissed off, I don't stop to think
That we just inherited 50's beef with Murder Inc.
And he's inherited mine, which is fine, ain't like either of us mind
But we still have soldiers that's on the front line
Who's willin' to die for us as soon as we give the orders
Never to extort us, strictly to show they support us
And maybe shout 'em out in a rap or up in a chorus
To show 'em we love 'em back and let 'em know how important
It is to have Runyon Avenue soldiers up in our corners
Their loyalty to us is worth more than any award is
But I ain't tryna have none of my people hurt or murdered
It ain't worth it, I can't think of a perfecter way to word it
Than to just say that I love y'all too much to see the verdict
I'll walk away from it all 'fore I let it go any further
But don't get it twisted, it's not a plea that I'm coppin'
I'm just willin' to be the bigger man, if y'all can quit poppin'
Off at the jaws, well, then I can, 'cause frankly I'm sick of talkin'
I'm not gonna let someone else's coffin rest on my conscience
'Cause—

[Chorus]
Step by step, heart to heart
Left, right, left, we all fall down
Like toy soldiers
Bit by bit, torn apart
We never win, but the battle wages on
For toy soldiers

Eminem

A legendary hip-hop icon who started as an underground battle rapper in Detroit, Marshall “Eminem” Bruce Mathers III (1972 – present) has developed a career full of controversy, wild swings, and some of the most noteworthy raps in the history of the genre.

Eminem has broken countless barriers, shifting and impacting the culture in several ways. In June 2017, “Stan” was added into the Oxford Dictionary, and in 2019, to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. He was the first rapper to win the Grammy Award for Best Album for three consecutive albums. “Rap God” set the Guinness World Record for most words in a song. He was also the first rapper to win an Oscar. His albums The Marshall Mathers LP and The Eminem Show became certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2011, making him one of the few artists to have more than one Diamond album. This has helped him become the highest selling hip-hop artist of all time. In January 2020, with his 11th studio album Music to Be Murdered By debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200, Eminem became the first artist in history to have 10 consecutive #1 debuts.

Produced and co-signed by Dr. Dre, Em had an unprecedented run of success from 1999 up until 2003, releasing three well-reviewed multi-platinum albums, stealing the show on countless collaborations, and even starred in a hit movie. However, it all came crashing down around 2004, when a string of problems ranging from drug dependence to depression to the tragic death of best friend Deshaun “Proof” Holton in 2006 led to a long hiatus from music and a pair of what were, by his own admission, sub-par albums.