Eminem

Released: May 26, 2002

Songwriter: Steve King Jeff Bass Luis Resto Eminem Steven Tyler

Producer: Eminem

[Verse 1: Eminem]
These ideas are nightmares to white parents
Whose worst fear is a child with dyed hair and who likes earrings
Like whatever they say has no bearing
It's so scary in a house that allows no swearing
To see him walkin' around with his headphones blarin'
Alone in his own zone, cold and he don't care, he's
A problem child, and what bothers him all comes out
When he talks about his fuckin' dad walkin' out (Bitch!)
'Cause he hates him so bad that he blocks him out
If he ever saw him again he'd probably knock him out
His thoughts are wacked, he's mad so he's talkin' back
Talkin' black, brainwashed from rock and rap
He sags his pants, do-rags and a stockin' cap
His step-father hit him so he socked him back
And broke his nose, his house is a broken home
There's no control, he just lets his emotions go

[Chorus: Steven Tyler (& Eminem)]
(Come on!) Sing with me (Sing!), sing for the year (Sing it!)
Sing for the laughter and sing for the tear (Come on!)
Sing it with me, it's just for today
Maybe tomorrow the good Lord will take you away

[Verse 2: Eminem]
Entertainment is changin', intertwinin' with gangsters
In the land of the killers, a sinner's mind is a sanctum
Holy or unholy, only have one homie
Only this gun, lonely ‘cause don't anyone know me
Yet everybody just feels like they can relate (Huh-uh)
I guess words are a motherfucker, they can be great
Or they can degrade, or even worse, they can teach hate
It's like these kids hang on every single statement we make
Like they worship us, plus all the stores ship us platinum
Now how the fuck did this metamorphosis happen?
From standin' on corners and porches just rappin'
To havin' a fortune, no more kissin' ass
But then these critics crucify you (Yep), journalists try to burn you
Fans turn on you, attorneys all want a turn at you
To get they hands on every dime you have
They want you to lose your mind every time you mad
So they can try to make you out to look like a loose cannon
Any dispute won't hesitate to produce handguns
That's why these prosecutors wanna convict me
Strictly just to get me off of these streets quickly
But all they kids be listenin' to me religiously
So I'm signin' CDs while police fingerprint me
They're for the judge's daughter, but his grudge is against me
If I'm such a fuckin' menace, this shit doesn't make sense, B
It's all political, if my music is literal
And I'm a criminal, how the fuck can I raise a little girl?
I couldn't, I wouldn't be fit to
You're full of shit too, Guerrera, that was a fist that hit you! (Bitch!)

[Chorus: Steven Tyler (& Eminem)]
(Come on!) Sing with me (Sing!), sing for the year (Sing it!)
Sing for the laughter and sing for the tear (Sing that shit!)
Sing it with me, it's just for today
Maybe tomorrow the good Lord will take you away

[Verse 3: Eminem]
They say music can alter moods and talk to you
Well, can it load a gun up for you and cock it too?
Well, if it can, then the next time you assault a dude
Just tell the judge it was my fault and I'll get sued
See, what these kids do is hear about us totin' pistols
And they wanna get one ‘cause they think the shit's cool
Not knowin' we really just protectin' ourselves
We entertainers, of course the shit's affectin' our sales
You ignoramus, but music is reflection of self
We just explain it, and then we get our checks in the mail
It's fucked up, ain't it? How we can come from practically nothin'
To bein' able to have any fuckin' thing that we wanted
That's why we sing for these kids who don't have a thing
Except for a dream and a fuckin' rap magazine (Ha-ha!)
Who post pin-up pictures on they walls all day long
Idolize they favorite rappers and know all they songs
Or for anyone who's ever been through shit in they lives
So they sit and they cry at night, wishin' they'd die
'Til they throw on a rap record and they sit and they vibe
We're nothin' to you, but we're the fuckin' shit in they eyes
That's why we seize the moment, try to freeze it and own it
Squeeze it and hold it ‘cause we consider these minutes golden
And maybe they'll admit it when we're gone, just let our spirits
Live on through our lyrics that you hear in our songs, and we can…

[Chorus: Steven Tyler (& Eminem)]
Sing with me (Sing!), sing for the year (Sing it!)
Sing for the laughter and sing for the tear (Come on!)
Sing it with me, it's just for today
Maybe tomorrow the good Lord will take you away

[Chorus: Steven Tyler (& Eminem)]
Sing with me (Sing!), sing for the year (Sing it!)
Sing for the laughter and sing for the tear (Come on!)
Sing it with me, it's just for today
Maybe tomorrow the good Lord will take you away

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.

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