Eminem

Released: May 15, 2009

Songwriter: Andy Hill Don Black Jeff Bass Luis Resto Eminem

Producer: Eminem

[Intro]
Lately I've been hard to reach
I've been too long on my own
Everybody has a private world
Where they can be alone
Are you calling me?
Are you trying to get through?
Are you reaching out for me?
Then I'm reaching out for you

[Verse 1]
I'm just so fuckin' depressed
I just can't seem to get out this slump
If I could just get over this hump
But I need somethin' to pull me out this dump
I took my bruises, took my lumps
Fell down and I got right back up
But I need that spark to get psyched back up
In order for me to pick the mic back up
I don't know how or why or when
I ended up in this position I'm in
I'm starting to feel distant again
So I decided just to pick this pen
Up and try to make an attempt to vent
But I just can't admit
Or come to grips with the fact that I may be done with rap
I need a new outlet
And I know some shit's so hard to swallow
But I just can't sit back and wallow
In my own sorrow, but I know one fact:
I'll be one tough act to follow
One tough act to follow, I'll be one tough act to follow
Here today, gone tomorrow
But you'd have to walk a thousand miles—

[Pre-Chorus]
In my shoes, just to see
What it's like to be me
I'll be you, let's trade shoes
Just to see what it'd be like to
Feel your pain, you feel mine
Go inside each other's minds
Just to see what we find
Look at shit through each other's eyes

[Chorus]
But don't let 'em say you ain't beautiful
They can all get fucked, just stay true to you
Don't let 'em say you ain't beautiful
They can all get fucked, just stay true to you

[Verse 2]
I think I'm starting to lose my sense of humor
Everything's so tense and gloom
I almost feel like I gotta check the temperature
Of the room, just as soon as
I walk in, it's like all eyes on me
So I try to avoid any eye contact
‘Cause if I do that, then it opens a door
For conversation like I want that
I'm not lookin' for extra attention
I just wanna be just like you
Blend in with the rest of the room
Maybe just point me to the closest restroom
I don't need no fuckin' man servant
Tryna follow me around and wipe my ass
Laugh at every single joke I crack
And half of 'em ain't even funny, like, "Ha!
Marshall, you're so funny, man
You should be a comedian, goddamn!"
Unfortunately I am
I just hide behind the tears of a clown
So why don't you all sit down?
Listen to the tale I'm about to tell
Hell, we don't gotta trade our shoes
And you ain't gotta walk no thousand miles—

[Pre-Chorus]
In my shoes, just to see
What it's like to be me
I'll be you, let's trade shoes
Just to see what it'd be like to
Feel your pain, you feel mine
Go inside each other's minds
Just to see what we find
Look at shit through each other's eyes

[Chorus]
But don't let 'em say you ain't beautiful
They can all get fucked, just stay true to you
Don't let 'em say you ain't beautiful
They can all get fucked, just stay true to you

[Verse 3]
Nobody asked for life to deal us
With these bullshit hands we're dealt
We gotta take these cards ourselves
And flip 'em, don't expect no help
Now, I could've either just sat on my ass and pissed and moaned
Or take this situation in which I'm placed in
And get up and get my own
I was never the type of kid to wait by the door and pack his bags
And sat on the porch and hoped and prayed
For a dad to show up who never did
I just wanted to fit in in every single place, every school I went
I dreamed of being that cool kid
Even if it meant acting stupid
Aunt Edna always told me:
"Keep making that face, it'll get stuck like that."
Meanwhile, I'm just standin' there
Holdin' my tongue, tryin' to talk like this
'Til I stuck my tongue on that frozen stop sign pole at 8 years old
I learned my lesson then
‘Cause I wasn't tryin' to impress my friends no mo'
But I already told you my whole life story
Not just based on my description
‘Cause where you see it from where you're sittin'
It's probably 110% different
I guess we would have to walk a mile in each other's shoes at least
What size you wear? I wear 10's
Let's see if you can fit your feet—

[Pre-Chorus]
In my shoes, just to see
What it's like to be me
I'll be you, let's trade shoes
Just to see what it'd be like to
Feel your pain, you feel mine
Go inside each other's minds
Just to see what we find
Look at shit through each other's eyes

[Chorus]
But don't let 'em say you ain't beautiful
They can all get fucked, just stay true to you
Don't let 'em say you ain't beautiful
They can all get fucked, just stay true to you

[Bridge]
Lately I've been hard to reach
I've been too long on my own
Everybody has a private world
Where they can be alone
Are you calling me?
Are you trying to get through?
Are you reaching out for me?
Then I'm reaching out for you

[Outro]
Yeah, to my babies: stay strong
Daddy'll be home soon
And to the rest of the world: God gave you shoes to fit you
So put 'em on and wear 'em, be yourself, man
Be proud of who you are, and even if it sounds corny
Never let no one tell you you ain't beautiful

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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