I was going to analyze Lupe's 'Dumb It Down', but it's pretty cryptic. I got the meaning of the song, as did most people, but it's VERY hard to analyze line by line. I plan on doing it sometime soon, though.
Soooo...the next song I'm going to take a look at is one of Eminem's many well-written and popular songs..."The Way I Am". The song attempts to tell off critics while simultaneously proving that Eminem has nothing to prove (and wouldn't care if he did). It is a great song, with a lot of great lines, and it packs a pretty important message (basically, screw other peoples' opinions, opinion is flawed).
Song #6. "The Way I Am" by Eminem.
Eminem - The Way I Am (YouTube)
[Eminem talking...]
Whatever..
Dre, just let it run
Ay-yo turn the beat up a little bit
Ay-yo.. this song is for anyone.. fuck it
Just shut up and listen, ay-yo..
A talking intro where Eminem declares the song applicable to anyone.
[Verse 1]
I sit back with this pack of zig zags and this bag
Of this weed it gives me the shit needed to be
The most meanest mc on this -- on this earth
And since birth Ive been cursed with this curse to just curse
And just blurt this berserk and bizarre shit that works
And it sells and it helps in itself to relieve
All this tension dispensin these sentences
He starts by smoking weed, which he claims give him what he needs to be the best MC. Then he claims that since birth he has been cursing and rapping. His music has been selling well, and it helps to relieve the pain he feels, which he has been translating into lyrics.
Gettin this stress thats been eatin me recently off of this chest
And I rest again peacefully (peacefully)..
But at least have the decency in you
To leave me alone, when you freaks see me out
In the streets when Im eatin or feedin my daughter
To not come and speak to me (speak to me)..
I dont know you and no,
I dont owe you a mo-therfuck-in thing
Im not mr. nsync, Im not what your friends think
Im not mr. friendly, I can be a prick
He's been stressed, so he's excited to relieve himself of that stress, so he can relax. Yet, he claims, he can't relax because fans keep bothering him when he's just trying to live his life. He says he doesn't owe anyone anything, and his fame does NOT mean he has to be a nice guy and a role model. He is a prick, and he knows it.
If you tempt me my tank is on empty (is on empty)..
No patience is in me and if you offend me
Im liftin you 10 feet (liftin you 10 feet).. in the air
I dont care who is there and who saw me destroy you
Go call you a lawyer, file you a lawsuit
Ill smile in the courtroom and buy you a wardrobe
Im tired of all you (of all you)..
I dont mean to be mean but thats all I can be is just me
He says that if people bug him, he's not going to ignore it...he's going to get angry (and maybe violent). He then boasts that he doesn't care if he has to pay out a settlement in a lawsuit, it'll be worth it for the peace of mind that he would get from it. He doesn't mean to be mean , that's just him...
[Chorus]
And I am, whatever you say I am
If I wasnt, then why would I say I am?
In the paper, the news everyday I am
Radio wont even play my jam
Cause I am, whatever you say I am
If I wasnt, then why would I say I am?
In the paper, the news everyday I am
I dont know its just the way I am
The chorus shows Eminem as a construction of the media, and he sarcastically says whatever you want me to be, is what I am. Although he says this, he really means that no one knows him, so pretending to is ridiculous just because you read the news. He also means that no one can judge another person based on their reputation...everyone has their own perspectives.
[Verse 2]
Sometimes I just feel like my father, I hate to be bothered
With all of this nonsense its constant
And, oh, its his lyrical content -
- the song guilty conscience has gotten such rotten responses
And all of this controversy circles me
And it seems like the media immediately
Points a finger at me (finger at me)..
He starts by saying his father didn't like to be bothered (perhaps implying his mother was crazy, or perhaps he was just introverted or something). Then he continues by saying that he constantly faces criticism whenever he does anything, and he's tired of hearing about it. He clearly thinks 'Guilty Conscience' is a good song, and some critics apparently do not. The media seems to think he can't do anything right (in his opinion). And it annoys him. mostly because people NEVER shut up.
So I point one back at em, but not the index or pinkie
Or the ring or the thumb, its the one you put up
When you dont give a fuck, when you wont just put up
With the bullshit they pull, cause they full of shit too
When a dudes gettin bullied and shoots up his school
And they blame it on marilyn (on marilyn).. and the heroin
He continues, loudly saying FUCK YOU...to the media, to the judgmental masses, and basically to every one who has a bullshit opinion. He's tired of bullshit, in the same way the kids who shoot up the schools (columbine/thurston/etc.) are judged, outcast, and tired of BS. He is also mad at how it was blamed on Marilyn Manson and drugs, but never on the parents or teachers.
Where were the parents at? and look where its at
Middle america, now its a tragedy
Now its so sad to see, an upper class ci-ty
Havin this happenin (this happenin)..
Then attack eminem cause I rap this way (rap this way)..
But Im glad cause they feed me the fuel that I need for the fire
To burn and its burnin and I have returned
He finishes verse 2 strongly, blaming parents for their kids' problems and pointing out that school shootings in middle class, white America are a tragedy, when inner city violence is an every day, overlooked occurrence. Affluence breeds ignorance (although the irony that Eminem is a rich white boy is overlooked here). And that ignorance 'ignites' Eminem's lyrical fire (so he's appreciative).
[Chorus]
[Verse 3]
Im so sick and tired of bein admired
That I wish that I would just die or get fired
And dropped from my label and stop with the fables
Im not gonna be able to top on my name is..
And pigeon-holed into some pop-py sensation
To cop me rotation at rocknroll stations
He doesn't want the admiration either, since it is mostly fake...stemming from his pop success. He (with tongue-in-cheek) proposes being dropped from his label so he can stop with all the story telling and pop songs (he says he won't be able to top 'My Name Is..." , anyways).
And I just do not got the patience (got the patience)..
To deal with these cocky Caucasians who think
Im some wigger who just tries to be black cause I talk
With an accent, and grab on my balls, so they always keep askin
The same fuckin questions (fuckin questions)..
What school did I go to, what hood I grew up in
The why, the who what when, the where, and the how
til Im grabbin my hair and Im tearin it out
Everyone, especially cocky Caucasians, (which I take to mean white people who think they're too good for listening to rap) claim he's a 'wigger' since he raps, grabs his balls, and has an accent, but that's just the way he is. It pisses him off that people ask him all these personal questions that they have no business asking. He basically wants everyone to fuck off, because it's driving him insane.
Cause they drivin me crazy (drivin me crazy).. I cant take it
Im racin, Im pacin, I stand and I sit
And Im thankful for ev-ery fan that I get
But I cant take a shit, in the bathroom
Without someone standin by it
No I wont sign your autograph
You can call me an asshole Im glad
He loves his fans and all, but there's a line between enjoying popularity and suffering from it, and Eminem is walking that fine line. He doesn't think he's an asshole, but he also doesn't care what you think, so he says, go ahead, call me whatever...
[Chorus]
And he finishes with the chorus, as he reinforces that he is what he is, so whatever you make him out to be is what you think he is, and while it's probably wrong, he's past caring.
Anaylsis: This song is both a song about struggling with fame, and telling people to fuck off when they try to judge you.
Eminem's Moral: You're a product of other people's opinions, and the best thing you can do is to just ignore them all.
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