Without Me

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Obie Trice! Real name, no gimmicks (*record ...: This is taken directly from the beginning of Obie Trice song “Rap Name”. It’s a shout-out to the guy who was Eminem’s protégé at the time. It’s also a promotion – Obie’s album was coming out soon and he was the next artist to be released on Shady.

When Obie Trice performed once for D12 he introduced himself as ‘Obie 1’, roughly based off Star Wars character ‘Obi-Wan’. Proof then replied ‘naa, real name, no gimmicks.’ From then on, he went by Obie Trice.

It is good to note that the song before “Without Me” on The Eminem Show Drips, features Obie Trice on it.

Two trailer park girls go 'round the outside ...: A reference to the song “Buffalo Gals” by Malcolm McLaren, who was an early trailblazer for Caucasians in the hip-hop world, like Eminem is now. The original lyric is “two Buffalo gals go round the outside”, which Em alters to reflect his white trash upbringing.

Guess who's back, back again: This song is the first single from the album The Eminem Show, released in 2002. Em’s previous album, The Marshall Mathers LP, was released in 2000, and The Slim Shady LP came in 1999. And as soon as we hear the Dr. Dre beats, nasally voice, and intricate lyrics, we know Slim Shady is back.

tell a friend: Eminem is presumably consciously making a goofy, fun little rhyme with this line (he didn’t write it to be the epitome of lyrical ability, although he is an excellent lyricist), and he is perhaps making fun of advertisements that excitedly encourage you to “tell a friend!” about the product or service being advertised.

Guess who's back, guess who's back: This song is the first single from the album The Eminem Show, released in 2002. Em’s previous album, The Marshall Mathers LP, was released in 2000, and The Slim Shady LP came in 1999. And as soon as we hear the Dr. Dre beats, nasally voice, and intricate lyrics, we know Slim Shady is back.

I've created a monster, ‘cause nobody wants ...: Using the famous “I’ve created a monster” line taken from Frankenstein, Eminem explains how on his first major label album he created the evil alter-ego “Slim Shady”, which he now feels fans prefer over his actual personality, something he did not intend (his real name is Marshall).

This makes Em feel as though people value him solely as an entertainer, rather than as a human being (“chopped liver” is slang for “useless”).

Well, if you want Shady, this is what I'll ...: Em reveals that his alter ego is really just his personality when he’s drunk and high (curiously, also the reason most Rap Genius editors write under a pseudonym)

Since he has struggled with drug problems throughout his life, we have usually seen more of the “Shady” side of Marshall’s personality in his music

Some vodka that'll jump start my heart ...: Vodka can get his heart pumping fast, much like a thousand volts of electricity from a defibrillator. Another famous Eminem extended metaphor, he doesn’t just say vodka gets his heart pumping like a defib, he describes a full scene that gives the imagery of doctors trying to shock him back to life, but he is still fighting them off because he doesn’t care about his health.

When I'm rocking the table while he's ...: This shows a total disregard for his own safety, which is pretty standard behavior for Slim Shady. This is just one of several songs where he’s made medical/doctor references, one notable being “I Need a Doctor”.

Now this looks like a job for me: Em is casting himself as a superhero. He does this blatantly in the music video for “Without Me” when he dresses up as, of all people, Robin (Batman’s sidekick). But in this case he is channeling his inner Superman, since that is Clark Kent’s catchphrase when switching into the Man of Steel. Without controversy, everything seems to be really boring in his eyes. So he uses himself as target of the FCC and sensors to create some “controversy”. Because life “feels so empty, without [him]”.

‘Cause we need a little controversy: Con-tro-ver-sy; [kon-truh-vur-see]; noun-plural; 1. a public dispute, debate, or contention concerning a matter of opinion. 2. Eminem.

‘Cause it feels so empty without me: After releasing The Slim Shady LP in 1999 and The Marshall Mathers LP in 2000 – both received by some with serious controversy over lyrical content – Eminem waited a full 2 years to release Without Me as the lead single in 2002. During those 2 year there were really no musical controversies worth mentioning, and it is this Slim Shady is referring to, with a sly grin no doubt.

Little hellions, kids feeling rebellious: The way that the media describes Eminem’s fans. In the music video, the main plot is Eminem and Dre dressing up as Batman and Robin and trying to stop a “rebellious” little kid from buying The Eminem Show, parodying how critics view preventing kids from hearing his music as a “heroic” act.

Embarrassed their parents still listen to Elvis: Although Elvis was controversial to many of the parents in the 50’s and 60’s, that controversy eventually died out. Now rock and roll is viewed as “old people music” instead of the music for rebellious youth. Hip-hop inherited a lot of that rebelliousness, so Eminem is pointing out the cyclical nature of controversy.

Also, Eminem is aware that a lot of people compare him to Elvis, and it’s an accurate comparison in some aspects. They both achieved superstardom in a predominately black genre, and were both accused of sending bad messages to the youth. Eminem often refers to himself as the new Elvis, and dresses up like him in his music videos.

They start feeling like prisoners helpless ...: Kids feel like they are being trapped by their parents and their old school customs, so something new and vulgar like Eminem gives them motivation to rebel.

A visionary, vision is scary: Eminem depicts himself as a visionary; he is very intelligent and has a plan for the future. The problem is, the vision that he has is going to upset a lot of parents, so the idea that someone like Eminem is going to control the future scares them.

Could start a revolution, polluting the airwaves: Eminem knows that his critics view his music as dangerous, so much so that they think putting it on the radio is “polluting” the minds of its listeners. It isn’t surprising that the airwaves never really gave Slim Shady much airtime, but that has changed in the 2010’s.

In the fact that I got everyone kissing my ass ...: Irony. Everyone kisses it, but no one wants to look at it. He’s saying that everyone gives him attention by being offended by him and complaining, which is ironic as well.

A tisk-it a task-it: “A-tisket, A-tasket” is a nursery rhyme, which was also the basis of a song by Ella Fitzgerald.

Chris Kirkpatrick, you can get your ass kicked: Em is dissing Kirkpatrick from ‘N Sync because he was the only member of the band to retaliate when Em made fun of them in his earlier years. But you can’t really retaliate when you look like this:

Worse than them little Limp Bizkit bastards: This line added fuel to the fire in the Eminem and Limp Bizkit feud. They used to be friends, until DJ Lethal told TRL that “Everlast would definitely win” in a fight between Eminem and Everlast.

And Moby? You can get stomped by Obie You ...: Only pop stars are worthy of direct assault, so Em symbolically sends a minion, rapper Obie Trice, to beat up the electronic music artist Moby.

You don't know me, you're too old, let ...: He doesn’t expect old people to understand or feel his music and he doesn’t really want them to.

This is directed at Moby in the verse but can also be seen as against the rest of American adults that are against him.

nobody listens to techno: This line got remixed into a ton of techno songs. It’s actually a further insult because Moby fans will go to great pains to tell you he’s not a techno artist.

It's over: Dissing Moby by saying his career is over

You waited this long, now stop debating: There was a 2 year wait between Em’s last album, The Marshall Mathers LP and his one, The Eminem Show. The MMLP was huge, but some critics doubted that he would ever be able to pull anything off close to that caliber again. They figured the 2 year wait meant he was out of ideas. But now that he’s back all over the airwaves and running the rap game again, it’s time to stop debating if Eminem fell off.

I know that you got a job, Ms. Cheney But your ...: Lynne Cheney, as the wife of Vice President Dick Cheney, was the Second Lady of the United States. In this role, she spoke out against violent and sexually explicit lyrics in popular music, most notably those of Eminem.

So the FCC won't let me be Or let me be me, ...: The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) regulates interstate and international communications, including radio. The FCC won’t let him play his songs; they edit and censor them.

They try to shut me down on MTV But it feels so ...: The backlash against Em’s lyrics included many attempts to censor his music, including MTV (this was when MTV played music videos).

But, without Em, even the critics feel the empty space he used to fill. They hate to like him, but even Em’s harshest critics know he means a lot to the rap game, so they can’t just completely shut him down.

So, come on and dip, bum on your lips: Since he’s discussing censorship, Em references his own argument about Tom Green doing nastier things than he does on television

Fuck that! Cum on your lips and some on your tits: Fuck the FCC shit, now Em’s about to say one of the greatest things. In the clean version of this song, the first line has been changed with “jump back, jiggle her hip and wiggle a bit”.

And get ready, ‘cause this shit's about to ...: Yet another insult directed at Debbie Mathers, Eminem’s mom. He was sued by her for the amount of $10,000,000 because of defamation, which was settled before he recorded this song. Thus, he feels free to swear at her, because she ended up only being awarded $1,600 or so in damages after legal fees.

Debbie!: Eminem's mother, Debbie Mathers, sued her son for $10 million in a defamation lawsuit in 1999. Eminem had revealed information about her in his music and press, including tales of his childhood that spurred him to success

Well, I'm back, na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na: Em sings along to the “Batman” TV show theme song.

In the music video, Em dresses like Batman’s sidekick Robin, while Dr. Dre looks at him thinking “this is my fucking protege?”

Fix your bent antenna: At the time this song came out, radio technology was still improving so many radios still had long telescoping antennas as such below that were prone to bending which would cause the radio signal to become distorted

The center of attention: Everyone (the media, fans, politicians, etc.) is perpetually watching everything Eminem does, particularly because of his popularity and controversial lyrics.

back for the winter: Back for the winter: Not only is he back on your general consciousness for the season, but Em’s come back to treat the scene the same way you would a rose; to prune it, get rid of the dead wood, and keep it in the right shape. No one else but Slim could put his contemporaries through such torturous paces.

the best thing since wrestling: This line refers to the negative aspect of wrestling towards children. Which ties into the next line. I mean I could be wrong but I do not think a lot of traditional parents would want their kids watching it, my mom didn’t. This song was also created just after the WWF’s “Attitude Era” where they often cursed, displayed nudity, and much more adult material. Parents protested against them during this time probably as much as they have Eminem.

Infesting in your kid's ears and nesting: Mocking the critical parents who say Em’s lyrics are horrible and should not be for kids. Em compares his lyrics to an parasitic infection.

Here's my ten cents, my two cents is free: The “two cents” refers to Eminem’s freedom of speech, so he expresses his opinions freely and frequently.

A nuisance, who sent? You sent for me?: Em’s commenting on how he’s considered overplayed and annoying by those who don’t appreciate his music, but the irony states itself in that it is the mainstream audience that causes him to be as played as often as he is.

Now let's go, just give me the signal: The bat symbol – Eminem and Dr. Dre dress up as Batman and Robin in the music video for this song

I've been dope, suspenseful with a pencil ...: He’s been good at rap (“dope”) and captivating people with the lyrics he writes (“suspenseful with a pencil”) since 1993, when the musician Prince changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol

But sometimes the shit just seems Everybody only ...: Even though Eminem has been writting incredible verses since 1993, everybody just seems to care more about arguing that he’s a bad influence.

Not the first time that Em has brought up that subject, in fact, it may be one of the things he raps about the most. The subject of the song Who Knew is basically to mock people who believe that his music causes people to do crazy stuff. Also in Role Model, through sarcasm, he tells kids that he is not a good “role model” and they shouldn’t do the things he does.

So this must mean I'm disgusting: Eminem rhymes disgusting by syllable, so that it sounds like discuss-ting. He figures that all this talk about him being disgusting just means that people like to talk about (“discuss”) him.

Though I'm not the first king of controversy: Many before him have broken barriers in music; he’s not the first to do so

Emphasis on the word “king” – Elvis was known as “The King.”

I am the worst thing since Elvis Presley To do ...: Elvis Presley, like many white musicians of his time, has been accused of incorporating (or stealing, depending on who you ask) elements of black music and selling it to the masses.

It was also fairly common then for white musicians to rework songs originally made by black musicians and make much more money from them than the original artist.

In fact, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller wrote Hound Dog and gave it to Big Mama Thorton. They felt Elvis could make more money off it…which he did. In that time singer/songwriters were almost non existent. Songwriters often passed songs on to other singers who they believed could make more money off it. “Hound Dog” was also recorded by five country singers in 1953 alone, and over 26 times through 1964.