Cleanin’ Out My Closet
Intro
Where's my snare?I have no snare in my headphonesThere you goYeahYo, yoVerse 1
Have you ever been hated or discriminated against?I have, I been protested and demonstrated againstPicket signs for my wicked rhymes, look at the timesSick is the mind of the motherfuckin' kid that's behindAll this commotion, emotions run deep as oceans, explodin'Tempers flarin' from parents, just blow 'em off and keep goin'Not takin' nothin' from no one, give 'em hell long as I'm breathin'Keep kickin' ass in the morning and takin' names in the evenin'Leave 'em with a taste as sour as vinegar in they mouthSee, they can trigger me, but they'll never figure me outLook at me now, I bet you're prolly sick of me nowAin't you, Mama? I'ma make you look so ridiculous nowChorus
I'm sorry, MamaI never meant to hurt youI never meant to make you cryBut tonight I'm cleanin' out my closet (One more time)I said I'm sorry, MamaI never meant to hurt youI never meant to make you cryBut tonight I'm cleanin' out my closet (Ha)Verse 2
I got some skeletons in my closet and I don't know if no one knows itSo before they throw me inside my coffin and close it, I'ma expose itI'll take you back to '73Before I ever had a multi-platinum-sellin' CDI was a baby, maybe I was just a couple of monthsMy faggot father must've had his panties up in a bunch'Cause he split, I wonder if he even kissed me goodbyeNo, I don't, on second thought, I just fuckin' wished he would dieI look at Hailie, and I couldn't picture leavin' her sideEven if I hated Kim, I'd grit my teeth and I'd tryTo make it work with her at least for Hailie's sakeI maybe made some mistakesBut I'm only human, but I'm man enough to face 'em todayWhat I did was stupid, no doubt, it was dumbBut the smartest shit I did was take the bullets out of that gun'Cause I'da killed 'em, shit, I woulda shot Kim and him bothIt's my life, I'd like to welcome y'all to The Eminem ShowChorus
I'm sorry, MamaI never meant to hurt youI never meant to make you cryBut tonight I'm cleanin' out my closet (One more time)I said I'm sorry, MamaI never meant to hurt youI never meant to make you cryBut tonight I'm cleanin' out my closet (Uh)Verse 3
Now, I would never diss my own mama just to get recognitionTake a second to listen 'fore you think this record is dissin'But put yourself in my position, just try to envisionWitnessin' your mama poppin' prescription pills in the kitchenBitchin' that someone's always goin' through her purse and shit's missin'Goin' through public housing systems, victim of Münchausen's SyndromeMy whole life I was made to believe I was sick when I wasn't'Til I grew up, now I blew up, it makes you sick to your stomach, doesn't it?Wasn't it the reason you made that CD for me, Ma?So you could try to justify the way you treated me, Ma?But guess what, you're gettin' older now, and it's cold when you're lonelyAnd Nathan's growin' up so quick, he's gonna know that you're phonyAnd Hailie's gettin' so big now, you should see her, she's beautifulBut you'll never see her, she won't even be at your funeral (Ha-ha)See, what hurts me the most is you won't admit you was wrongBitch, do your song, keep tellin' yourself that you was a momBut how dare you try to take what you didn't help me to get?You selfish bitch, I hope you fuckin' burn in Hell for this shitRemember when Ronnie died and you said you wished it was me? (He-he)Well, guess what? I am dead—dead to you as can beChorus
I'm sorry, MamaI never meant to hurt youI never meant to make you cryBut tonight I'm cleanin' out my closet (One more time)I said I'm sorry, MamaI never meant to hurt youI never meant to make you cryBut tonight I'm cleanin' out my closetWhat the song means
"Cleanin' Out My Closet" is Eminem's confession and confrontation. He addresses his mother directly, and the chorus of apologies ("I'm sorry, Mama") is the emotional core. The track is an emotional reckoning: he admits he has hurt people, but the apology keeps turning into accusation. The song closes the gap between how he was treated as a child and how he now answers back as a famous adult.
The song moves from defiance to exposure to outright anger. The first verse presents him as a fighter who ignores the people who judge and provoke him. The second verse opens the "closet" of his past, describing his absent father, the threats he felt capable of making, and his bond with his daughter, which keeps him from giving up. The third verse turns on his mother, accusing her of neglect, of faking his illness, and of using him for her own gain. The apology repeats, but by the end it reads as a rejection of her.
The key images are the closet, which stands for hidden secrets and painful family history, and the "skeletons" that he decides to expose rather than keep hidden. The reference to Münchausen's Syndrome points to his claim that his mother made him seem sick. Lines like "I'm sorry" work as irony, since the apology is pointed rather than sincere. The album reference, The Eminem Show (2002), frames the whole track as a public act of self-exposure.
Key phrases explained
- skeletons in my closet
- secrets or shameful past things kept hidden from others — The title idea: he decides to finally reveal the painful secrets he has hidden.
- Münchausen's Syndrome
- a condition in which someone fakes or causes illness in another, often a child — He accuses his mother of making him seem sick so she could control him and gain sympathy.
- takin' names
- keeping track of who wronged you and making them pay — An informal idiom, from "kick ass and take names," meaning he dominates and calls out enemies.
- give 'em hell
- make them suffer or give them a hard time — A colloquial phrase showing his defiant, combative attitude toward critics.
- do your song
- keep performing your own act or version of events — He mocks his mother for insisting she was a good mom despite the evidence.
Song info
- Release date
- 2002-05-26
- Album
- The Eminem Show
- Written by
- Eminem, Jeff Bass
- Produced by
- Eminem, Jeff Bass
- Interpolates
- John Lennon – Jealous Guy
Add a translation in your language · Request another language