Lose Yourself
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Intro
Look, if you had one shot or one opportunityTo seize everything you ever wanted in one momentWould you capture it or just let it slip?YoVerse 1
His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavyThere's vomit on his sweater already, mom's spaghettiHe's nervous, but on the surface, he looks calm and readyTo drop bombs, but he keeps on forgettingWhat he wrote down, the whole crowd goes so loudHe opens his mouth, but the words won't come outHe's chokin', how? Everybody's jokin' nowThe clock's run out, time's up, over, blaowSnap back to reality, ope, there goes gravityOpe, there goes Rabbit, he choked, he's so madBut he won't give up that easy, no, he won't have itHe knows his whole back's to these ropes, it don't matterHe's dope, he knows that, but he's broke, he's so stagnantHe knows when he goes back to this mobile home, that's when it'sBack to the lab again, yo, this old rhapsodyBetter go capture this moment and hope it don't pass himChorus
You better lose yourself in the musicThe moment, you own it, you better never let it go (Go)You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blowThis opportunity comes once in a lifetime, yoYou better lose yourself in the musicThe moment, you own it, you better never let it go (Go)You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blowThis opportunity comes once in a lifetime, yoYou betterVerse 2
His soul's escaping through this hole that is gapingThis world is mine for the taking, make me kingAs we move toward a new world orderA normal life is boring, but superstardom'sClose to post-mortem, it only grows harderHomie grows hotter, he blows, it's all overThese hoes is all on him, coast-to-coast showsHe's known as the Globetrotter, lonely roadsGod only knows he's grown farther from home, he's no fatherHe goes home and barely knows his own daughterBut hold your nose 'cause here goes the cold waterThese hoes don't want him no mo', he's cold productThey moved on to the next schmoe who flowsHe nose-dove and sold nada, and so the soap operaIs told, it unfolds, I suppose it's old, partnerBut the beat goes on, da-da-dom, da-dom, dah-dah-dah-dahChorus
You better lose yourself in the musicThe moment, you own it, you better never let it go (Go)You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blowThis opportunity comes once in a lifetime, yoYou better lose yourself in the musicThe moment, you own it, you better never let it go (Go)You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blowThis opportunity comes once in a lifetime, yoYou betterVerse 3
No more games, I'ma change what you call rageTear this motherfuckin' roof off like two dogs cagedI was playin' in the beginning, the mood all changedI've been chewed up and spit out and booed off stageBut I kept rhymin' and stepped right in the next cypherBest believe somebody's payin' the Pied PiperAll the pain inside amplified by theFact that I can't get by with my nine-to-Five and I can't provide the right type of life for my family'Cause, man, these goddamn food stamps don't buy diapersAnd there's no movie, there's no Mekhi Phifer, this is my lifeAnd these times are so hard, and it's gettin' even harderTryna feed and water my seed, plus teeter-totterCaught up between bein' a father and a prima donnaBaby-mama drama, screamin' on her, too much for me to wannaStay in one spot, another day of monotony's gotten meTo the point I'm like a snail, I've gotTo formulate a plot or end up in jail or shotSuccess is my only motherfuckin' option, failure's notMom, I love you, but this trailer's gotTo go, I cannot grow old in Salem's LotSo here I go, it's my shot, feet, fail me notThis may be the only opportunity that I gotChorus
You better lose yourself in the musicThe moment, you own it, you better never let it go (Go)You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blowThis opportunity comes once in a lifetime, yoYou better lose yourself in the musicThe moment, you own it, you better never let it go (Go)You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blowThis opportunity comes once in a lifetime, yoYou betterOutro
You can do anything you set your mind to, manWhat the song means
The song follows a young rapper, loosely based on Eminem's own life, who is about to perform in a high-stakes rap battle and is paralyzed by nerves. The chorus is a direct call to commit fully to a single chance at success, and it becomes the song's central message.
The story moves from panic and stage fright to a bitter account of hardship: money problems, the struggle to provide for a family, a strained relationship, and life in a cramped trailer. The mood grows more tense and determined as the narrator realizes that staying where he is means losing everything, so he decides that failure is not an option and goes for his shot.
Some key images carry much of the meaning. The "Pied Piper" stands for the rapper's power to pull a crowd along with him. "Salem's Lot" refers to the horror-story town from Stephen King's novels and suggests being trapped in a place with no way out. A "cypher" is a freestyle circle where rappers prove themselves in front of others. The song was written for the 8 Mile soundtrack (2002) and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
Key phrases explained
- Snap back to reality
- Return to the real world after being lost in a daydream or pressure — Used when the narrator suddenly refocuses on the brutal present moment of the battle.
- Pied Piper
- A figure who leads people by playing music — Refers to the rapper's ability to lead and control the crowd with his rhymes.
- Salem's Lot
- A fictional haunted town from Stephen King's novels — Suggests being trapped in a dead-end place where nothing changes.
- baby-mama drama
- Conflicts and arguments with the mother of one's child — Slang that points to the personal problems weighing on the narrator.
- cypher
- An informal circle where rappers freestyle against each other — Refers to the battle setting where the narrator must prove himself.
Song info
- Release date
- 2002-10-28
- Album
- Lose Yourself
- Written by
- Eminem, Jeff Bass, Luis Resto
- Produced by
- Eminem, Jeff Bass
- Samples
- Eminem – Lose Yourself (Instrumental)
- Interpolates
- LL COOL J – One Shot at Love, Eminem – Lose Yourself (Original Demo Version), Eminem – Till I Collapse
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