Cleanin' Out My Closet

[Intro]

Where's my snare?

I have no snare in my headphones

There you go, yeah, yo, yo

[Verse 1]

Have you ever been hated or discriminated against?

I have—I've been protested and demonstrated against

Picket signs for my wicked rhymes, look at the times

Sick as the mind of the motherfuckin' kid that's behind

All 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 mouth

See, they can trigger me, but they'll never figure me out

Look at me now! I bet you're probably sick of me now

Ain't you, Mama? I'ma make you look so ridiculous now!

[Hook]

I'm sorry, Mama, I never meant to hurt you

I never meant to make you cry

But tonight I'm cleanin' out my closet (One more time!)

I said I'm sorry, Mama, I never meant to hurt you

I never meant to make you cry

But tonight I'm cleanin' out my closet

[Verse 2]

I got some skeletons in my closet

And I don't know if no one knows it

So before they throw me inside my coffin and close it

I'ma expose it; I'll take you back to '73

Before I ever had a multi-platinum-selling CD

I was a baby, maybe I was just a couple of months

My faggot father must have had his panties up in a bunch

‘Cause he split, I wonder if he even kissed me goodbye

No, I don't, on second thought, I just fuckin' wished he would die

I look at Hailie, and I couldn't picture leavin' her side

Even if I hated Kim, I'd grit my teeth and I'd try

To make it work with her at least for Hailie's sake

I maybe made some mistakes

But I'm only human, but I'm man enough to face 'em today

What I did was stupid, no doubt it was dumb

But the smartest shit I did was take the bullets out of that gun

‘Cause I'da killed him, shit, I woulda shot Kim and him both

It's my life, I'd like to welcome y'all to The Eminem Show

[Hook]

I'm sorry, Mama, I never meant to hurt you

I never meant to make you cry

But tonight I'm cleanin' out my closet (One more time!)

I said I'm sorry, Mama, I never meant to hurt you

I never meant to make you cry

But tonight I'm cleanin' out my closet

[Verse 3]

Now, I would never diss my own mama just to get recognition

Take a second to listen 'fore you think this record is dissin'

But put yourself in my position, just try to envision

Witnessin' your mama poppin' prescription pills in the kitchen

Bitchin' that someone's always goin' through her purse and shit's missin'

Goin' through public housing systems, victim of Münchausen's Syndrome

My 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 lonely

And Nathan's growin' up so quick he's gonna know that you're phony

And Hailie's gettin' so big now, you should see her, she's beautiful

But you'll never see her—she won't even be at your funeral!

See, what hurts me the most is you won't admit you was wrong

Bitch, do your song, keep tellin' yourself that you was a mom!

But 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 shit!

Remember when Ronnie died and you said you wished it was me?

Well, guess what, I am dead—dead to you as can be!

[Hook]

I'm sorry, Mama, I never meant to hurt you

I never meant to make you cry

But tonight I'm cleanin' out my closet (One more time!)

I said I'm sorry, Mama, I never meant to hurt you

I never meant to make you cry

But tonight I'm cleanin' out my closet

• Artist:Eminem
• Album:The Eminem Show (2002)