Metaphor Song #1

Lose Yourself by Eminem
Look, if you had one shot, or one opportunityTo seize everything you ever wanted, one momentWould you capture it, or just let it slip? Yo

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 forgettin'What he wrote down, the whole crowd goes so loudHe opens his mouth, but the words won't come outHe's chokin' how, everybody's chokin' now The clock's run out, time's up, over, bloah!Snap back to reality, oh, there goes gravityOh, 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 ropesIt don't matter, he's dopeHe knows that, but he's broke, he's so stagnant, he knowsWhen he goes back to his mobile home, that's when it'sBack to the lab again, yo, this whole rhapsodyHe better go capture this moment and hope it don't pass him

You better lose yourself in the music, the momentYou own it, you better never let it go You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow This opportunity comes once in a lifetime

You better lose yourself in the music, the momentYou own it, you better never let it go You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow This opportunity comes once in a lifetime

The soul's escaping through this hole that is gaping This world is mine for the taking, make me kingAs we move toward a new world orderA normal life is boring, but superstardom's close to post-mortemIt only grows harder, only grows hotterHe blows us all over, these hoes is all on himCoast to coast shows, he's known as the globetrotterLonely roads, God only knows he's grown farther from homeHe's no father, he goes home and barely knows his own daughterBut hold your nose cuz 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 nadaSo the soap opera is told and unfolds, I suppose it's old partnerBut the beat goes on da da dum da dum da da

You better lose yourself in the music, the momentYou own it, you better never let it go You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow This opportunity comes once in a lifetime

You better lose yourself in the music, the momentYou own it, you better never let it goYou only get one shot do not miss your chance to blowThis opportunity comes once in a lifetime

No more games, I'ma change what you call rage Tear this mothaf*****' roof off like 2 dogs caged I was playin' in the beginnin, the mood all changed I been chewed up and spit out and booed off stage But I kept rhymin' and stepwritin' the next cypher Best believe somebody's payin' the pied piper All the pain inside amplified by the factThat I can't get by with my nine to fiveAnd I can't provide the right type of life for my familyCuz man, these goddam food stamps don't buy diapers And it's no movie, there's no Mekhi PhiferThis is my life, and these times are so hardAnd it's getting even harder tryin' to feed and water my seed, plus Teetertotter caught up between bein a father and a prima donna Baby mama drama screamin on and too much for me to wannaStay in one spot, another day of monotonyHas gotten me to the point I'm like a snailI've got to formulate a plot or end up in jail or shot Success is my only mothaf*****' option, failure's not Mom, I love you, but this trailer's got to go I cannot grow old in Salem's lot So here I go with my shot, feet fail me notThis may be the only opportunity that I got

You better lose yourself in the music, the momentYou own it, you better never let it goYou only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blowThis opportunity comes once in a lifetime

You better lose yourself in the music, the momentYou own it, you better never let it goYou only get one shot do not miss your chance to blowThis opportunity comes once in a lifetimeYou can do anything you set your mind to, man

Lose Yourself by Eminem is about being able to make it as a rapper. Even though he went through as much as being "booed off stage", he did not let that stop him in his quest. He never let any opportunities of fame and fortune slip by him because Eminem believed that being famous was the only way he could make enough money to support his family. Food stamps and working a nine to five job were not his ideas of success, so he believed that if he kept trying, he would eventually get what it was that he wanted. He is able to portray these struggles that he faced by using many different metaphors. "You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow" is saying that people usually only end up with one chance to be famous and if they do not make the best of it, they could lose it. This is a metaphor because it sounds like it is talking about a gun, but it is talking about taking chances. Another metaphor is "The clock's run out" because a clock does not literally run out. Eminem is talking about time running out and missing the opportunity to do what you want in life because it may come unexpectedly. If they are not ready to take on the opportunity, then their time is going to run out and they will fail. Next, "The soul's escaping through this hole that is gaping" is another metaphor. It is saying that he is finally making it in the rap industry and success may come faster than he expected. Finally, "Best believe somebody's payin' the pied piper" means that eventually when you become famous, you are going to be paid. Overall, Eminem uses metaphors to show how important it was for him to become one of the best rappers of this time.