Song Lyric Paragraphs
Theme
Mood and Tone
“The Monster” by Eminem ft. Rihanna
I wanted the fame, but not the cover
of Newsweek
Oh, well, guess beggars can't be
choosey
Wanted to receive attention for my
music
Wanted to be left alone in public.
Excuse me
For wanting my cake and eat it too,
and wanting it both ways
Fame made me a balloon 'cause my
ego inflated
When I blew; see, but it was confusing
'Cause all I wanted to do is be the
Bruce Lee of loose leaf
Abused ink, used it as a tool when I
blew steam (wooh!)
Hit the lottery, oh wee
With what I gave up to get was
bittersweet
It was like winning a used me
Ironic 'cause I think I'm getting so huge
I need a shrink
I'm beginning to lose sleep: one sheep,
two sheep
Going cuckoo and cooky as Kool Keith
But I'm actually weirder than you think
'Cause I'm
I'm friends with the monster that's
under my bed
Get along with the voices inside of my
head
You're trying to save me, stop holding
your breath
And you think I'm crazy, yeah, you think
I'm crazy
Well, that's nothing
Theme Analysis
One theme of the song “The Monster” by Eminem is that sometimes the
dreams and goals that we work so hard to achieve can come with unintended
consequences. For example, in the first verse he says that he “wanted fame but
not the cover of Newsweek,” and that he “wanted to receive attention for his
music” but to “be left alone in public.” These lines suggest that even though he
accomplished his goal of becoming a famous musician, this fame cost him his
privacy and the ability to be able to live a “normal” life. These lines also suggest
that he never expected the fame he achieved through his music to expose every
other aspect of his personal and private life. Later in verse one and in the hook,
he says that he’s “beginning to lose sleep,” and that “he’s weirder than [we] think
because [he’s] friends with the monster under [his] bed.” These lines show that
the extreme fame that he has achieved is actually costing him his sanity. Even
though he feels like he is losing his mind, he has chosen to embrace his situation
and the “monster” that symbolizes his fame and loss of normalcy. Overall, in this
song, Eminem warns us to be careful what we wish for, because getting what we
want may affect our lives in unexpected and unpleasant ways.
Mood and Tone Analysis
The mood of the song “The Monster” by Eminem is dark and eerie, while the
tone is ironic and confrontational. For example, in the hook, Rihanna sings “I’m
friends with the monster under my bed, get along with the voices inside of my
head.” These lyrics suggest something scary and supernatural that is driving the
singer to insanity. The haunting melody and background instrumentals also add
to the dark and eerie affect of the song. The tone comes through when Eminem
says “hit the lottery, oh wee, with what I gave up to get was bittersweet, it was
like winning a used me.” His use of irony here contributes to the theme of fame’s
unintended and unexpected consequences. The tone is also confrontational in
the hook when Rihanna sings “you're trying to save me, stop holding your breath
and you think I'm crazy, yeah, you think I'm crazy, well, that's nothing.” These
lines seem to be confronting the critics who think they know how to “help” the
singers deal with the “monster” of fame by telling them to back off because they
have embraced the insanity and aren’t asking for anyone else’s opinions. The
eerie mood and sarcastic tone work together to communicate the dark side of
fame.
Template/ACE (Answer, Cite, Explain)
• TS: topic sentence, ANSWER
• CD: concrete detail, fact, example, passage from
text, CITE
• CM: commentary, your thoughts, analysis,
explanation of how the CD relates to the TS,
EXPLAIN
• CM: second sentence of commentary, tell me more,
elaborate, dig deeper, CONTINUE TO EXPLAIN
• Write a second chunk (repeat pattern from above,
CD, CM, CM)
• CS: concluding sentence, summarize your ideas and
relate back to your TS
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