The Monster (Eminem ft. Rihanna) : The Analysis of a Song

Listen to 'The Monster' by Eminem ft. Rihanna here. (Caution: some strong language!)


A portion of the song's lyrics is given below:


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

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

Been 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, 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 (Woo!)

Hit the lottery, oh wee

With what I gave up to get was bittersweet

With this like winning a huge meet

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

Songwriters: Bleta Rexha / Marshall Mathers / Aaron Kleinstub / Bryan Fryzel / Robyn Fenty / Jonathan Bellion / Maki Athanasiou

The Monster lyrics © Reach Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management US, LLC


How do the songwriters bring out themes of anguish and mental suffering through their choice of words?


The mention of 'monster under my bed', brings to mind memories of childhood terrors, which serves to draw parallels between the contemporary suffering of the adult singers and their pasts.


Informal language is used throughout the song ('crazy', 'shrink', 'cuckoo'), which serves to emphasise and personalise the feelings of the narrator.


Vivid onomatopoeia in 'Woo!' and 'oh wee' are a reference to the mention of 'steam' in the previous line, and further help articulate the singer's frustrations.


Metonymy is used to emphasise the seriousness of matters, for example with 'Newsweek' magazine standing in for fame.


The mention of celebrity (Bruce Lee, Kool Keith) is a way of tying the narrative the writers are spinning to a wider social setting.


The use of clichéd phrases ('beggars can't be choosey', 'wanting my cake, and eating it too') in the place of more elaborate creations, is meant to mimic the tendencies found in speech. As such, the narrative takes the form of a dramatic monologue.


The use of rhyme ('meet', 'bittersweet') also helps to make the lines more memorable in the reader's mind (and listener's ear!)


The clever use of 'abused ink' brings to mind connotations of drug use. The phrase suggests that the singer is regretting some of the things he had written about and sung in the past.