Did Em contradict himself on "Lose Yourself"?

[Blu]

Take a look at the first verse of "Lose Yourself", the lyrics go like this:

His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy
There's vomit on his sweater already: mom's spaghetti
He's nervous, but on the surface he looks calm and ready

Sounds pretty cool right? Eminem just going off with his crazy rhymes, describing Rabbit's first experience in battling. But take a look at it again, how can he look "calm and ready" if "there's vomit on his sweater" and "his palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy"?

Did Em contradict himself for the sake of the rhyme? Or is there a whole new meaning waiting to be decoded?

'Scust.

[SajN]

You just ruined the song for me, unless someone comes with an explanation that I can support to keep the things the way it was.

[Trimss]

Well I can see why you would think that, but no. He looks calm and ready probably because he seems so focused and emotionless on the outside, knowing that in the inside he's dying from stress.

[SajN]

Okay, you ain't ruined the song for me after all.

[EminemInsider]

LOL...you didn't notice the little "but on the surface" part?

Nobody else can see that his palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy.

If there's vomit on his sweater, they probably can't see that, either.

[Fleka]

Maybe he meant that his face looked calmed and ready.

[EminemInsider]

LOL...you didn't notice the little "but on the surface" part?

Nobody else can see that his palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy.

If there's vomit on his sweater, they probably can't see that, either.

He took the sweater off. The sweater would be on the surface.

Even if he'd still had it on, that doesn't mean there's necessarily enough vomit on the sweater for people to notice it.

Pretty gross topic...

[Elision]

He looks calm and ready, but he's actually the opposite on the inside. Not rocket science.

Thank you for beating me to this. I was scrolling down through this thread like

[Blu]

He looks calm and ready, but he's actually the opposite on the inside. Not rocket science.

So on the inside his knees are weak? On the inside his palms are sweaty? On the inside he just threw up all over his sweater?

[DanWS]

He looks calm and ready, but he's actually the opposite on the inside. Not rocket science.

So on the inside his knees are weak? On the inside his palms are sweaty? On the inside he just threw up all over his sweater?

wow...

[Blu]

No, on the inside he is nervous. All those things you listed are physiological symptoms of nerves which DO show up on the surface of his skin (sweat) and the surface of his clothes (vomit), but Eminem wasn't using "surface" in that physical/literal context. He is talking about surface emotion. If you're a person in the crowd watching Rabbit, you'd think he looked calm and ready.

If you still can't understand, you have no hope in life.

lmao, chill. I understand, I just wanted to clear things up.

[EminemBase]

His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy
There's vomit on his sweater already: mom's spaghetti
He's nervous, but on the surface he looks calm and ready

No I don't think he contradicts himself here as... the description of him looking 'calm and ready' on the surface, comes after the description of nerves and mess (vomit).

So it implies that - he's been sick, he's nervous and jittery but, he's keeping his outward composure the best he can and on the surface , he appears to be calm.

But on this topic... what I did notice about "Lose Yourself" not long ago which I found to be... well, it's nit-picking at an intentionally broad / inspirational concept but: Em says you only get 'one shot'... when, he actually had about three shots himself, before he succeeded lmao.

And depending on what you count a 'shot' as, I mean... you could take 'one shot' in a broader and more philosophical sense to mean life itself aka you get one go at this, so make it happen, but I think he meant more specific to an opportunity with a passion.

And, he failed multiple times, consider the fact he lost two battles... and then after years of failing or not making much ground - Dre finds him lmao. And then take the fact that, after going into self-imposed exile and drug hibernation (2004-08), in regards to his solo career, he then came back and reinvigorated his name and status. And he even references this fact in "Cinderella Man" - "most people don't get a second chance" etc.

So it's like, well... no you don't only get one shot. You get as many as you attempt lmao.

[Mr Change]

^ I think his concept of only getting one shot is when you're on stage and either go hard or go home.
He sure knows people can get more than one shot, but it's more of a motivational speech than a fact, you know?

Could work both ways tbh.

I do believe the overall intention of the song was supporting the 'You have one shot to make it in the industry, if you don't score you'll be sent packin' and lose your chance at stardom' idea. Pretty sure Em and many of his people have said stuff like that in reference to the song.


Man. This is a masterpiece.

[Elision]

Man. This is a masterpiece.

Sure, but a lot of you guys try to make it so much more than it really is