A Grammy award nominated rap song sung by arguably one of the best rappers in the world, Mockingbird tells Eminem's very personal story of this early relationships with his wife and daughters. This song dates back to April 2005 at a time when Eminem was already very famous/ infamous. The lyrics of the song are in the form of a one-sided conversation with his beloved daughters, Hailie and Lainnie, explaining his absence in their lives, the difficulties he faced throughout their childhood years, as well as his love and missing for his daughters. It is one of the most touching song that I have ever heard but also one of the saddest. While listening to his song, I am always reminded that famous singers do not always walk the smooth path, some might even have walked tremendously tragic ones and have sacrificed a lot themselves or their families.
There are lots of words to learn from this song, so please spend some time to comprehend. At native listening level, you should be able to catch 90% of the words in this song.
Let's enjoy the song first... Level of difficult for listening: Crazy.
Mockingbird -- Eminem (Original MTV Version)
Mockingbird -- Eminem (Better Sound Quality Version)
Mockingbird -- Eminem (Lyrics Version)
Lyrics:
Yeah
I know sometimes things may not always make sense to you right now
But hey, what daddy always tell you?
Straighten up little soldier
Stiffen up that upper lip
What you crying about?
You got me...
Hailie, I know you miss your mom and I know you miss your dad
When I'm gone, but I'm trying to give you the life that I never had
I can see you're sad, even when you smile, even when you laugh
I can see it in your eyes, deep inside you want to cry
Cuz you're scared, I ain't there?
Daddy's with you in your prayers
No more crying, wipe them tears
Daddy's here, no more nightmares
We gonna pull together through it, we gonna do it
Lainnie, uncle's crazy, aint he?
Yeah but he loves you girl and you better know it
We're all we got in this world
When it spins, when it swirls
When it whirls, when it twirls
Two little beautiful girls
Lookin' puzzled, in a daze
I know it's confusing you
Daddy's always on the move, mamma's always on the news
I try to keep you sheltered from it but somehow it seems
The harder that I try to do that, the more it backfires on me
All the things growing up as daddy that he had to see
Daddy don't want you to see but you see just as much as he did
We did not plan it to be this way, your mother and me
But things have got so bad between us
I don't see us ever being together ever again
Like we used to be when we was teenagers
But then of course everything always happens for a reason
I guess it was never meant to be
But it's just something we have no control over and that's what destiny is,
But no more worries, rest your head and go to sleep
Maybe one day we'll wake up and this will all just be a dream
[Chorus]
Now hush little baby, don't you cry
Everything's gonna be alright
Stiffen that upperlip up little lady, i told ya
Daddy's here to hold ya through the night
I know mommy's not here right now and we don't know why
We feel how we feel inside
It may seem a little crazy, pretty baby,
But i promise momma's gon' be alright
It's funny
I remember back when you and daddy had no money
Mommy wrapped the Christmas presents up
And stuck 'em under the tree and said some of 'em were from me
Cuz daddy couldn't buy 'em
I'll never forget that Christmas I sat up the whole night crying
Cuz daddy felt like a bum, see daddy had a job
But his job was to keep the food on the table for you and mom
And at the time every house that we lived in
Either kept getting broken into and robbed
Or shot up on the block and your mom was saving money for you in a jar
Trying to start a piggy bank for you so you could go to college
Almost had a thousand dollars till someone broke in and stole it
And I know it hurt so bad it broke your momma's heart
And it seemed like everything was just startin' to fall apart
Mom and dad was arguin' a lot so momma moved back
Onto Chalmers in a flat one bedroom apartment
And dad moved back to the other side of 8 Mile on Novara
And that's when daddy went to California with his CD and met Dr. Dre
And flew you and momma out to see me
But daddy had to work, you and momma had to leave me
Then you started seeing daddy on the T.V. and momma didn't like it
And you and Lainnie were to young to understand it
Papa was a rollin' stone, momma developed a habit
And it all happened too fast for either one of us to grab it
I'm just sorry you were there and had to witness it first hand
Cuz all I ever wanted to do was just make you proud
Now I'm sittin in this empty house, just reminiscing
Lookin' at your baby pictures, it just trips me out
To see how much you both have grown, it's almost like you're sisters now
Wow, I guess you pretty much are and daddy's still here
Lainnie, I'm talkin' to you too, daddy's still here
I like the sound of that, yeah,
It's got a ring to it don't it?
Shh, momma's only gone for the moment
[Chorus]
And if you ask me too
Daddy's gonna buy you a mockingbird
I'mma give you the world
I'mma buy a diamond ring for you
I'mma sing for you
I'll do anything for you to see you smile
And if that mockingbird don't sing and that ring don't shine
I'mma break that birdies neck
I'll go back to the jeweler who sold it to ya
and he'd gimme every carat don't fuck with dad (haha)
Vocabulary:
tremendously -- (adv) very great in amount or level, or extremely good
sacrifice -- (vb)[T] to give up something that is valuable to you in order to help another person
pull through sth --(phrasal verb) to become well again after a serious illness, especially when you might have died
swirl -- (vb) [I or T usually + adverb or preposition] (n)[C] to (cause to) move quickly with a twisting circular movement
whirl -- (vb) [I or T] to (cause something to) turn around in circles
twirl -- (vb) [I or T usually + adverb or preposition] (n)[C] to (cause to) give a sudden quick turn or set of turns in a circle
in a daze --(n) unable to think clearly
backfire -- (vb) [I] (of a plan) to have the opposite result from the one you intended
bum -- (n) [C] US informal someone who has no home or job and lives by asking other people for money
piggy bank --(n) [C] a small container, sometimes in the shape of a pig, which is used by children for saving money
reminisce -- (vb) [I] formal to talk or write about past experiences which you remember with pleasure
trip sb out -- (slang) to be under the influence of a hallucinogenic drug, esp. LSD, hereby as a metaphorical meaning, possibly referring to the lost track of time, as if the singer has taken drugs and forgotten that time flies.
Resources:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsy0MmqlLd0&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLxc53RcHJw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCcykNUusi4&feature=related
http://artists.letssingit.com/EMINEM-lyrics-mockingbird-4p78x3t
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/sacrifice_1#sacrifice_1__3
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/pull-through-sth#pull-through-sth__2
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/swirl
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/whirl_1
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/twirl#twirl__3
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/daze#daze__3
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/backfire_1
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/bum_2
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/piggy-bank
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/reminisce#reminisce__3
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/trip+out
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/pull-through-sth#pull-through-sth__2
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/swirl
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/whirl_1
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/twirl#twirl__3
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/daze#daze__3
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/backfire_1
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/bum_2
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/piggy-bank
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/reminisce#reminisce__3
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/trip+out
