As the World Turns by Eminem Lyrics Meaning – Unpacking the Chaos of an Artist’s Psyche
Lyrics
Round and round
(As the world turns we all experience things in life)
But I wish it would stop and let me off right now
(Trials and tribulations that we all must go through)
I don’t know why this world keep turning
(When someone wants to test us when someone tries our patience)
Round and round
But I wish it would stop and let me off right now
I hang with a bunch of hippies
And wacky tobacco planters
Who swallow lit roaches
And light up like jack-o-lanterns
Outsiders baby, and we suing the courts
‘Cause we’re dope as fuck and only get a two in the source
They never should’ve booted me out of reform school
Deformed fool, takin’ a shit, in the warm pool
’til they threw me out the Ramada Inn
I said it wasn’t me, I got a twin (oh my god its you! Not again!)
It all started when my mother took my bike away
’cause I murdered my guinea pig and stuck him in the microwave
After that, it was straight to the forty ouncers
Slappin’ teachers, and jackin’ off in front of my counselors
Class clown freshman, dressed like Les Nessman
Fuck the next lesson, I’ll past the test guessin’
And all the other kids said Eminem’s a dishead,
He’ll never last, the only class he’ll pass is phys ed
May be true, till I told this bitch in gym class
That she was too fat to swim laps, she needed Slim Fast (who me?)
Yeah bitch you so big
You walked into Big Panties and stepped on Jenny Craig
She picked me up to snap me like a skinny twig
Put me in the headlock, then I thought of my guinea pig
I felt the evilness and started transformin’ (rar!)
It began storming, I heard a bunch of cheering fans swarming
Grabbed that bitch by her hair
Drug her across the ground
And took her up to the highest diving board and tossed her down
Sorry coach, its too late to tell me stop
While I drop this bitch face down and watch her belly flop
I don’t know why this world keep turning (as the world turns)
Round and round
(These are the days of our lives)
But I wish it would stop and let me off right now
(These are the things we must go through day by day)
We drive around in million dollar sports cars
While little kids hide this tape from their parents like bad report cards
Outsiders, and we suing the courts
‘Cause we dope as fuck and only get a two in The Source
Hypochondriac, hanging out at the laundromat
Where all the raunchy fat white trashy blonds be at
Dressed like a sailor, standin’ by a pale of garbage
Its almost dark and I’m still tryna nail a trailer park bitch
I met a slut and said “What up, its nice to meet ya”
I’d like to treat ya to a bagel and a slice of pizza
But I’m broke as fuck and I don’t get paid till the first of next month
But if you care to join me, I was bout to roll this next blunt
But I ain’t got no weed, no phillies, or no papers
Plus I’m a rapist and a repeated prison escapist
So gimme all your money
And don’t try nothin’ funny
‘Cause you know your stinkin’ ass is too fat to try to outrun me
I went to grab my gun
That’s when her ass put it on me
Wit’ an uppercut and hit me with a basket of laundry
I fell through the glass doors
Started causin’ a scene
Then slid across the floor and flew right into a washin’ machine
Jumped up with a broken back
Thank god I was smokin’ crack all day
And doped up off coke and smack
All I wanted to do was rape the bitch and snatch her purse
Now I want to kill her
But so I gotta catch her first
Ran threw alleys, parkin’ lots, and took a shortcut
Saw the house she ran up in
And shot her fuckin’ porch up
Kicked the door down to murder this divorced slut
Looked around the room
That’s when I seen the bedroom door shut
I know you’re in there bitch! I got my gun cocked!
You might as well come out now
She said “Come in, its unlocked!”
I walked in and all I smelled was Liz Claiborne
And seen her spread across the bed naked watchin’ gay porn
She said “Come her big boy, lets get acquainted”
I turned around to run, twisted my ankle and sprained it
She came at me at full speed, nothin’ could stop her
I shot her five times and every bullet bounced off her
I started to beg, “No, please let go”
But she swallowed my fuckin’ leg whole like an egg roll
With one leg left, now I’m hoppin’ around crippled
I grabbed my pocket knife and sliced off her right nipple
Just trying to buy me some time, then I remembered this magic trick
Den den den den den den, go go gadget dick!
Whipped that shit out, and ain’t no doubt about it
It hit the ground and caused an earthquake and power outage
I shouted, “Now bitch, let’s see who gets the best!”
Stuffed that shit in crooked and fucked that fat slut to death (ah, ah)
Come here bitch!
Come here!
Take this motherfuckin’ dick!
Bitch, come here!
I don’t know why this world keep turning
(And as we go along)
Round and round
(Throughout the days of our lives)
But I wish it would stop and let me off right now
(We all face small obstacles and challenges everyday)
I don’t know why this world keep turning
(That we must go through)
Round and round
(These are the things that surround us through our atmosphere)
But I wish it would stop and let me off right now
I don’t know why this world keep turning
(Every day every single day the world keeps turning)
Round and round
As the enigmatic carousel of lyrics begins to chime through Eminem’s ‘As the World Turns,’ a track off his seminal album ‘The Slim Shady LP,’ listeners are spun into a whirlwind of chaotic storytelling. Here, Marshall Mathers, the rap maestro known as Eminem, navigates the cutthroat playground of his own imagination with deft lyricism that both dazzles and disturbs.
The song acts as a gritty microcosm of his broader catalog—laced with dark humor, exaggerated violence, and a piercing examination of self. It is a storytelling odyssey that bends the mind and expectations, holding a mirror to society’s fringes through the lens of Eminem’s tempestuous rise to fame.
The Satirical Spin on Society’s Underbelly
Eminem’s verses parade a cascade of characters and scenarios that reflect the absurdity of a society embroiled in sensationalism and scandal. The opening of ‘As the World Turns’ sets this stage, declaring an endless and dizzying cycle of life’s vicissitudes, punctuated by the artist’s desire for escapism.
His narrative delves into a caricatured milieu of ‘hippies and wacky tobacco planters’, traversing through outrageous anecdotes involving litigious actions against media titans for a lack of respect. This vivid pictorial of his surroundings crystalizes into a satirical critique of the expectations for artistic authenticity and the clashes with an industry obsessed with ratings and reviews.
Diving Deep: The Song’s Concealed Commentary
Beneath the surface-level hijinks and hyperbole, ‘As the World Turns’ resonates with a somber subtext. Eminem communicates the struggles of an individual against the unyielding momentum of life—a cycle depicted as relentless, to which he yearns to find a pause button.
The repetitive hook, ‘I don’t know why this world keep turning,’ suggests a plea for respite, and perhaps a nod to the cyclical nature of conflict and resolution in Eminem’s personal narrative. This existentialist undertone ruminates on the inescapability of one’s demons and the perpetuity of societal pressures.
Crude Poetry: Lines That Elicit Double Takes
Shock value is a time-honored tradition in Eminem’s lyrical toolbox, and in ‘As the World Turns’, it is no different. His aggressive storytelling brims with lines that make you recoil and chuckle in the same breath, a hallmark of his Slim Shady persona.
Consider the audacious mockery in ‘Dressed like a sailor, standin’ by a pale of garbage’ or the grim humor in ‘Put me in the headlock, then I thought of my guinea pig’. Each line tiptoes the line of acceptability, forcing a confrontation with the listener’s own boundaries of comfort.
The Beat Behind the Bravado: A Musical Perspective
Behind the narrative’s tumult lies a beat that embodies the merry-go-round melody insinuated by the song’s title. The simple, looped instrumental soundbed is both hypnotic and haunting, allowing Eminem’s voice to take center stage as he spins his yarn.
This minimalist approach in production serves as a perfect backdrop to the flamboyance of the lyrics, highlighting Eminem’s dexterity and rhythmic prowess while cementing the song’s place in his legacy of radical beats and rhymes.
Mirror to the Madness: ‘As the World Turns’ and Eminem’s Legacy
‘As the World Turns’ is more than just a smorgasbord of violent fantasy and comic relief—it’s a distorted reflection of Eminem’s internal landscape. The narrative traverses his troubled past, confrontational stance, and the absurdities he experiences amid fame and strife.
In the grand tapestry of Eminem’s discography, this track stands as testament to his fearlessness in confronting taboo subjects, and his uncanny ability to weave vulnerability, aggression, and dark humor into a semblance of musical coherence.
