Eminem – Lose Yourself Lyrics

“Lose Yourself” is the theme song from Eminem’s semi-biographical 2002 movie 8 Mile. Eminem is narrating the life of the film’s protagonist, Jimmy, up until the third verse, where Jimmy and Eminem’s journey converge.

Engineer Steven King told Rolling Stone in 2003 that Eminem “laid down all three verses in one take”, which Eminem has since shed doubt on.

Eminem stated in his 2008 autobiography, The Way I Am, that he wrote “in-between shooting scenes [for 8 Mile] and taking care of [his] kids” (pg 108-109.) Scans of the scrawled lyrics on A4 writing pad pages were also featured in the autobiography (pg 217-218.)

In 2014, the demo version appeared on Shady Records’ SHADY XV compilation album, which featured the same beat and tone but almost entirely different lyrics.

Commercially, “Lose Yourself” was hugely successful and reached #1 in 20 countries, including the US. It marked Eminem’s first US #1, and held the top position for 12 weeks, becoming the third-longest chart-topper from a movie soundtrack (behind “I Will Always Love You” and “End Of The Road”). As of 2022, it is 13x Multi-Platinum in the US.

The song was lauded critically, too. It won two Grammys (Best Male Rap Solo Performance & Best Rap Song) and became the first rap song to win the Oscar for Best Original Song. Eminem didn’t attend the ceremony as he didn’t think he’d win, meaning he didn’t perform it, which is atypical for winners of the category. This was remedied when he performed the song at the 2020 Oscars.

The song has also had a huge cultural impact. Apple used the song for two commercials in the mid-‘00s to promote iTunes and the iPod, with Eminem featuring in the latter video. Chrysler used the instrumental and Eminem for their 2011 “Born of Fire” Super Bowl commercial. In 2021, Eminem opened up a restaurant in Detroit called “Mom’s Spaghetti”, which is a lyric that’s been meme’d extensively (even being given its own fan-made song.)

Lose Yourself Lyrics

[Intro]
Look, if you had one shot or one opportunity
To seize everything you ever wanted in one moment
Would you capture it, or just let it slip? Yo

[Verse 1]
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
To drop bombs, but he keeps on forgetting
What he wrote down, the whole crowd goes so loud
He opens his mouth, but the words won’t come out
He’s choking, how? Everybody’s joking now
The clock’s run out, time’s up, over, blaow
Snap back to reality, ope there goes gravity, ope
There goes Rabbit, he choked, he’s so mad but he won’t
Give up that easy, no, he won’t have it, he knows
His whole back’s to these ropes, it don’t matter, he’s dope
He knows that but he’s broke, he’s so stagnant, he knows
When he goes back to this mobile home, that’s when it’s
Back to the lab again, yo, this old rhapsody
Better go capture this moment and hope it don’t pass him, and

[Chorus]
You better lose yourself in the music
The moment, you own it, you better never let it go (Go)
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime, yo
You better lose yourself in the music
The moment, you own it, you better never let it go (Go)
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime, yo
You better…

[Verse 2]
His soul’s escaping through this hole that is gaping
This world is mine for the taking, make me king
As we move toward a New World Order
A normal life is boring; but superstardom’s
Close to post-mortem, it only grows harder
Homie grows hotter, he blows, it’s all over
These hoes is all on him, coast-to-coast shows
He’s known as the Globetrotter, lonely roads
God only knows, he’s grown farther from home, he’s no father
He goes home and barely knows his own daughter
But hold your nose, ’cause here goes the cold water
These hoes don’t want him no more, he’s cold product
They moved on to the next schmoe who flows
He nose-dove and sold nada, and so the soap opera
Is told, it unfolds, I suppose it’s old, partner
But the beat goes on, da-da-dom, da-dom, dah-dah, dah-dah

[Chorus]
You better lose yourself in the music
The moment, you own it, you better never let it go (Go)
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime, yo
You better lose yourself in the music
The moment, you own it, you better never let it go (Go)
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime, yo
You better…

[Verse 3]
No more games, I’ma change what you call rage
Tear this motherfuckin’ roof off like two dogs caged
I was playin’ in the beginning, the mood all changed
I’ve been chewed up and spit out and booed off stage
But I kept rhymin’ and stepped right in the next cypher
Best believe somebody’s payin’ the Pied Piper
All the pain inside amplified by the
Fact that I can’t get by with my nine-to-
Five and I can’t provide the right type of life for my family
‘Cause man, these goddamn food stamps don’t buy diapers
And there’s no movie, there’s no Mekhi Phifer, this is my life
And these times are so hard, and it’s gettin’ even harder
Tryna feed and water my seed, plus teeter-totter
Caught up between bein’ a father and a prima donna
Baby mama drama, screamin’ on her, too much for me to wanna
Stay in one spot, another day of monotony’s
Gotten me to the point I’m like a snail, I’ve got
To formulate a plot or end up in jail or shot
Success is my only motherfuckin’ option, failure’s not
Mom, I love you, but this trailer’s got
To go; I cannot grow old in Salem’s Lot
So here I go, it’s my shot, feet, fail me not
This may be the only opportunity that I got

[Chorus]
You better lose yourself in the music
The moment, you own it, you better never let it go (Go)
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime, yo
You better lose yourself in the music
The moment, you own it, you better never let it go (Go)
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime, yo
You better…

[Outro]
You can do anything you set your mind to, man