Cleaning Out My Closet by Eminem

‘Cleaning Out My Closet’ is one of Eminem’s songs that had a major influence on my life. It has cured me from a huge pain I had kept inside till my childhood. The song and the video are indeed a great masterpiece of work.
‘Cleaning Out My Closet’ is a song I enjoy singing along. It helped me to get rid of my rage against my own parents.
I’ve heard people arguing so many times about the song and saying: ‘How could Eminem do a song against his mom? Tupac loved his mom. Eminem is a bad person etc…’
Because Eminem is angry with his mom (and he’s got good reasons to hate her), he automatically gets targetted as a bad person. Even worse, some people think he only lets his rage out in order to sell his records. The more famous he gets, the more people want to doubt his story.
If you take a look at the script of 8 Mile and despite the fact the movie is semi autobiographical, you may discover some elements of Debbie’s personnality in the role of Stephanie.
The dialogue at the end of the first part of the movie shows an indecent behavior from a mom towards her son. Don’t misinterpret me. I’m not saying that it corresponds to reality, but it may show how instable and how indecent Debbie must have been towards her son.

Stephanie: “Greg and I are having sex problems.”
B-Rabbit: “Please, you’re not gonna talk to me about that.”
Stephanie: “Greg won’t go down on me.”
B-Rabbit: “Fuck, mom!”

Many people are judging Eminem on the facts he sarcastically expresses in his songs :
‘ A lot of people are going to be like, ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe you said that!’ But until you’ve been in my shoes, don’t judge me. ‘ (Eminem)
Think twice before calling Eminem a monster, because he attacks his mom. He has good reasons to do so. Debbie has mishandled and abused her son, she has humiliated him in so many ways. Now that Marshall retaliates as an adult person, he gets pictured as a monster ? That’s really simplistic.
Can you imagine what a kid is going through when he feels he cannot trust his own mother ? It is a living nightmare.
Matter of fact : Debbie Mathers used to suffer from Munchhausen’s syndrome. She made her son believe he was sick when he wasn’t.
You can find more informations about Munchhausen’s syndrome on this website :
http://www.dadi.org/schlmnch.htm
In 2003, I was horrified when I listened to Debbie Mathers on TV and when she stated :
‘ Marshall was very timid, he didn’t dare going outside and I was forced to throw him out of the house’ ‘.
Does Debbie dare looking at herself in the mirror ?
It is well known that she used to throw Marshall out of the house all the time, just to get rid of him.
She claims that she’s been overprotective, that Marshall left her home when he was 26( and she adds that it’s so unusual for a boy to leave his mom at 26).
Debbie, you’re an hypocrit. Maybe Marshall stayed with you that long, but why don’t you also give some precisions : Marshall used to pay your bills and even your rents for your trailer and when he wanted to stop paying, you threatened to sue him in Court !
As Eminem stated it in a Rolling Stone interview, his mom used him to pay her bills. Those are the words Debbie used against Marshall. A very loving mom, huh ?
” ‘Get a fucking job and help me out with these bills, or your ass is out. Then she would fucking kick me out anyway, half the time right after she took most of my paycheck.”
Marshall is not the horrible person some people think he is, he needs to let his rage out, which makes him feel better. Do you realize that Debbie is not really what we could call a victim’
Marshall didn’t need to make this song called ‘ Cleaning Out My closet ‘. After the massive success of his two preceding albums and of the ‘ Devil’s Night ‘ D12 album, nobody could deny Marshall was wealthy enough to care about money. People who know Eminem well know him for his authenticity and sincerity. That’s exactly what he expresses in his song :
‘Now I would never dis my own mama just to get recognition.
Take a second to listen for you think this record is dissin’
But put yourself in my position.
Just try to envision witnessin’ your Mama poppin’
prescription pills in the kitchen,
bitchin’ that someone’s always goin’
throuh her purse and shits missin’.
Going through public housing systems,
victim of Munchausen’s syndrome.
My whole life I was made to believe I was sick
when I wasn’t ’til I grew up, now I blew up.
It makes you sick to ya stomach,
doesn’t it?’

First of all, I’d like to state that facts about Eminem’s childhood are proven facts. Matter of fact: Marshall’s childhood was living hell. He was constantly bullied at school and while he should hace found some security and love at home, his own mom treated him badly. She abused him mentally and physically. Debbie Mathers has left deep wounds inside of her son’s heart.
What should we think about a mom who still claims that she loves her son after dropping a 12 Million dollars lawsuit against him. You will find a lot of info about the legal lawsuits Debbie dropped against her son here:
http://www.google.com/custom?q=debbie+mathers&sa=Search&cof=GIMP%3A%23FF9D00%3BT%3A%23FFFFFF%3BLW%3A600%3BBIMG%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.thesmokinggun.com%2Fgraphics%2Fimg%2Fgoogleback.gif%3BALC%3A%23ffffff%3BL%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.thesmokinggun.com%2Fgraphics%2Fimg%2Farchivetopgoogle.gif%3BGFNT%3A%23ffffff%3BLC%3A%23FF9D00%3BLH%3A136%3BBGC%3A%23000000%3BAH%3Aleft%3BVLC%3A%23FF9D00%3BGL%3A2%3BS%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.thesmokinggun.com%3BGALT%3A%23ffffff%3BAWFID%3Adfe4f3f790029d37%3B&domains=www.thesmokinggun.com&sitesearch=www.thesmokinggun.com
Worst: how would you describe a mom who wished her own son to die instead of his uncle Ronnie?
If you were Debbie’s son wouldn’t you feel angry? Let me tell you that Eminem has the right to be angry against his mom.
Paul Rosenberg confirmed that all the facts about his past Eminem is referring to can be verified. And I believe so.
Vanilla Ice lied about his past and it has been discovered. When you’re in the show business, there is nothing about you that cannot be verified. If Eminem had fabricated his past, the scandal press would have talked about.
Debbie Mathers is an instable person who has also been addicted to drugs and who’s been poisening Marshall’s childhood:
‘ When I say my mom does more drugs than me, people think I’m just cracking jokes, but that shit is real.
“[My] mother was doing a lot of drugs, so she would be in and out of different mood swings. My mother would take three or four naps a day…”

But his mom’s behavior are not the only skeletons in Eminem’s closet. Eminem has suffered a lot from his father’s absence and he shares his feelings with his audience :
‘ I’ll take you back to 73 before I ever had a multi-platinum sellin’ CD.
I was a baby, maybe I was just a couple of months.
My faggot father must have had his panties up in a bunch,
cuz he split. I wonder if he even kissed me goodbye…’

Eminem’s father left him in 1973, when he was about 6 months. Growing up without his dad’s presence, experiencing a rough childchood in Detroit with his crazy mom, Eminem has suffered a lot from the situation and he hates his father for leaving him alone. He knows how hurtful such situations can be for kids and he wants to be different. He wants to be a good father for Hailie, no matter what happens between Kim and himself.
“No, I don’t on second thought, I just fuckin’ wished he would die.
look at Hailie and I couldn’t picture leavin’ her side.”

‘Cleaning Out My Closet’ contains a lot of emotions and pain Eminem is trying to work out. Kim’s behavior in the past has also added to his pain. Kim’s infidelity is one of the worst dramas in his life. Eminem recalls those tragical moments and shares his feelings with his listeners who are invited to watch his life as a show. Wecome to the Eminem Show:
‘Even if I hated Kim, I grit my teeth and I’d try
to make it work with her at least for Hailie’s sake.
I maybe made some mistakes but I’m only human.
But I’m man enough to face them today.
What I did was stupid, no doubt it was dumb,
but the smartest shit I did was take them bullets out of that gun.
Cuz id’a killed ’em, shit I would have shot Kim an’ him both.
It’s my life, I’d like to welcome y’all to The Eminem Show…’

Eminem would like to introduce you into his world, he would like you to share his immense pain, make you understand how it is to grow up with an insane and addicted mom:
‘But put yourself in my position.
Just try to envision witnessin’ your Mama poppin’
prescription pills in the kitchen,
bitchin’ that someone’s always goin’
throuh her purse and shits missin’.
Going through public housing systems,
victim of Munchausen’s syndrome.
My whole life I was made to believe I was sick
when I wasn’t ’til I grew up, now I blew up.
It makes you sick to ya stomach,
doesn’t it? Wasn’t it the reason you made that CD for me, Ma?
So you could try to justify the way you treated me, Ma?
But guess what, yer gettin’ older now and it’s cold when your lonely.
An’ Nathan’s getting’ up so quick, he’s gonna know that your phoney.
And Hailie’s getting’ so big now, you should see her, she’s beautiful.
But you’ll never see her, she won’t even be at your funeral.
See what hurts me the most is you won’t admit you was wrong…’

Moreover, the song is a real therapy for kids who are going through the same circumstances. Eminem shows them that they are not alone and not forgotten.
It is sad to notice how Debbie tried to use her argument against her son to get some publicity. This is the CD Marshall is talking about and you can listen to it here:
http://stage.vitaminic.co.uk/main/eminemsmom/
The song ‘ Dear Marshall’ appears to be a bad comedy, knowing how Debbie behaved in front of her son.
According to the latest news, Debbie is very sick, facing breast cancer. She wishes reunion with her son. Debbie Mathers made the headlines recently, being carjacked by a teenager at 8 Mile Road.
If it is true that Debbie is that sick, maybe her son will grant her wish and forgive her in the end. But will she ever realize how much damage she has done in Marshall’s life?
Marshall’s deep wounds haven’t been vain, though, because ‘Cleaning Out My Closet’ has actually been a real therapy and blessing to many people, including me.
Verse 1
Have you ever been hated or discriminated against?
I have, I’ve been protested and demonstrated against
Picket signs for my wicked rhymes. Look at the times.
Sick is the mind of the motha fuckin’ kid that’s behind
all this commotion. Emotions run deep as ocean’s explodin’.
Tempers flaring from parents, just blow ’em off and keep goin’.
Not takin ‘nothin’ from no one, give ’em hell long as I’m breathin’.
Keep kickin’ ass in the mornin,’ an’ takin’ names in the evening.
Leavem with a taste as sour as vinegar in they mouth.
See, they can trigger me but they never figure me out
Look at me now, I bet ya probably sick of me now.
Ain’t you mama, I’ma make you look so ridiculous now.
Chorus (2X)
I’m sorry, Mama. I never meant to hurt you.
I never meant to make you cry, but tonight
I’m cleanin’ out my closet.
Verse 2
I got some skeletons in my closet and I don’t know if no one knows it.
So before they thrown me inside my coffin and close it,
I’ma expose it.
I’ll take you back to 73 before I ever had a multi-platinum sellin’ CD.
I was a baby, maybe I was just a couple of months.
My faggot father must have had his panties up in a bunch,
cuz he split. I wonder if he even kissed me goodbye.
No, I don’t on second thought, I just fuckin’ wished he would die.
look at Hailie and I couldn’t picture leavin’ her side.
Even if I hated Kim, I grit my teeth and I’d try
to make it work with her at least for Hailie’s sake.
I maybe made some mistakes but I’m only human.
But I’m man enough to face them today.
What I did was stupid, no doubt it was dumb,
but the smartest shit I did was take them bullets out of that gun.
Cuz id’a killed ’em, shit I would have shot Kim an’ him both.
It’s my life, I’d like to welcome y’all to The Eminem Show.
Chorus (2X)
Verse 3
Now I would never dis my own mama just to get recognition.
Take a second to listen for you think this record is dissin’
But put yourself in my position.
Just try to envision witnessin’ your Mama poppin’
prescription pills in the kitchen,
bitchin’ that someone’s always goin’
throuh her purse and shits missin’.
Going through public housing systems,
victim of Munchausen’s syndrome.
My whole life I was made to believe I was sick
when I wasn’t ’til I grew up, now I blew up.
It makes you sick to ya stomach,
doesn’t it? Wasn’t it the reason you made that CD for me, Ma?
So you could try to justify the way you treated me, Ma?
But guess what, yer gettin’ older now and it’s cold when your lonely.
An’ Nathan’s getting’ up so quick, he’s gonna know that your phoney.
And Hailie’s getting’ so big now, you should see her, she’s beautiful.
But you’ll never see her, she won’t even be at your funeral.
See what hurts me the most is you won’t admit you was wrong.
Bitch, do ya song. Keep tellin’ yourself that you was a mom.
But how dare you try to take what you didn’t help me to get.
You selfish bitch, I hope you fuckin’ burn in hell for this shit.
Remember when Ronnie died and you said you wished it was me?
Well, guess what, I am dead. Dead to you as can be.
Chorus (4X)