Eminem’s turbulent relationship with his ex-wife Kim has been a source of inspiration throughout his musical career. The Shady Records boss picks up the pattern on his new album Revival with “Bad Husband,” but this time around Eminem finally apologizes to Kim for the pain he’s caused.
Eminem opens up “Bad Husband” by describing the height of their tumultous public relationship from 1999 through 2001, when they got married and then divorced while he was rising to fame. Genius contributor IoShady breaks it down in annotation:
Eminem continues by processing his past actions and then apologizes to his daughters:
You hit me once and that I would use
To continue the pattern of abuse
Why did I punch back? Girls, your dad is a scumbag, I’m confused
On the second verse, Eminem remembers the intense love that brought them together and later led to their brief remarriage in 2006:
And I watched you pull yourself up and we decided on
Giving it one more try despite it all
You’re my lightning rod when my sky gets dark
I’m your shiny rocks in that tiny box
When we tied the knot, when we broke the knot
Every line we crossed we were supposed to not
Finally, Eminem directly apologizes to Kim and says that despite the violent ups and downs of the relationship, leaving her was a difficult decision:
‘Cause I loved you but I hated that me
And I don’t wanna see that side again
But I’m sorry, Kim
More than you could ever comprehend
Leaving you was fucking harder than
Sawing off a fucking body limb
Eminem introduced his relationship with Kim to the mainstream in 1999 on the controversial song “97’ Bonnie & Clyde” from The Slim Shady LP. It interpolates 2Pac’s song “Me And My Girlfriend” from his album The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory and was produced by the Bass Brothers and Eminem himself.
In the song, Eminem brought Hailie Jade, his daughter with Kim, along to a dock to get rid of her mother’s dead body:
And Mama said she wants to show how far she can float
And don’t worry about that little boo-boo on her throat
It’s just a little scratch – it don’t hurt
Her was eatin' dinner while you were sweepin'
And spilled ketchup on her shirt
A year later, Eminem released a prequel to the song on The Marshall Mathers LP called “Kim” in which he imagined the scenario in graphic detail which led to him slitting her throat.
In his fantasy, they got into a one-sided verbal argument which escalated into violence:
You can’t run from me, Kim! It’s just us, nobody else
You’re only makin' this harder on yourself!
Ha-ha, got ya! Go ahead, yell!
Here, I’ll scream with you, “Ah, somebody help!”
Don’t you get it, bitch? No one can hear you!
Now shut the fuck up and get what’s comin' to you!
Eminem envisioned killing Kim as well on Dr. Dre’s song “What’s The Difference” from the 1999 album 2001. Later on, he also directed hatred at her on “Puke” from 2005’s Encore by hoping that she dies.
There were also songs when Eminem in which used real-life details. On The Eminem Show, he reenacted a June 4th, 2000 incident on “The Kiss (Skit)” during which he was arrested for assaulting a man named John Guerra for kissing his then-wife Kim. Guerra says the rapper pistol-whipped him, but Eminem denied the charge in court. On the album track “Sing For The Moment,” Eminem claimed he used a fist.
Five years later, Eminem reflected on his abusive relationship with Kim on the Recovery hit single “Love The Way You Lie” featuring Rihanna. In it, he expressed remorse for his actions, creating an opening for “Bad Husband”:
We’re runnin' right back, here we go again
It’s so insane, ‘cause when it’s goin’ good it’s goin' great
I’m Superman with the wind at his back, she’s Lois Lane
But when it’s bad it’s awful, I feel so ashamed
Eminem continued that momentum by apologizing to his mother on 2013’s The Marshall Mathers LP2 for songs that attacked her like “Cleanin' Out My Closet” and “My Mom”:
But I’m sorry, Momma, for “Cleanin' Out My Closet”
At the time I was angry, rightfully? Maybe so
Never meant that far to take it though
‘Cause now I know it’s not your fault, and I’m not making jokes
That song I no longer play at shows
Read all the lyrics to Eminem’s “Bad Husband” featuring X Ambassadors on Genius now.
