Deciphering Eminem’s Tricks in the “Houdini” Single: Lyrics Breakdown

Eminem similarly used this rhythm in his 2000 track, “I’m Back.”

Slim Shady did the same finishing move in a dance contest. It can be seen at 0:54

[Verse 1: Eminem]
Well, look what the stork brung (What?)
Little baby devil with the forked tongue

For centuries, the folklore of storks delivering babies was used to explain the process of birth to kids. Eminem has given himself devilish descriptions before, calling himself Satan’s spawn in his 2004 track, “Evil Deeds.”

“Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb
Debbie had a Satan spawn, Satan spawn”

Much like how the Devil’s tongue is typically forked, it may be a metaphor for the two persona’s which he embodies: Eminem and Slim Shady.

This duality is reinforced in the music video, as well as several promotional videos leading up to the release of The Death of Slim Shady.

And it’s stickin’ out, yeah, like a sore thumb

Eminem uses the common phrase “to stick out like a sore thumb” in his feature on Busta Rhymes’ 2014 track “Calm Down”:

Maybe to take ‘em back into time? (Shady!)
I stuck out like a sore thumb, so I gave ’em the finger

“Take ‘em back into time” (Eminem is often referred to as Em) could be a reference to the return of Slim Shady in his early 00s era, something Em also makes many references to on “Houdini”.

(Bleh) With a forehead that it grew horns from (Look)

The public have often made the comparison between Eminem and the Devil, an analogy which he embraces.

In his 2013 track, “Rhyme or Reason,” Em plays into the image when he rapped:

(“Hip-hop is the Devil’s music”)
Does that mean it belongs to me?
‘Cause I just happen to be a white honky devil with two horns

In some promotional material such as the cover for Curtain Call 2 in 2022, he poses with devil horns.

Still a white jerk
Pullin’ up in a Chrysler to the cypher with the vic’s, percs and a Bud Light shirt

Before fame, Eminem would often attend cyphers trying to win any money to help put food on the table. In these bars, he is essentially saying that under all his fame, he is still the normal white guy that would show up to cyphers.

Chrysler is motor company that was founded in Detroit, Marshall’s hometown. In 2011, when Chrysler was about to go bankrupt, Eminem took part in the Chrysler 200 ad. It was shown during the Superbowl. After this ad Chrysler managed to stay alive and continued to operate.

Lyrical technician an electrician ya’ll light work

He relates himself to an electrician, with a triple entendre on the term light work. Meaning both light work as in the work an electrician performs, and after an electrician works at your house “y’all light work” as in they literally work now as opposed to being broken but also as a term to say other artists are easily handled or light work.

Eminem cleverly compares himself to an electrician, employing a triple entendre on the term “light work”.
1.) Eminem likens himself to an electrician, suggesting that he is skilled and precise in his craft, much like how an electrician expertly handles electrical work.
2.) He plays on the literal meaning of “light work” in the context of electrical work. After an electrician performs their job, the lights in the house work again. Eminem extends this idea to imply that, just as an electrician fixes broken lights, he is capable of fixing or handling other artists, suggesting they are “light work” compared to him.
3.) Finally, “light work” is a colloquial term used to describe tasks or challenges that are easy or straightforward. By referring to other artists as “light work,” Eminem subtly asserts his superiority and dominance in the rap game, implying that he effortlessly outshines his competitors.

This triple entendre showcases Eminem’s skillful wordplay and ability to layer multiple meanings within a single line, adding depth and complexity to his lyrics. It highlights his confidence in his abilities as a rapper while also subtly asserting his dominance in the industry.

And I don’t gotta play pretend, it’s you I make believe (What?)

Another instance of Eminem’s trademark references and double entendre, this could be taken multiple ways.

Without a preceding comma, the clause “I make believe” would refer to Eminem making others believe the things he says.

He is stating that he doesn’t have to pretend that he makes the listener believe in his statements and his exceptional rapping ability (referenced in the previous line), because he is genuinely convincing and impressive.

With a preceding comma, the clause would be declaring why “I don’t gotta play pretend”… because instead, Eminem engages in “make believe,” a colloquial phrase synonymous with playing pretend.

The invoking of “play pretend” and “make believe” could also be a reference to the magician theme of the song.

The line could also be serving as a reference to past work, such as “Believe” from Revival (2017), which includes the lyric “Do you still believe?”

And you know I’m here to stay ’cause me (Why?)
If I was to ever take a leave (What?)
It would be aspirin’ to break a feve’ (Yeah)

Eminem has always assured his fans that he has no intentions of quitting, rapping this on his 2023 track “Doomsday pt. 2.”

“Words come together like birds of a feather (What?)
‘Till I need a walker like Herschel”

Having said that, taking “a leave” is a homonym of taking “Aleve,” a name-brand pain reliever for fevers such as aspirin.

This ties in to the next line as Fever is Megan Thee Stallion’s debut mixtape from 2019.

If I was to ask for Megan Thee
Stallion if she would collab with me
Would I really have a shot at a feat?
I don’t know but I’m glad to be
Back, like

Megan Thee Stallion is a popular female rapper, who in 2022 accused fellow hip-hop artist, Tory Lanez of shooting at her feet while shouting “Dance, bitch, dance,” on July 12, 2020. The case was taken to court, where in December 2022, Tory was found guilty and is now serving time in prison for assault for up to 22 years.

Em references that he would be unlikely to get a feature from Megan, while referencing her shooting incident, using a double entendre for “shot at her feet” and “shot at a feat”—an abbreviation of “feature.”

Previously on his 2021 track, “Killer (Remix)”, Eminem interpolated a popular hook off Megan’s 2020 hit song, Body.

(Chain) Chain gaudy, probably got more bodi-odi-odies than John do (John do)

Conversely, Megan shouted Em out in her 2021 feature on Lil Nas X’s, “DOLLA SIGN SLIME,” where she calls out Em’s 2000 single “The Real Slim Shady”:

Baby, all these hoes imitate me
You could fuck a Stan or the real Slim Shady (The real Slim Shady)

[Chorus: Eminem]
Abra-abracadabra (And for my last trick)
I’m ’bout to reach in my bag, bruh (Like)
Abra-abracadabra (And for my last trick, poof)
Just like that and I’m back, bro

Eminem interpolates the chorus of Steve Miller Band’s 1982 track, “Abracadabra”:

Abra-abracadabra
I wanna reach out and grab ya
Abra-abracadabra
Abracadabra

When “Houdini” dropped, Steve Miller published an open letter to Eminem in thanks for reworking his music and crediting him. The sample’s lyrics tie in with the song’s title, named after world-class magician Harry Houdini, and the string of magic references in promotional posts ahead of the song’s release. Additionally, magicians reach into bags for some tricks, while being “in my bag” means to be laser-focused.

Long-time friend and fellow D12 member Bizarre sampled “Abracadabra” on his 2005 track, “Holla Atcha”, which may have been a place of inspiration.

Additionally, Eminem seemingly foreshadowed this song in 2020’s “Unaccommodating”:

But I know magic and here go my last trick
I’m ‘bout to say “Abracadabra” and pull a B Rabbit up out of my hat
I’m about to relapse and I betcha that you won’t know how to react
But a look of disgust, I don’t doubt it’d be that
As I begin to fuckin’ devour the track

[Verse 2: Eminem]
Now, back in the days of old me (When?)
Right around the time I became a dope fiend (Oh)
Ate some codeine as a way of coping (Mm)

In this song, Em is taking us far back to when he was addicted to drugs, which led to him being much more care free and allowed him to not give a fuck about what people thought of his lyrics. He is essentially claiming that he will return to this style of thinking and will say what he wants to say rather than toning it down.

Em also implements another possible double entendre, with the term dope fiend meaning one who smokes a lot of weed and also being a fiend that is dope.

Taste of opiates, case of O.E.​

This is likely referring to a case of Olde English, malt liquor.

It could also refer to Eminem’s case of over-eating, which he did to compensate for persistent stomach pains caused by the opiates he was taking.

Turned me into smiley face emoji (Woo)

When Eminem was on drugs, especially in the later parts of his addiction, he was seemingly always happy and joking around. Many videos on YouTube compiled clips, such as this one, of this behavior.

In the music video, he also suggests that his addiction turned him into some kind of asshole back then, as seen by the smiley face emoji near his asshole.

Also, Em’s drug addiction led to him gaining a lot of weight, which made his cheeks puff and his face round like the smiley face emoji.

My shit may not be age-appropriate
But I will hit an eight-year-old in the face with a participation trophy

Em has criticized younger generations after receiving backlash on TikTok and other platforms for his sometimes violent and politically incorrect lyrics. Much of this backlash came from younger listeners in their teens and 20s. In March 2021, Em posted a lyric video for his song “Tone Deaf”, and quoted the song in a Facebook post sharing the video:

“I won’t stop even when my hair turns grey (I’m tone-deaf)
‘Cause they won’t stop until they cancel me”

This was interpreted by many as a response to the then-recent viral TikTok backlash.

In his 2023 track with Ez Mil, “Realest”, he raps:

“Gen Zers actin’ like rap experts zip up your gaps and close your mouths
Bitch you ain’t been on this planet long enough to tell me how rap’s supposed to sound”

The concept of a participation trophy, given to a child for merely participating in an activity such as a sport, instead of for an achievement, is often used by older generations to mock the perceived soft and coddled way that Millennials and Gen Z were raised.

‘Cause I have zero doubts
That this whole world’s ’bout
To turn into some girl scouts

Eminem doubts that the world is getting weak as he compares it to girl scouts (he’s suggesting that society is adopting traits traditionally associated with girl scouts, such as kindness, sensitivity, and consideration, instead of becoming stronger or more resilient). He thinks that traditional strengths like empathy and politeness have been forsaken for softness. This is proof how modern culture has lost touch with reality because it’s used too much politics or has become sluggish.

That censorship bureau’s out

The Office of Censorship was an emergency wartime agency set up by the United States federal government on December 19, 1941, to aid in the censorship of all communications coming into and going out of the United States, including its territories and the Philippines. The efforts of the Office of Censorship to balance the protection of sensitive war related information with the constitutional freedoms of the press is considered largely successful.

To shut me down

Sample/interpolation of Without Me.

“So the FCC won’t let me be
Or let me be me so let me see
They tried to shut me down on MTV
But it feels so empty Without Me”

Like Without Me, this line references Em’s censorship in the media, back then on MTV and now being digitally censored and attempts to “cancel” him on social media.

So when I started this verse
It did start off lighthearted at first (Hmm)

Reference to the electrical and light work line in the first verse:

“Lyrical technician (Yeah), an electrician (Yeah)
Y’all light work (Haha)”

But it feels like I’m targeted
Mind-bogglin’ how my profit has skyrocketed
Look what I pocketed

As of 2023, Eminem is the best-selling hip hop artist of all time and the 10th best-selling artist overall, being the only rapper in the top 40 best-selling acts. At the time of “Houdini”’s release, his net worth was estimated to be an astounding $250,000,000.

In Em’s own words, his numbers are quite “mind-boggling” compared to his peers in hip hop.

Yeah, the shit is just like y’all had been light joggin’, and

In this line, Eminem refers to himself as a leader in the game compared to other hip-hop artists. He has sold over 213,564,000 equivalent album units, making him the best-selling artist of the 21st century. The second closest rapper is Drake, with 153,660,000 equivalent album units.

According to chartmasters.org, Eminem is the 9th best-selling artist of all time.

When Eminem says this line below,

“Yeah, the shit is just like y’all had been light joggin’, and I’ve been runnin’ at full speed,”.

He is letting other artists know that he is far ahead of them, and they are not even trying enough to catch up with him. Even when they try, they cannot catch up to him in terms of record sales, making him the most successful rapper.

I’ve been running at full speed and that’s why I’m ahead like my noggin and

Eminem is saying he’s “ahead” of all other musical artists, just like his “noggin” or head/brain is. The wordplay here is that “Ahead” and “a head ” are homophones.

This pun was used by Em in the 2017 song Heat as well:

“I feel like I’ma bust, maybe I’m just ahead of myself”

I’m the fight y’all get in
When you debate who the best, but opps, I’m white chalkin’ when
I step up to that mic, cock it then

At the scene of a crime, outlining a deceased body with chalk was the traditional way of preserving evidence. Eminem has used the metaphor of a microphone as a gun to kill his opps (opposition) many times before, rapping this on his 2020 track, “Lock It Up”:

“A mic in my hand’s a weapon (What?)
I put that on everything like ranch, I’ll never land”

“Oh my God, it’s him! Not again!”

Treating the fans to more callbacks, this serves a reference to his 1999 track, “As The World Turns,” from The Slim Shady LP:

“I said, “It wasn’t me, I got a twin”
Oh my God, it’s you, not again (Ahh)”

[Bridge: Eminem]
Sometimes, I wonder what the old me’d say (If what?)
If he could see the way shit is today (Look at this shit, man)
He’d probably say that everything is gay (Like happy)

The term “gay” has two different meanings. While it’s most associated with the LGBTQIA+, most often the male-loving-male part, in older times, it was used commonly as a synonym for happiness.

Eminem has a long history of accused homophobia throughout his career, starting as early as his frequent usage of homophobic slurs throughout his music, especially the term “faggot,” which appeared a lot in his early music, particularly The Marshall Mathers LP.

Perhaps Eminem’s biggest defender in terms of homophobia is Elton John, one of the most iconic piano players of all time who Em collaborated with on a live performance of “Stan” in 2001. Em gifted Elton and his husband a cock ring as a wedding present, and Elton’s defended him often since.

What’s my name? What’s my name? (Slim Shady)

A reference to the chorus of Em’s 1999 breakout single, “My Name Is”, where he introduces himself to the world as Slim Shady. Similar to his interpolation of “Without Me” in “Houdini”’s intro, Em calls back to other iconic songs where he raps as Slim Shady to make it clear that Slim is back once again.

[Verse 3: Eminem]
So how many little kids still wanna act like me? (Haha)

This is a callback to the last four bars of Em’s second verse from 2000’s “The Real Slim Shady”:

“And there’s a million of us just like me
Who cuss like me, who just don’t give a fuck like me
Who dress like me, walk, talk and act like me
And just might be the next best thing, but not quite me”

On the song, Em was pointing out just how many rappers were quick to become Eminem clones, stealing countless parts of his character for their own benefit. More than twenty years later, he now asks how many people would still want to replicate him, perhaps if it meant spitting Slim Shady’s controversial bars or if it meant going through any of the hardships from his lengthy career.

It’s also possible that this is a nod to the following bars on 1999’s “My Name Is,” as it was a notable time where Eminem harnessed a bad role model specifically for children:

“Hi, kids, do you like violence? (Yeah, yeah, yeah)
Wanna see me stick nine-inch nails through each one of my eyelids? (Uh-huh)
Wanna copy me and do exactly like I did? (Yeah, yeah)”

I’m a bigger prick than cacti be (Yeah)
And that’s why these (What?)

Cacti is the plural form of cactus, a plant prickly in nature being covered in thorns. Eminem uses the metaphor to admit to being a prick (slang for an unpleasant person) himself.

Words sting just like you were being attacked by bees (Bzz)

Eminem is saying that the topics he discusses in his music are often hurtful or offensive to those who listen, similar to how it hurts being stung by a bee. Eminem has been the talk of many controversies throughout his career, often being criticized for his insensitive lyrics, tendency to attack aspects of popular culture that annoy him, and his quick-to-fight temper when engaging in public beefs.

In the coupe, leaning back my seat (What?)
Bumpin’ R. Kelly’s favorite group (Uh), the black guy (Guy) pees (Pees, haha)

R. Kelly is a popular R&B artist from the 1990s and early 2000s, known for hits such as “I Believe I Can Fly” and writing credits on songs such as Michael Jackson’s “You Are Not Alone.”

Kelly has a long history of sexual misconduct-involved crimes, though his best-known case occurred in 2002 when he was indicted by court from a circulating video where the then-30-year-old Kelly peed on and sexually assaulted a then-14-year-old girl. The given evidence failed to convince the court, though, and Kelly was found not guilty on all counts in 2008.

Eminem employs a reference to him in a double entendre that calls out to Black Eyed Peas, a hip-hop/pop group best known for hits like “My Humps” and “Where Is the Love,” whose name is used to sound like “Black guy pees,” further bringing up R. Kelly’s 2002 case.

Eminem has fired shots at R. Kelly in the past, most recently being in his 2020 track, “These Demons.”

“R. Kelly sex tape, I see pee (Look)”

In my Air Max 90s
White Ts, walkin’ parental advisory

Em evokes the image of Slim Shady that has remained recognizable to the general public since his 1999 debut: wearing those exact clothes and swearing profusely.

My transgender cat’s Siamese (Why?)
Identifies as black, but acts Chinese (Haha)

This lyric is seemingly inspired by a bit from Dave Chappelle’s 2019 Sticks & Stones standup special; Eminem is a known Chappelle fan. The premise of Chapelle’s joke is that the transgender community is deciding what they identify as, even if it conflicts with the biology they were assigned at birth. He absurdities the situation by posing the hypothetical: what if he, a Black man, was transracial and identified as Chinese? For context, the transracial community consists of people who identify as races that differ from their immediate ancestry or societally assigned identity.

Siamese cats are “one of the first distinctly recognized breeds of Asian cat”, originating from Thailand. They typically have black or darker “points,” including their faces, ears, legs, and tails. Notably, Thailand has a rich transgender people history.

During his recording career, Eminem, particularly through the lens of his Slim Shady alter-ego, utilized evocative lyrics about the LGBTIQ+ community. At the height of his early ‘00s dominance, Eminem frequently used the f-slur as an insult, but repeatedly stated that he didn’t associate the term with the LGBTIQ+ community. Perhaps his most infamous lyric concerning said community came on his 2000 track “Criminal,” where he wrote:

“My words are like a dagger with a jagged edge
That’ll stab you in the head, whether you’re a fag or lez
Or a homosex, hermaph or a trans-a-vest
Pants or dress, hate fags? The answer’s yes
Homophobic? Nah, you’re just heterophobic”

Like a motherfuckin’ Hacky Sack, I treat (What?)
The whole world ’cause I got it at my feet (Yeah)

The game of Hacky Sack involves kicking a ball repeatedly as to avoid it hitting the ground, so playing Hacky Sack with the world would literally have it at his feet, an expression signifying extreme success.

How can I explain to you (What?)
That even myself I’m a danger to? (Yeah)

Slim Shady is known for his provocative lyrics which frequent the themes of violence and morbidity, often in a highly offensive manner. Not only does Eminem risk getting cancelled (which he shows complete disregard for), but metaphorically he also risks being attacked by his own alter-ego.

In fact, the album title The Death of Slim Shady pushes the concept of Eminem vs. Shady having a fatal feud.

Much earlier in his 2004 track, “Ass Like That,” Eminem made the same judgement when he said:

“Nobody is safe from me, no, not even me”

I hop on tracks like a kangaroo

Kangaroos are known for jumping. Just like them, Eminem claims that he will jump on tracks. This might be a tongue in cheek reference as to how he made so many songs in 2020 with both Music to be Murdered by and Side B, releasing a whopping total of 32 songs during the year.

And say a few things or two to anger you
But fuck that, if I think that shit, I’ma say that shit

Eminem has previously said in many of his earlier songs that he says things that are out of line just for shock value and to upset people such as in the chorus of his song “Get You Mad”

“So if I hurt your self-esteem and you get dissed too bad
(Yo, why you diss me?)
You know I just be sayin’ that to get you mad
And when I rap about a bunch a shit that you wished you had
(A big dick)
You know I just be sayin’ that to get you mad
I can’t listen to that song, that shit’s too sad
You know I just be sayin’ that to get you mad
He’ll never make it, his wrist is slit too bad (Nurse, nurse)
You know I just be sayin’ that to get you mad”

Cancel me, what? Okay, that’s it

Eminem has had a long history with cancel culture before it was even named that. As always, he laughs in the face of it.

Go ahead, Paul, quit, snake-ass prick

This calls back to the intro of the song.

Notably, Paul Rosenburg, Eminem’s long-time manager, stepped away in 2017 to run Def Jam Recordings. After a tumultuous tenure as CEO, in early 2020, Paul stepped down as CEO and returned to managing Eminem.

You male cross dresser (Haha), fake-ass bitch

Male cross dressers are men who ‘dress contrary to the prevailing standards for a person of their gender in their own society’. Or, more simply, in a traditionally feminine manner. Eminem is saying that his manager, Paul Rosenberg, is a “fake ass bitch” if he quits, similar to how some consider male cross dressers to be playing as fake women.

Eminem has been known to dress as women in many of his music videos, such as “Just Lose It’, “My Band”, “Godzilla”, etc.

And I’ll probably get shit for that (Watch)

Refereeing to Paul as a Fake-ass-Bitch can be interpreted as insulting the transgender community. This is a callback to his 2002 single “Without Me,” . Ironically getting shit from the reference today could be considered more controversial today than in 2002 since saying Fake-ass-Bitch has a new context that did not exist mainstream 22 years ago.

In classic Eminem form, he stokes controversial flames, referencing transgender individuals RuPaul.

But you can all suck my dick, in fact

Slim Shady being Slim Shady. He said this countless times in the early 2000s. He mentions people sucking his dick on tracks like “Under The Influence”, “If I had”, “My 1st Single”, “Fine Line”, and many more.

Fuck them, fuck Dre, fuck Jimmy, fuck me, fuck you

World famous producer Dr. Dre and Interscope Records co-founder Jimmy Iovine were instrumental in the rise of Eminem’s career, having discovered him in 1997 upon hearing The Slim Shady EP.

This line is reminiscent of B-Rabbit’s rap battle against Papa Doc in the 2002 film, 8 Mile:

“Fuck a Papa Doc, fuck a clock, fuck a trailer
Fuck everybody! Fuck y’all if you doubt me!”

But as is expected from his persona, when it comes to Slim Shady, a “fuck you” is as good as a “thank you.”

Fuck my own kids, they’re brats (Fuck ’em)

Eminem has three children – one biological, Hailie Jade Mathers, and two adopted, Alaina Marie Mathers and Stevie Laine Mathers. Alaina and Stevie were both legally adopted by Marshall in the 2000s. They cameo for the song’s visuals to coincide with this lyric.

They can screw off (Yeah), them and you all (Uh)

He’s saying his own kids should screw off (move out the house and leave). Renting a U-Haul (You all) is common when you move out. He’s also saying all the rappers or the music industry can fuck off.

You too, Paul (Punk), got two balls
Big as RuPaul’s (Woah)

Eminem employs a reference to his manager Paul Rosenburg, whose voice is heard in several skits by Eminem, most recently on his 2018 album Kamikaze.

He also calls out RuPaul, debatably the most iconic drag queen of all time, best known for his ongoing drama series RuPaul’s Drag Race. Em compares Paul and RuPaul’s genitals, in his third cross-dressing reference in “Houdini.”

What you thought you saw ain’t what you saw (Nah)
‘Cause you’re never gon’ see me

During the promotion of “Houdini”, Eminem was purposefully saying things that could be associated with his retirement.

First of all, the phrase “and for my last trick”. Secondly, the announcement of “Houdini”, where Marshall said that he want his career to disappear. These things made some fans think that The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) will be Marshall’s last album. But now Shady once again saying that retirement is not in his plan and these thoughts are false.

Caught sleepin’ and see the kidnappin’ never did happen
Like Sherri Papini, Harry Houdini
I vanish into the thin air as I’m leavin’ like

Sherri Papini is a Californian stay-at-home mom who faked her own kidnapping in 2016, disappearing for 3 weeks before reappearing with an elaborate tale of being held captive by two women. After a lengthy investigation discovered she lied and was actually voluntarily staying with a former boyfriend, she was arrested on charges of making false statements to federal law enforcement officers and mail fraud in March 2022. She plead guilty in 2023 and was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Mentioning Papini continues a motif that Em has had throughout his career, especially in Slim Shady verses – referencing salacious and lurid tabloid stories.

Harry Houdini, the legendary illusionist and stunt performer, once made an elephant vanish, and was known for the many seemingly impossible escapes he performed over his career.

Em invokes these figures known for faked disappearances to build on his wordplay – he won’t be caught sleeping because “the kid” (him) napping never happens. Even if he’s taking a break between releases, he would never fall off.