Not Afraid – English Lyrics

• By: Eminem

Lyrics & Translation

Eminem's "Not Afraid" offers a powerful and inspirational message of overcoming adversity and finding strength in vulnerability, making it an excellent song for language learners. The lyrics provide insight into personal growth and resilience, showcasing how powerful storytelling can be conveyed through rap. Learning the language of this song can help users understand expressions of self-reflection, determination, and the journey of recovery.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
afraid /əˈfreɪd/ A2	adjective - feeling fear or anxiety; frightened.
stand /stænd/ A2	verb - to be in or rise to an upright position, supported by one's feet. noun - a determined effort to resist or avoid something; a defense.
ride /raɪd/ A2	noun - a journey on a horse, bicycle, motorcycle, etc. verb - to sit on and control the movement of (a horse, bicycle, motorcycle, etc.).
place /pleɪs/ A1	noun - a particular position or point in space. verb - to put (something) in a particular position.
follow /ˈfɒləʊ/ A2	verb - to go or come after (a person or thing proceeding ahead); to move behind in the same direction.
lyrics /ˈlɪrɪks/ B1	noun - the words of a song.
words /wɜːdz/ A1	noun - a unit of language that has meaning and can be spoken or written.
mayhem /ˈmeɪhem/ C1	noun - violent or damaging disorder; chaos.
world /wɜːld/ A1	noun - the earth, together with all of its countries, peoples, and natural features.
tear /tɪər/ B2	verb - to pull (something) apart or to pieces with force.
gift /ɡɪft/ A2	noun - a thing given willingly to someone without payment; a present.
curse /kɜːs/ B2	noun - a solemn utterance intended to invoke a supernatural power to inflict harm or punishment on someone or something.
storm /stɔːrm/ A2	noun - a violent disturbance of the atmosphere with strong winds and usually rain, thunder, lightning, or snow.
weather /ˈweðər/ A1	noun - the state of the atmosphere at a place and time as regards heat, dryness, sunshine, wind, rain, etc.
alone /əˈləʊn/ A1	adjective - having no one else present; solitary.
road /roʊd/ A1	noun - a way or course along which people or vehicles travel.
king /kɪŋ/ A1	noun - a man who is the head of a monarchy.
demons /ˈdiːmən/ B2	noun - an evil spirit or devil.

Key Grammar Structures

• Now some of you might still be in that place

  ➔ Modal Verb 'might' indicating possibility

  ➔ The word "might" expresses a weaker level of certainty than 'will' or 'must'. It suggests that it's possible some people are still in a difficult situation, but it's not definite.

• But you won't take the sting out these words / Before I say 'em

  ➔ Future Simple (won't = will not) with temporal clause introduced by 'Before'.

  ➔ The structure expresses that one action ("take the sting out") will not happen before another action ("I say 'em"). 'Before' indicates the order of events.

• When I say I'm a do somethin', I do it

  ➔ Conditional clause using 'When' implying certainty and direct consequence.

  ➔ 'When' indicates that every time the condition (saying he'll do something) is met, the result (he does it) is guaranteed. It's not a hypothetical like 'if'.

• I'ma be what I set out to be, without a doubt, undoubtedly

  ➔ Future Simple with the contracted form 'I'ma' (=I am going to) and adverbs of certainty ('without a doubt', 'undoubtedly').

  ➔ 'I'ma be' is a colloquial shortening of 'I am going to be'. The adverbs 'without a doubt' and 'undoubtedly' emphasize the speaker's strong conviction about their future actions.

• I'll never let you down again, I'm back

  ➔ Future Simple ('I'll = I will') with 'never' (negative adverb) modifying the action, followed by Present Simple ('I'm back').

  ➔ 'I'll never let you down' expresses a firm promise about the future. 'Never' reinforces the commitment. 'I'm back' indicates a present state, contrasting with the future promise.

• Perhaps I ran them accents into the ground

  ➔ Past Simple ('ran') with an adverb of possibility ('Perhaps').

  ➔ 'Perhaps' modifies the statement 'I ran them accents into the ground', indicating the speaker is unsure or speculative about whether he overused the accents.

• So starting today / I'm breaking out of this cage

  ➔ Present Continuous ('I'm breaking') used to express a future plan or intention, emphasizing the immediacy of the change. Prepositional phrase 'out of'.

  ➔ Using Present Continuous emphasizes that the action of "breaking out" is starting right now. 'Out of' indicates movement away from something (the cage).

• Haters can make like bees with no stingers and drop dead

  ➔ Modal Verb 'can' expressing ability or possibility in a figurative sense and imperative verb 'drop'. 'Make like' (idiom).

  ➔ 'Can' here is not about literal ability, but about wishing a scenario on someone. 'Make like' means 'to imitate'. 'Drop dead' is a strong imperative expressing a desire for something negative to happen. The whole line is figurative, comparing haters to powerless bees.