The Monster – English Lyrics

• By: Eminem, Rihanna
• Album: MMLP2

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music is a powerful tool, and 'The Monster' offers a unique opportunity. The song's blend of Eminem's intricate rap verses and Rihanna's clear, melodic chorus provides a varied landscape for language learners. You can challenge yourself with the speed and wordplay of the verses, and then find grounding in the repetitive and memorable hook. The song's exploration of universal themes like inner conflict and self-acceptance makes the vocabulary and expressions both relatable and impactful.

[English]

I'm friends with the monster that's under my bed

Get along with the voices inside of my head

You're trying to save me, stop holding your breath

And you think I'm crazy, yeah, you think I'm crazy

I wanted the fame, but not the cover of Newsweek

Oh well, guess beggars can't be choosey

Wanted to receive attention for my music

Wanted to be left alone in public, excuse me

Been wanting my cake and eat it too, and wanting it both ways

Fame made me a balloon 'cause my ego inflated

When I blew, see, but it was confusing

'Cause all I wanted to do is be the Bruce Lee of loose leaf

Abused ink, used it as a tool when I blew steam

Ooh, hit the lottery, ooh-wee

But with what I gave up to get was bittersweet

It was like winning a used mink

Ironic 'cause I think I'm getting so huge I need a shrink

I'm beginning to lose sleep, one sheep, two sheep

Going cuckoo and kooky as Kool Keith

But I'm actually weirder than you think, 'cause I'm

I'm friends with the monster that's under my bed

Get along with the voices inside of my head

You're trying to save me, stop holding your breath

And you think I'm crazy, yeah, you think I'm crazy

Well, that's nothing

Well, that's nothing

Now I ain't much of a poet

But I know somebody once told me to seize the moment

And don't squander it

'Cause you never know when it all could be over tomorrow

So I keep conjuring

Sometimes I wonder where these thoughts spawn from

(Yeah, ponderin' will do you wonders)

(No wonder you're losing your mind, the way it wanders)

Yodel-ay-hee-hoo! I think it went wanderin' off down yonder

And stumbled onto Jeff VanVonderen

'Cause I need an interventionist to intervene between me and this monster

And save me from myself and all this conflict

'Cause the very thing that I love is killing me and I can't conquer it

My OCD is conking me in the head

Keep knocking, nobody's home, I'm sleepwalking

I'm just relaying what the voice of my head saying

Don't shoot the messenger, I'm just friends with the

I'm friends with the monster that's under my bed

Get along with the voices inside of my head

You're trying to save me, stop holding your breath

And you think I'm crazy, yeah, you think I'm crazy

Well, that's nothing

Well, that's nothing

Call me crazy, but I had this vision

One day that I'll walk amongst you a regular civilian

But until then drums get killed and I'm coming straight at MCs

Blood gets spilled and I take it back to the days that I get on a Dre track

Give every kid who got played that pumped up feelin'

And shit to say back to the kids who played 'em

I ain't here to save the fucking children

But if one kid out of a hundred million

Who are going through a struggle, feels and relates, that's great!

It's payback, Russell Wilson falling way back in the draft

Turn nothing into something, still can make that

Straw in the gold, chump, I will spin

Rumpelstiltskin in a hay stack

Maybe I need a straightjacket

Face facts, I am nuts for real, but I'm okay with that

It's nothing, I'm still friends with the

I'm friends with the monster that's under my bed

Get along with the voices inside of my head

You're trying to save me, stop holding your breath

And you think I'm crazy, yeah, you think I'm crazy

I'm friends with the monster that's under my bed

(Get along with) get along with the voices inside of my head

(You're tryin' to) you're trying to save me, stop holding your breath

(And you think) and you think I'm crazy, yeah, you think I'm crazy

Well, that's nothing

Well, that's nothing

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
monster /ˈmɒnstər/ A2	noun - a large, ugly, and frightening imaginary creature.
voices /ˈvɔɪsɪz/ A2	noun - the sound produced in a person's larynx and uttered through the mouth, as speech or song.
head /hɛd/ A1	noun - the part of the body above the neck where the brain is
save /seɪv/ A2	verb - to keep safe or rescue from danger or harm.
crazy /ˈkreɪzi/ A2	adjective - mentally deranged, especially as manifested in a wild or aggressive way.
fame /feɪm/ B1	noun - the state or quality of being widely honored and respected.
music /ˈmjuːzɪk/ A1	noun - vocal or instrumental sounds (or both) combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion.
cake /keɪk/ A1	noun - an item of soft, sweet food made from a mixture of flour, fat, eggs, sugar, and other ingredients, baked.
ego /ˈiːɡoʊ/ B2	noun - a person's sense of self-esteem or self-importance.
tool /tuːl/ A1	noun - a device or implement, especially one held in the hand, used to carry out a particular function.
lottery /ˈlɒtəri/ B1	noun - a means of raising money by selling numbered tickets and giving prizes to the holders of numbers drawn at random.
ironic /aɪˈrɒnɪk/ C1	adjective - happening in the opposite way to what is expected, and typically causing wry amusement because of this.
sleep /sliːp/ A1	noun - a condition of body and mind such as that which typically recurs for several hours every night, in which the nervous system is relatively inactive, the eyes closed, the postural muscles relaxed, and consciousness practically suspended. verb - be in a state of sleep.
poet /ˈpəʊɪt/ B1	noun - a person who writes poems.
moment /ˈməʊmənt/ A2	noun - a very short period of time.
thoughts /θɔːts/ A2	noun - an idea or opinion produced by thinking, or occurring suddenly in the mind.
conflict /ˈkɒnflɪkt/ B2	noun - a serious disagreement or argument, typically a protracted one.
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - an intense feeling of affection. verb - feel deep affection for (someone).
killing /ˈkɪlɪŋ/ B1	verb - cause the death of (a person, animal, or other living thing).
vision /ˈvɪʒən/ B2	noun - the faculty or state of being able to see.

Key Grammar Structures

• I'm friends with the monster that's under my bed

  ➔ Present Simple Tense

  ➔ The phrase "I'm friends" uses the present simple tense to express a current state of being.

• You're trying to save me, stop holding your breath

  ➔ Present Continuous Tense

  ➔ The phrase "You're trying" uses the present continuous tense to indicate an ongoing action.

• I wanted the fame, but not the cover of Newsweek

  ➔ Past Simple Tense

  ➔ The phrase "I wanted" uses the past simple tense to express a desire that existed in the past.

• It's payback, Russell Wilson falling way back in the draft

  ➔ Present Simple Tense

  ➔ The phrase "It's payback" uses the present simple tense to state a fact.

• Maybe I need a straightjacket

  ➔ Modal Verbs

  ➔ The phrase "Maybe I need" uses the modal verb 'need' to express possibility.

• I ain't here to save the fucking children

  ➔ Informal Contractions

  ➔ The phrase "I ain't here" uses an informal contraction 'ain't' instead of 'am not'.

• And you think I'm crazy, yeah, you think I'm crazy

  ➔ Repetition for Emphasis

  ➔ The phrase "you think I'm crazy" is repeated for emphasis, highlighting the speaker's feelings.