"Dear Marshall" is a song by Debbie Nelson, released as an open letter to her son Eminem. She recorded it in 2000 with the rap group X-ID, and made a plead to make peace with him. She explained the reasoning behind its creation, where she couldn't defend herself publicly and had to do it through music.[1]
She references her 72-hour labor and "The Real Slim Shady" ('Will the real Marshall Mathers please stand up').
Audio[]
Lyrics[]
[Spoken]
Dear Marshall
I just wanna start by saying
I still love you
Even when I was pregnant with you
It was very hard for me
The seventy-two hours of torture was worth every minute of it
When I looked into those big blue eyes
This was the first time I ever felt true love
In my whole life
We have a problem, Marshall
The past two years, something really went wrong
I was so excited about your success yet so let down by your betrayal
Playing the role of both mom and dad must've taken more of a toll on you than I ever imagined
Marshall, I did the best I could
I went without seeking half
It was wrong on me and I see it now as giving you everything
And never questioning anything you did
As you were perfect in my eyes
My unconditional love created a spoiled young man
An angry one too
Now before God and everyone, I must apologize
'Cause at the time
I thought it was the right thing to do
I'm tortured daily, Marshall, by people always asking me
Why you're such an angry young man
Being the only role model in your life, of course, they're gonna blame me
The demeaning me needs to stop and I speak for lots of mothers
The words really hurt and they cut like a knife
With no way to mend a bleeding heart
If not for my friends who have been there for me, and yes Marshall, they really truly care
I pray someday you're not going to be all alone and you'll have friends like me
And they won't be there just for your fame
And no more attacks on me
And vicious acts of hate 'cause it really hurts
Will the real Marshall Mathers please stand up
And take responsibility for his actions?
And I'm gonna close this, Marsh, by saying
It's not too late for change
As always, sincerely
Your only mother
References[]
- ↑ My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem