White America (Song)

"White America" is a political hip hop song by rapper Eminem released in 2002 from his fourth studio album, *The Eminem Show*. The song was also performed at the MTV Video Music Awards. It is the first full song on the album, and describes Eminem's rise to prominence and allegations from parents and politicians that he had influenced criminal behavior on young White Americans.

## Lyrics

* America, hahaha, we love you
* How many people are proud to be citizens
* Of this beautiful country of ours, the stripes and the stars
* For the rights that men have died for to protect?
* The women and men who have broke their necks
* For the freedom of speech
* The United States government has sworn to uphold
* (Yo, I want everybody to listen to the words of this song)
* Or so we're told
* I never would've dreamed in a million years I'd see
* So many motherfuckin' people who feel like me
* Who share the same views and the same exact beliefs
* It's like a fucking army marching in back of me
* So many lives I touched, so much anger aimed
* In no particular direction, just sprays and sprays
* And straight through your radio waves, it plays and plays
* 'Til it stays stuck in your head, for days and days
* Who would've thought, standing in this mirror, bleaching my hair
* With some peroxide, reaching for a t-shirt to wear
* That I would catapult to the forefront of rap like this?
* How could I predict my words would have an impact like this?
* I must've struck a chord with somebody up in the office
* 'Cause Congress keep telling me I ain't causing nothin' but problems
* And now they're saying I'm in trouble with the government
* I'm loving it, I shoveled shit all my life, and now I'm dumping it on
* White America, I could be one of your kids
* White America, little Eric looks just like this
* White America, Erica loves my shit
* I go to TRL, look how many hugs I get

* White America, I could be one of your kids
* White America, little Eric looks just like this
* White America, Erica loves my shit
* I go to TRL, look how many hugs I get
* Look at these eyes, baby blue, baby just like yourself
* If they were brown, Shady'd lose, Shady sits on the shelf
* But Shady's cute, Shady knew Shady's dimples would help
* Make ladies swoon, baby (ooh, baby)
* Look at my sales

* Let's do the math, if I was black, I woulda sold half
* I ain't have to graduate from Lincoln High School to know that
* But I could rap, so fuck school, I'm too cool to go back
* Give me the mic, show me where the fucking studio's at
* When I was underground no one gave a fuck I was white
* No labels wanted to sign me, almost gave up, I was like
* "Fuck it, " until I met Dre, the only one to look past
* Gave me a chance and I lit a fire up under his ass
* Helped him get back to the top, every fan black that I got
* Was probably his in exchange for every white fan that he's got
* Like damn, we just swapped, sitting back looking at shit, wow
* I'm like my skin is it starting to work to my benefit now? it's-
* White America, I could be one of your kids
* White America, little Eric looks just like this

* White America, Erica loves my shit
* I go to TRL, look how many hugs I get
* White America, I could be one of your kids
* White America, little Eric looks just like this
* White America, Erica loves my shit
* I go to TRL, look how many hugs I get!
* See, the problem is I speak to suburban kids
* Who otherwise woulda never knew these words exist
* Whose moms probably woulda never gave two squirts of piss
* 'Til I created so much motherfucking turbulence
* Straight out the tube, right into your living rooms I came
* And kids flipped when they knew I was produced by Dre
* That's all it took, and they were instantly hooked right in
* And they connected with me too, because I looked like them
* That's why they put my lyrics up under this microscope
* Searching with a fine tooth comb, it's like this rope
* Waiting to choke, tightening around my throat
* Watching me while I write this, like, "I don't like this note"
* All I hear is, lyrics, lyrics, constant controversy
* Sponsors working round the clock to try to stop my concerts early
* Surely hip-hop was never a problem in Harlem, only in Boston
* After it bothered the fathers of daughters starting to blossom
* So now I'm catching the flak from these activists when they ragging
* Actin' like I'm the first rapper to smack a bitch or say "faggot, " shit
* Just look at me like I'm your closest pal
* The posterchild, the motherfucking spokesman now, for-
* White America, I could be one of your kids
* White America, little Eric looks just like this
* White America, Erica loves my shit
* I go to TRL, look how many hugs I get
* White America, I could be one of your kids
* White America, little Eric looks just like this
* White America, Erica loves my shit
* I go to TRL, look how many hugs I get
* So to the parents of America, I am the Derringer
* Aimed at little Erica to attack her character
* The ringleader of this circus of worthless pawns
* Sent to lead the march right up to the steps of Congress
* And piss on the lawns of the White House
* To burn the - and replace it with a Parental Advisory sticker
* To spit liquor in the faces of this democracy of hypocrisy
* Fuck you, Ms. Cheney
* Fuck you, Tipper Gore
* Fuck you with the freest of speech
* This Divided States of Embarrassment will allow me to have
* Fuck you
* Hahaha, I'm just playing, America
* You know I love you