♪ (rock music) ♪ - "Yeah, I know sometimes things may not always make
sense to you right now. But hey, what Daddy always tell you?" - "Straighten up, little soldier.
Stiffen up that upper lip. What you crying about? You got me." - That seems nice. I don't usually hear that kinda stuff. - It feels like the artist is speaking maybe to their child or loved one. - The dad is telling him
to toughen up like a little soldier. If it's a little soldier,
perhaps it's a little guy, right? - That's what the dad
should tell somebody. I tell that to my son. If he's crying about something,
I say, "You know what? Pick yourself up, dust yourself
back off, and just move on." - "Hailie, I know you miss your mom, and I know you miss
your dad when I'm gone. But I'm trying to give you
the life that I never had. I can see you're sad,
even when you smile." - "Even when you laugh,
I can see it in your eyes. Deep inside you want to cry
'cause you're scared. I ain't there? Daddy's with you in your prayers." - That is Eminem. - That's Eminem's daughter's name, right? - I know he talks about her
in a few of his songs. - You always want to give
your child a better life than you had, no matter where that takes you. - He's out making a living,
trying to provide for her, trying to get her to see that,
even though he's not there, he's there in spirit. - Very heartfelt song from Eminem. I didn't stay with the mother of my kids. And we have a good relationship now, but we're not together anymore. When I was leaving the house,
I remember my son started crying. And that's a tough thing. - "We did not plan it to be this way,
your mother and me. But things have got so bad between us." - "I don't see us ever
being together ever again like we used to when we was teenagers. But then, of course, everything
always happens for a reason." - If you just break up,
who cares? You move on. But you have a child, so that
will forever bind those two people. - We write things down,
or we feel like this is how I'm gonna-- no, this is my career
or I'm gonna have kids. I'm gonna stay married forever
or whatever the situation is. And sometimes things happen. - It's just one of those
harsh realities, man, that kids, you know, they have to deal with. I mean, my parents
didn't stay together either. The more effort you make
to be in your kids' life, still that helps alleviate
some of the pain for the kids. - "I guess it was never meant to be. But it's just something
we have no control over, and that's what destiny is." - "But no more worries.
Rest your head and go to sleep. Maybe one day we'll wake up
and this will all just be a dream." - It's really sad, because
you're forcing this kid to grow up. - Even though he's trying
his best to soften the words, he still says that
he cannot control destiny. - You can't really just
wake up and go to sleep, and then the next day everything's fine. He just has to kinda like talk
to her and say, "You know what? I'm gonna do my best to make sure that this doesn't keep happening." - "Now hush, little baby. Don't you cry. Everything's gonna be all right. Stiffen that upper lip up, little lady. I told ya, Daddy's here
to hold you through the night." - "I know Mommy's not here right now and we don't know
why we feel how we feel inside. It may seem a little crazy, pretty baby. But I promise Mama's gon' be all right." - "Stiffen that upper lip up"
might not always work. Sometimes you just have to let them cry. - (laughs) Sounds like
he doesn't like Mama either, 'cause he doesn't know
why she's doing what she's doing. - Looks like this one is about Mommy going
through some struggles. And she had to actually
leave the family to get better. - Aw, she's probably
worried about her Mom, though, at the end of the day. A child is always worrying
about their mother. He's there like, "You know,
it's gonna be okay." - That lullaby talks
about all kinds of things that I can buy you, which is instant gratification,
and kids like that usually. But when it's at the end
of the day, they want you. They want your time. - "Every house that we lived
in either kept gettin' broken into and robbed or shot up on the block." - "And your mom was
saving money for you in a jar tryin' to start a piggy bank for you
so you could go to college." - Sounds like the kind of urban situation. - They're talking about
the house getting broken into, shot up, et cetera. They're not
in the greatest of neighborhoods. - Before he hit big, he was
living in a bad area of Detroit. It's basically telling his life story and saying, "This is what we did for you." - When my kids were younger,
the area we lived in wasn't great. We needed to either
send them off to private school, which we couldn't afford, or move into a different school district,
which might be better, which we couldn't afford. Those decisions you make as a parent to give your child that better life are often the decision
that makes your life worse. - "Almost had a thousand dollars till someone broke in and stole it." - "And I knew it hurt so bad
it broke your mama's heart, and it seemed like everything
was just starting to fall apart." - Oof, that's rough. How do you come back
from something like that? That thousand dollars
represents everything. It represents a dream,
a goal, a life, a change. - Mama wants to have her family
and take care of her daughter and take care of everything. And when something like this happens and it's all out of your
control, it's not easy. - (sighs, chuckles) I guess
I take it a little too personal. I lived in bad neighborhoods myself in South Central for like 20 years. And I know a lot of people
that goes through that, and it's hard for them to change it. - I got my first bike
when I was 10 years old. And then it got stolen
right out of my backyard. I was sad about it, but I know
my parents were even more sad, because it took
a long time for them to save for that money to get me that bike. - "And that's when
Daddy went to California with his CD and met Dr. Dre,
and flew you and Mama out to see me but Daddy had to work." - "You and Mama had to leave me. Then you started seeing Daddy on the TV,
and Mama didn't like it. And you and Lainie
were too young to understand it." - They were too young, but he was just
explaining how things were. It's kind of like an autobiography. - In the beginning,
there's always struggles. Like, "I can't chill and play
with you right now. I'm going to the studio. I'm trying to work. I'm trying to hustle." - He just took everything
and just put it out there. I mean, he used every curse word. I mean, he said he was gonna kill people. He was gonna say he was
gonna cut up people. So obviously the mom does not
want Hailie to see Dad on TV, 'cause he's acting crazy. - You know, it's hard being
an artist, performing artist, and having a family. You know, your family's
gonna have to travel with you, and it's not for everyone. - "Papa was a rolling stone.
Mama developed a habit, and it all happened too fast
for either one of us to grab it. I'm just sorry you were there
and had to witness it firsthand." - "'Cause all I ever wanted to do
was just make you proud. Now I'm sittin' in this
empty house just reminiscing, looking at your baby pictures." - A rolling stone gathers
no moss, does it? 'Cause it's not there long enough. - You try to make plans.
You try to do the right thing. And unfortunately,
it didn't go where they wanted it to. - He's trying to do his thing, and she's just not being supportive
to him because of her issues. - He's just pretty much
telling his daughter he's sorry for all the things
that he put her through. You know, even though, "Yeah, I got money now, and I got this," it's just, "I messed up your childhood." - He wish he could tell this little girl all these things at this time. But instead he just puts it in a song, because he knows that
she won't really understand that. - "And if you ask me to, Daddy's
gonna buy you a mockingbird. I'ma give you the world.
I'ma buy a diamond ring for you. I'ma sing for you." That is so cute. So he's gonna do what he can.
He's a good daddy. - I'm sure his daughter's older now. But he still always goes back
to that little girl vibe with her. - It's true. She can ask him for anything. Now he could buy her whatever he wants. But he can't buy back time. - The only way he knows
how to really fix it is just, you know-- when you make a lot of money, you go to the material pleasures of life. Materialism only goes so far, you know? You really have to be present,
not just have a bunch of presents. - "I'll do anything for you
to see you smile. And if that mockingbird
don't sing, then... (giggles) that ring don't shine, I'ma break
that birdie's neck." Mm-mm. - "I'll go back to the jeweler
who sold it to ya and make him eat every carat.
Don't-- bleep!-- with Dad. Ha ha!" - That's the Eminem I know
right there. (chuckles) - That's hysterical. You do get that (growls), that Mama Bear, Daddy Bear sort of thing. - He's gonna do whatever
he can for that child. And if it doesn't bring
a smile to her face, I guess he's gonna do what
he needs to to make it happen. - "I'm talking to
a little girl, so lullaby. But I'm sad and I'm angry, 'cause I really wish I could tell this so all the ugly parts
of the situation come out." Pretty cool, man. You know? He had me. - (host) So what do you
think the song was about? - Um, basically his life in a nutshell. - It sounds a bit like an
apology/love letter to his daughter. - I do really respect the fact that he does own up
to his errors and flaws, because we all have them. - (host) So do you know
the song's title and artist? - I know it's Eminem. I just
don't know the name of the song. - I know the artist. I know it's Eminem. - I know it's Eminem,
but I don't know the title. - I know it's Eminem,
and I do not know the title. - Eminem. "Mockingbird"? - (host) This song is Eminem,
and it's "Mockingbird." - See? There you go.
I never would have guessed. - Okay. That makes sense. - Aw. Okay. Is this a new one? - (host, chuckling) Nope.
- Oh. (snorts) Okay, great. - (host) Eminem wrote
this song to his daughters to try and explain what was
going on in his life at the time. He said it's his most
emotional song he ever wrote. - I believe that. - I hope she listens to these songs now and can realize that
he was doing it all for her. - (host) So as a parent, how
do you feel reading these lyrics? - It's sad, but I like it.
Like I said, he's honest. - He touched me a lot, man, because I come from, you know, those areas.
I grew up in south L.A. So I know a lot of stories
similar to this one. - It's tough. You make mistakes, and you feel like
it's the end of the world. But you pick yourself up and say, "No, I can do this better.
I can do this better." And you have to just try
to be the best parent you can be. - I have a 12-year-old and a 16-year-old. And I like to think they're happy and well-adjusted, amazing people. But who knows what they'll
look back on in the choices I've made or that my husband's made? I hope I did a good job
for you guys, if you're watching. I love you. - Thank you for watching us
break down "Mockingbird" on the React channel. - New shows every week.
Be sure to subscribe. - What song should
we break down next time? Let us know in the comments. - Goodbye! ♪ (rock music) ♪
