What does Not Afraid mean?

Eminem: Not Afraid Meaning

Album cover for Not Afraid album cover

Song Released: 2010


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Not Afraid Lyrics

[Chorus]
I’m not afraid to take a stand
Everybody come take my hand
Let's walk together, through the storm
Whatever weather, cold or warm
Just let you know that, you’re not alone
Holla if you feel like you’ve been down the same...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
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    May 31st 2012 !⃝

    its 100% about his addiction, people look down on him for being an addict and he talks about not being afraid of standing up against the addiction. anyone who knows first hand knows that this is mentality you must have to maintain sobriety. hes a boss for this song.

  2. 2TOP RATED

    #2 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 3rd 2019 !⃝

    It’s about getting sober.
    Not afraid means not afraid to talk about sobriety and not make it quiet:
    “I’m not afraid to take a stand”
    “Holla if you feel like you’ve been down the same road.”
    “I'm strong enough to go to the club or the corner pub
    And lift the whole liquor counter up 'cause I'm raising the bar”
    “It was my decision to get clean, I did it for me”
    “It's a game called CIRCLE ( AA groups are usually in seats set up in circles and The sign is a circle with a triangle in it, which he wears almost everywhere, just look)
    I'm way too up to back down
    But I think I'm still tryin' to figure this crap out
    Thought I had it mapped out but I guess I didn't (last album was called Relapse)”
    this fuckin' black cloud
    Still follows me around but it's time to exercise these demons
    These muh'fuckers are doin' jumpin' jacks (in AA that’s a common thing to say when your addict inside you is trying to build up) now”
    “In fact, let's be honest, that last "Relapse" CD was eh
    Perhaps I ran them accents into the ground
    Relax, I ain't goin' back to that now”

    I’m sure some of it is about his depression and other things, but the main point of this song is about sobriety. But if your not sober you might miss that and some of the terms. But it’s called Recovery for goodness sake, and last album was called Relapse.

    Songs can have a lot of interpretations, and if another for this song helps someone than great. That’s the amazing thing about art. But his meaning was about sobriety.

  3. 3TOP RATED

    #3 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jun 28th 2010 !⃝

    I believe that the beginning of the first verse is Slim Shady speaking, or his rapping persona. It talks of how he beat everyone's expectations and overcame everyone who was "looking down on him". But towards the end it sounds more like Marshall talking about how Slim Shady is the worst part of him."He's married to the game" meaning that he is never able to put his career on hold and spend time with his family. "His gift is a curse" meaning that the fame and fortune that Shady brought him has torn him away from his family.

    The second verse follows the same pattern. The first majority of it describes his success as a musical artist and how he promised to never let his fans down, but that was Slim Shady talking. When Marshall comes to realize that he had no idea what he got himself into, he sings "But I think I'm still trying to figure this crap out
    Thought I had it mapped out but I guess I didn't" and he also says that it's "time to exorcise these demons" which is further reference to the fact that he believes that Slim Shady is the worst part of him.

    In the bridge, it is simply setting the tone for the next verse. The tone being that he is ready to give up what he always wanted as a child and is ready to be a part of his family again.

    In the final verse, he continually talks about someone, most likely his daughter, that drove him to become a better person. I believe that as he says "but they can do little to the middle finger
    I think I got a tear in my eye, I feel like the king of
    My world, haters can make like bees with no stingers, and drop dead" is Marshall saying that he could care less what people think of him when he gives up his career to "focus soley on handling my responsibility's as a father".

  4. anonymous
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    Jun 18th 2023 !⃝

    This song's message is that you should face your own fears, and face taking a stand, So, The music video starts with Eminem standing on top of a building in Newark, There are other scenes where he's in a abandoned basement, It then cuts to Eminem walking on the sidewalk. He then walks on a busy street, As Eminem continues walking, he looks at a car window with a disorted reflection of his face, He looks confused and a little surprised, Eminem goes on walking and ends up in a hall of mirrors, He is spooked by the distorted reflection of his face in each one, which looks like demons, He then breaks one of the mirrors.

  5. anonymous
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    May 22nd 2020 !⃝

    Eminem's rap Not afraid is one of the greats. My interpretation of this song is that he is going through a lot and that no matter what everyone is there for you. So you are not alone. He was getting over Kim and a few other things but the strong message was that he had people that were there for him

  6. anonymous
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    Mar 4th 2020 !⃝

    Its about how unpopular the album "Relapse" became.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  7. anonymous
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    Apr 17th 2019 !⃝

    Ste kirwan's life from 21 i followed some of his life and he subliminally based his stuff songs life bits of it on mine maybe I'm crazy but it's true if it does mean that about me please tell me the truth so I can have closure I never meant to lie but we all have a Darkside love conquers all

  8. anonymous
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    Mar 24th 2019 !⃝

    i think Eminem has lost love because of fame. he did music because he wanted to take care of his family but the same music made him lose his family. he is a better man because he realized what he has lost and he want to make up for it and become a better man despite what people feel or think.

  9. anonymous
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    Jan 24th 2019 !⃝

    He is tired of being a luciferian.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  10. anonymous
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    Dec 14th 2018 !⃝

    These are the reasons why I chose the song “I’m Not Afraid” by Eminem. When I read the first section and it means to me is that when we struggle and need to remember that we’re not on our own. Others might look at someone else and think how perfected that the person is, but we struggle to know the truth. The person that you are looking at might be perfected, but they might also be struggling as well. We don’t know that other people struggle in different ways and don’t always show the struggling.

    The second section tells me for someone to know how the other person really feels, then you must put yourself in their place and see them there. When you put yourself in their shoes and see how they are struggling and what happens to them. When you really see the struggle, you can give them a hand and show them that they are not alone, and everyone struggles in life and you are not the only one hurting.

    Section three is even though the others might know you by only the way you act, but they don’t know the whole you. You have the choice to change the way you live your life, and you can take control what you do. In our life we have decisions to make and choses to do.

    The fourth section is saying that we should not take any more of the lying, and to start telling the truth or someone might catch you and reinterpret what you said to bring you down.

    In the fifth section when he says “demons” he says this to mean the people that bring you down refers to demons. He also uses “gloomy black cloud” in order to show that you have been struggling every day. When I think of the word “demons” it means that they are going to try to draw out your fears and you don’t know how to handle it.

    Section six is saying that when you are done with everything, now you can take charge of your life. It is time to do something new, and no one is going to hurt you and more. When I said “when you are done with everything” this means that all the problems you have been through and all the stress now you are related. “now you can take charge of your life” this means that you know how to fix the problems that have gone on in your life and nothing is going to stop you.
    In the seventh section he says that even though we clean our self, we still have people who are going to put us down. We have the chose to not listen and see the cleanness of the world. Or we can listen to the people that are dragging us down and be afraid to show who we really are and be blinded by the people who are dragging us down.

    I chose the song “I’m not afraid “by Eminem. I chose this song because I feel in my life that people could bring me down, but I made the chose to not listen and push myself, so I can be the best of me. I could have listened to those who hurt me in my life, but then how could I not be the person I am today and is known by others as a helping hand and courageous.

  11. anonymous
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    Jul 16th 2018 !⃝

    This song is about the challenges you may face in this life, and how many can over come them. He says “ Imma be what I set out to be, without a doubt undoubtedly. And for all this lookin down on me I’m tearin down your balcony.” This is stating no matter what problem you may face or what people say you can or can’t do has no effect on you if you put your mind to the life or things you want.

  12. anonymous
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    May 18th 2018 !⃝

    i guess the song is about eminem facing his fears about the addictions n telling poeple that if you really wanna have a good life,just face whatever your going through in your life .because there's no better time like the present.........also the song may symbolies that he was mainly connected to the illuminati and that he wants out.the song basically has alot of things that it potrays but it is actually up to the person that is listening to take it however they like n i still guess the better resolution it will be, to hear from the horse's mouth....

  13. anonymous
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    Dec 22nd 2017 !⃝

    He just wants to live a good life.

  14. anonymous
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    Oct 28th 2017 !⃝

    I dont think so that EMINEM can quit coz even on Instagram showing a sign of the devil's horn wit his on the head.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  15. anonymous
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    Oct 26th 2017 !⃝

    He was never in the Illuminati. His lyrics are telling the audience that you cant be afraid to live life. You have to get over the obstacles life puts in front of you. You cant live life like its a prison. You have to forget about the past and look towards the future and what it'll bring you.

  16. anonymous
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    Oct 24th 2017 !⃝

    The song Not Afraid explains how you can’t live life scared, you need to face those fears inside so you so that you don’t miss out on those special moments in your life.

  17. anonymous
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    Sep 22nd 2017 !⃝

    He's not Afraid of getting out of illuminati

  18. anonymous
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    Sep 21st 2017 !⃝

    Gettng out from the cage of illuminati.

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