What does When I'm Gone mean?

Eminem: When I'm Gone Meaning

Album cover for When I'm Gone album cover

Song Released: 2005


When I'm Gone Lyrics

Yeah...
It's my life...
My own words I guess...

[Verse 1]
Have you ever loved someone so much, you'd give an arm for?
Not the expression, no, literally give an arm for?
When they know they're your heart
And you know you were their...

  1. anonymous
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    Aug 9th 2010 !⃝

    This song is about his obsession with his music and not paying as much attention to his family at home. This is prevalent when he sees Halie at his concert. She is crying for his attention and wants her daddy but the music is pulling them apart.

  2. logannj
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    Aug 3rd 2010 !⃝

    This song is about when he's dreaming he dreams that he's at all the concerts he's supposed to go to and how his daughter doesn't want him to leave so bad because it makes her sad that he's gone all the time and then she shows up at one of his concerts saying mom's hurt and it's because you leave so much and are never home. When he wakes up he goes straight to his family to spend time with them because he feels bad. (:

  3. anonymous
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    Jul 27th 2010 !⃝

    "I look up, it's just me standin in the mirror"

    Refers to him being Slim Shady. Evident in video clip where on one side of the mirror hes wearing a suit, and the other a Detroit baseball shirt.

  4. anonymous
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    Mar 27th 2010 !⃝

    this song was aimed towards his daughter.he didnt realize that him always being gone was hurting her.so he's saying that when hes gone,dont be sad.

  5. beauty14
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    Nov 30th 2007 !⃝

    I love this song because I feel it means a lot. Eminem poured his heart out with this song. It means not to be upset when someone dies but be happy they're in heaven with God.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  6. anonymous
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    Aug 3rd 2007 !⃝

    It's about him realizing that he had chosen fame fortune and money over his own family, and putting an end to it all, the dream is a way of him describing what he realized. This song is about the fading of slim shady and the conflict in his head, where does marshall end and slim start?

  7. anonymous
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    Jun 17th 2007 !⃝

    This song means that shady's dead not eminem, eminem will continue to do albums
    long live aftermath!!

  8. anonymous
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    May 7th 2007 !⃝

    Yeh, it is about him giving up music for a while to be with his family, since he remarried kim. But then again, he divorced her again after what seems like no time at all, and made a new album.

  9. anonymous
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    Oct 25th 2006 !⃝

    They played this song at my friends funeral its basically about when he dies he doesn't want everyone mourning his death rather celebrate his death and just know he smiling down on them its a very good song and really helped me through my hard times.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  10. HHH
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    Sep 17th 2006 !⃝

    This is the end of eminem's carrer,and the end of the evil alter-ego of eminem,slim shady,where eminem has to kill the personal demon that brought him to success but ripped him away from his family.

  11. pc_rap_boi
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    Aug 21st 2006 !⃝

    Coondawg is right about fans losing respect,i know I would.Hes explaining why he's putting down the mic. For a while.I also agree with liesejunh,some would still respect him for at least explaining himself.He is also apologizing to his family for putting his career before them.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  12. anonymous
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    Aug 17th 2006 !⃝

    The song is the death of slim shady, and eminems explaining why he's going to put the mic down for a while, its to do with the stress, pressure and guilt that he is feeling from being on the road all the time.

  13. anonymous
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    Jul 22nd 2006 !⃝

    Y'all are all just saying the same thing...If you have something original to comment, then say it. If you don't then don't post anything!

  14. anonymous
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    May 29th 2006 !⃝

    I think it is about him going to rehab and telling his wife and child that they should not be sad to be happy when he is gone and to be happy when he comes home.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  15. liesejunh
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    Apr 25th 2006 !⃝

    Eminem tells us that he's leaving in this song and he explains why. He may not leave permanently but he's gone. I dissagree with coon_dawg, because I respect eminem more for the fact that he would choose to live life over work.




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