Artist: Eminem Album: Kamikaze Song: Stepping Stone Typed by: Nickolye16@aol.com [Intro] "Take me to the river" "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah" [Eminem] It's 2002, everything was totally new We were globally huge, watchin sales go through the roof We wrote and we viewed it, Runyon Avenue Soldiers included A multitude of homies who would bounce for no good excuse We were so bullet-proof; wrote, souped and soaked in our youth Thought we was runnin shit 'til we lost the sole of our shoe ... The death of Doody broke us in two We were thrown for a loop, ain't none of us know what to do And at the time I was goin through my own struggles too So I wasn't in no condition to be coachin us through Everyone tried to go solo, really nobody blew I was hopin they do so I ain't have to shoulder the crew The plan was put everyone in position so that they knew how to stand on they own, and I don't wanna open up wounds I just noticed the oomph was gone when we go in the booth Cause the truth is the moment that Proof died, so did the group Shoot [Interlude: Eminem] {"If I could leave this all behind"} {"I could open up my eyes and walk in a straight line"} Turn to the river with you Help me leave this all behind [Chorus: Eminem] I'ma wash away my sins I'ma rinse away this dirt I forgot to make amends To all the friends I may have hurt I better stop and say my grace From that I pray that I don't fall Cause on the way back down I may end up runnin back into them all I never meant to use you all as my stepping stones [Eminem] It was never the same, and it's bothered me since And the farther we drift apart the more awkward it gets The more time goes by the more life happens And we gotta be men - we got responsibilities Plus we don't say how we feel and I feel like this is what got us in the debacle we're in, been with you guys thick and thin But it's almost as if sometimes we're not even friends Which reminded me Biz, "Rockstar" was the shit Y'all coulda got you a hit without me on the shit, if you woulda put D12 on it, wish I coulda did more than try talkin you into comin up off of it I know it wasn't my fault, but part of it probably is I think of all of the trips to BET and the rappers I wish that we woulda politicked with, maybe y'all coulda clicked And got you some features, but that's water under the bridge But I'm washin my sins in it 'til my conscience is cleansed [Interlude] [Chorus] [Eminem] Bacardi and Henn', never thought the party would end One minute you're bodyin shit, but then your audience splits You can already sense the climate is starting to shift To these kids you no longer exist Went from rainin cats and dogs in this bitch, to tiny drops, little drips And by the time your reign/rain is over, you'll hardly be missed/mist You start thinkin of all the artists you gift All the carnage you left, is this the kind of karma you get for turnin your fuckin back on Bizzy, Kuniva and Swift? A Freudian slip, subconsciously I honestly wished I ain't feel so much guilt, and y'all didn't harbor resentment But it's hard to pretend that y'all ain't got none, I just wish I had words but I guess, they're just, are none for this To my, partners I can't say how, sorry I am This is, not how I planned for our, story to end I love, all of you man but I just, can't be that guy every-body depends on for entire careers Cause that's, not even fair, I will, always be here But that spark isn't there, and I don't know how to recapture that time and that era, I've tried harkening back to But I'm fightin for air, I'm barely charting myself Feels like I'm on the descent, but it was not my intent to treat y'all like a stepping stone Though I ain't left no one behind but we been, down every road Done all we possibly can, I know we kept our hopes up But the longer we spend, livin this lie that we live The less is left for closure - so let's let this go It's not goodbye to our friendship, but D12 is over [Chorus] [Outro: Eminem] I never meant to make you feel like my stepping stones I never meant to use you all for my stepping stones