Like Toy Soldiers Lyrics

[Intro]
Step by step, heart to heart
Left, right, left, we all fall down


[Chorus: Martika]
Step by step (Oh), heart to heart (Heart to heart)
Left, right, left, we all fall down (All fall down, all fall down)
Like toy soldiers
Bit by bit (Bit by bit), torn apart (Torn apart)
We never win but the battle wages on
For toy soldiers


[Verse 1: Eminem]
I'm supposed to be the soldier who never blows his composure
Even though I hold the weight of the whole world on my shoulders
I ain't never supposed to show it, my crew ain't supposed to know it

Even if it means goin' toe-to-toe with a Benzino
It don't matter, I'd never drag 'em in battles that I can handle
'Less I absolutely have to, I'm supposed to set an example

I need to be the leader, my crew looks for me to guide 'em
If some shit ever does pop off, I'm supposed to be beside 'em
That Ja shit, I tried to squash it, it was too late to stop it
There's a certain line you just don't cross and he crossed it
I heard him say Hailie's name on a song and I just lost it

It was crazy, the shit went way beyond some Jay-Z and Nas shit
And even though the battle was won, I feel like we lost it
I spent so much energy on it, honestly I'm exhausted
And I'm so caught in it, I almost feel I'm the one who caused it
This ain't what I'm in hip-hop for, it's not why I got in it
That was never my object, for someone to get killed
Why would I wanna destroy somethin' I helped build?
That wasn't my intentions, my intentions were good

I went through my whole career without ever mentionin' ****
And that was just out of respect, for not runnin' my mouth
And talkin' about somethin' that I knew nothin' about
Plus Dre told me stay out, this just wasn't my beef
So I did, I just fell back, watched and gritted my teeth
While he's all over TV, down-talkin' a man

Who literally saved my life, like fuck it, I understand
This is business, and this shit just isn't none of my business
But still knowin' the shit could pop off at any minute
'Cause

[Chorus: Martika]
Step by step (Oh), heart to heart (Heart to heart)
Left, right, left, we all fall down (All fall down, all fall down)
Like toy soldiers
Bit by bit (Bit by bit), torn apart (Torn apart)
We never win but the battle wages on
For toy soldiers


[Verse 2: Eminem]
There used to be a time when you could just say a rhyme and
Wouldn't have to worry about one of your people dyin'
But now it's elevated
, 'cause once you put someone's kids in it
The shit gets escalated, it ain't just words no more, is it?

It's a different ballgame, you callin' names, and you ain't just rappin'
We actually tried to stop the 50 and Ja beef from happenin'
Me and Dre had sat with him, kicked it and had a chat with him
And asked him not to start it, he wasn't gonna go after him

Until Ja started yappin' in magazines how he stabbed him
Fuck it, 50, smash him, mash on him, let him have it

Meanwhile, my attention's pulled in another direction
Some receptionist at The Source who answers phones at his desk
Has an erection for me and thinks that I'll be his resurrection

Tries to blow the dust off his mic and make a new record
But now he's fucked the game up 'cause one of the ways I came up
Was through that publication, the same one that made me famous

Now the owner of it has got a grudge against me for nothin'?
Well, fuck it, that motherfucker could get it too, fuck him then

But I'm so busy bein' pissed off, I don't stop to think
That we've just inherited 50's beef with Murder Inc.
And he's inherited mine, which is fine, ain't like either of us mind

We still have soldiers that's on the front line
Who's willin' to die for us as soon as we give the orders
Never to extort us, strictly to show they support us
And maybe shout 'em out in a rap or up in a chorus
To show 'em we love 'em back and let 'em know how important
It is to have Runyon Avenue soldiers up in our corners
Their loyalty to us is worth more than any award is

But I ain't tryna have none of my people hurt or murdered
It ain't worth it, I can't think of a perfecter way to word it
Than to just say that I love y'all too much to see the verdict
I'll walk away from it all 'fore I let it go any further

But don't get it twisted, it's not a plea that I'm coppin'
I'm just willin' to be the bigger man, if y'all can quit poppin'
Off at the jaws, well, then I can, 'cause frankly I'm sick of talkin'
I'm not gonna let someone else's coffin rest on my conscience
'Cause

How to Format Lyrics:

  • Type out all lyrics, even repeating song parts like the chorus
  • Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines
  • Use section headers above different song parts like [Verse], [Chorus], etc.
  • Use italics (<i>lyric</i>) and bold (<b>lyric</b>) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part
  • If you don’t understand a lyric, use [?]

To learn more, check out our transcription guide or visit our transcribers forum

About

Genius Annotation

Sampling a children’s choir from Martika’s “Toy Soldiers” for the chorus, “Like Toy Soldiers” finds Eminem emphasizing the importance of friendship and his duty/respect to those he holds in high esteem during times of conflict.

In his early career, Eminem’s controversial lyrics, namedropping, and outspokenness—often delivered through his Slim Shady alter ego—got him a lot of publicity and involved in a lot of beefs. In fact, in June 2019, Hip Hop By The Numbers calculated that he’d dissed 137 people on his solo albums, with this album, Encore, featuring the most, with 39.9% of the lyrics devoted to targeting people.

Therefore, this song was in stark contrast to his more unruly persona of only a few years prior, demonstrating considerable growth in his character, and a desire for pacifism that didn’t require him to submit to the will of his competition. He was no doubt hoping to prevent further loss of human life by setting this example.

This desire to rise above violence and jadedness to direct conflict was likely attributable to his maturing perspective of it, and his maturing in general. Hip-hop had lost—and has continued to lose—many icons and promising artists to needless violence. Three such icons were immortalized at the end of the song’s visuals, namely Big L, The Notorious B.I.G., and 2Pac—all artists that Eminem greatly admired. One other lesser-known artist is also immortalized. Bugz, who was a founding member of Eminem’s group D12. Bugz was murdered in May 1999, getting shot in the back whilst walking away from a physical altercation.

Eerily, the video depicts Proof being shot and subsequently dying, which went on to become a reality less than a year-and-a-half later. Though there are still conflicting reports around what exactly happened, it is known that Proof was murdered in a bar during a drunken altercation over a game of pool.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What did Eminem say about "Like Toy Soldiers"?
Genius Answer

In the video Eminem answers some questions about the album Encore and the songs “Like Toy Soldiers” and “Mosh”.

“Talking about Like Toy Soldiers, what can you tell us about the Ja Rule and Benzino beef, and what about the behavior of the label industry?”

In the music video, who is the man in the hospital bed?
Genius Answer

That’s DeShaun Dupree Holton (also known by his stage name Proof). He was Eminem`s best friend and he died in 2006. In the video he resembles ‘Bugz’, a D12 member that died in 1999.

What has Eminem said about the music video after Proof's death?
Genius Answer

In his book The Way I Am, Eminem talks about this issue:

In the year after he [Proof] died, I would stare at the ceiling and think about that video. Did karma cause that to happen in real life? Did I? You always want to point the finger at somebody else when something like that happens, you know?

What certifications did this track receive?
Comments