When I'm Gone是Eminem在2005岁末全新创作的歌曲，当时是写给他最爱的大女儿Hailie Jade时间回到1995年12月25日，Eminem的大女儿Hailie Jade降生，女儿的诞生仿佛有着某种魔力，使生性自由不羁，被人认为只有痞子气的eminem变得温和柔情起来，这也为日后eminem创作一系列以她女儿为主题内容的歌埋下伏笔。2005年时，eminem青梅竹马的妻子金伯莉.马瑟斯离婚。离婚的原因也是众说纷纭：有人说是金伯莉过度吸食毒品，还有的说是她打骂孩子，疏离eminem红杏出墙，又或是几者兼而有之。无论如何，种种过往都给eminem抹上了重重的阴影。作为一名rapper，他拿起手中的笔倾吐出一切。2005年底，When I’m gone横空出世。这首歌以温情的背景音乐打底，配以eminem一贯高亢激进的嗓音，唱出了他对妻子不忠与堕落的愤慨，同时，也表达了自己不幸的婚姻和忙碌奔波的生活而不能经常在女儿Hailie Jade身边所带来的伤害。因为eminem在小时候也被父亲抛弃，与糟糕的母亲共同生活，所以童年的种种经历使这首歌更是纠缠万千，这从歌词中就可见一斑。eminem创作的mockingbird也是同一类型的歌曲。
Yeah
It's my life
But all in words I guess
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 are your heart
And you know you are their armour
And you will destroy anyone who will try to harm her
But what happens when karma turns right around and bites you
And everything you stand for turns on you to spite you
What happens when you become the main source of a pain
Daddy look what I made?
Dad's gotta go catch a plane
Daddy where's mummy? I can't find mummy, where is she?
I don't know, go play, Hailie baby your daddy's busy.
Daddy's writin' this song, this song ain't gon' write itself
I give you one underdog, then you gotta swing by yourself
Then to write a rhyme in a song and tell her you love her
And put hands on her mother who's a spittin' image of her
That's slim shady, yeah baby slim shady's crazy
Shady make me, but tonight, Shady's rock-a-by baby
And when I'm gone, just carry on don't mourn,
Rejoice every time you hear the sound of my voice
Just know that I'm lookin' down on you smiling
And I didn't feel a thing so baby don't feel no pain, just smile back
I keep havin' this dream - I'm pushin' hailie on the swings she keeps screamin'
She don't want me to sing, You're makin mummy cry, why, why's mummy crying?
Baby, Daddy ain't leavin' no more,
Daddy you're lying,
You always say that, you always say this is the last time,
but you ain't leavin' no more, Daddy you're mine!
She's piling boxes infront of the door tryin' to block it,
Daddy please daddy don't leave daddy no, stop it!
Goes in her pocket, pulls out a tiny necklace locket, it's got a picture,
This'll keep you safe daddy, take it with you
I look up, it's just me standin in the mirror, these fuckin walls must be talkin cos man I can hear 'em
They sayin you got one more chance to do right, and it's tonight,
Now go out there and show 'em that you love 'em 'fore its too late
And just as I go to walk out of my bedroom door it turns to a stage, they're gone
And the spotlight is on and I'm singin:
Sixty thousand people, all jumpin' out their seat
The curtain closes, they're throwing roses at my feet
I take a bow, and thank you all for comin' out
They're screamin so loud, I take one last look at the crowd
I glance down, I don't believe what I'm seein',
Daddy it's me! Help mummy her wrists are bleedin'
But baby we're in Sweden, how did you get to Sweden?!
I followed you daddy, you told me that you wern't leavin
You lied to me dad, and now you make mummy sad
And I bought you this coin
It says 'number 1 dad', that's all I wanted
I just wanna give you this coin
I get the point, fine, me and mummy are goin
But baby wait-
its too late dad, you made the choice. Now go out there and show 'em you love 'em more than us
That's what they want
They want you Marshall, they keep
screamin your name, it's no wonder you can't go to sleep
Just take another pill, yeah be ya you will
You rap about it. Yeah word, keep it real
I hear a pause, all this time I couldn't see
How could it be that the curtain is closing on me
I turn around, find a gun on the ground, click it, put it to my brain, scream 'Die Shady!' and pump it
The sky darkens, my life flashes,
The plane that I was supposed to be on crashes and burns to ashes
That's when I wake up, alarm clock screamin,
There's birds singin', it's spring 'n
Hailie's out side swingin'
I walk right up to Kim and kiss her, tell her I miss her
Hailie just smiles and winks at her little sister, almost as if to say