The Healing Power of Horses have announced ‘8725’, their second EP in six months•
Kesha has dug into the ‘Animal’ archives for her long-lost ‘Backstabber’ video•
Little Grandad have shared ‘A Minute On The Lips’ and announced a January in-store tour•
CMAT has performed ‘Take a Sexy Picture of Me’ and more for NPR's Tiny Desk•
girl in red has released her new EP ‘BLUE’, exploring change and fresh starts•
David Bowie's unreleased 1978 concert film ‘Stage’ is getting a spectacular arena revival•
Mia Joy is taking flight with new single ‘Wings of Desire’ and her second album•
Heartworms is back with a sinister new single, ‘Guess I’m Stuck In The Dark’•
Phoebe Bridgers has been announced as All Points East 2027’s first headliner•
FKA twigs will curate Meltdown 2027 at Southbank Centre•
Hot Chip have announced their new album, ‘A Long Way From Kansas’•
The Cribs have announced a Wakefield show for ‘Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever’ anniversary•
Tate McRae has released ‘Housewife’ with a South of France-shot video•
Olivia Rodrigo and Chappell Roan have released their ‘expectations’ remix•
Tom A Smith is heading up Paint By Numbers this December•
Audrey Hobert has unveiled a new video for 'Sex and the City' as she begins her headline tour•
The Dork 2025 Readers' Poll nominations are in, featuring CMAT, Turnstile, Wolf Alice, Djo, Hayley Williams and loads more•
flowerovlove has released her first-ever first Christmas track, 'wishlist'•
Mighty Hoopla and Olly Alexander have announced Trans Mission, a concert for trans solidarity•
JADE has announced a deluxe edition of her debut album, 'THAT'S SHOWBIZ BABY! THE ENCORE'•
The Healing Power of Horses have announced ‘8725’, their second EP in six months•
Kesha has dug into the ‘Animal’ archives for her long-lost ‘Backstabber’ video•
Little Grandad have shared ‘A Minute On The Lips’ and announced a January in-store tour•
CMAT has performed ‘Take a Sexy Picture of Me’ and more for NPR's Tiny Desk•
girl in red has released her new EP ‘BLUE’, exploring change and fresh starts•
David Bowie's unreleased 1978 concert film ‘Stage’ is getting a spectacular arena revival•
Mia Joy is taking flight with new single ‘Wings of Desire’ and her second album•
Heartworms is back with a sinister new single, ‘Guess I’m Stuck In The Dark’•
Phoebe Bridgers has been announced as All Points East 2027’s first headliner•
FKA twigs will curate Meltdown 2027 at Southbank Centre•
Hot Chip have announced their new album, ‘A Long Way From Kansas’•
The Cribs have announced a Wakefield show for ‘Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever’ anniversary•
Tate McRae has released ‘Housewife’ with a South of France-shot video•
Olivia Rodrigo and Chappell Roan have released their ‘expectations’ remix•
Tom A Smith is heading up Paint By Numbers this December•
Audrey Hobert has unveiled a new video for 'Sex and the City' as she begins her headline tour•
The Dork 2025 Readers' Poll nominations are in, featuring CMAT, Turnstile, Wolf Alice, Djo, Hayley Williams and loads more•
flowerovlove has released her first-ever first Christmas track, 'wishlist'•
Mighty Hoopla and Olly Alexander have announced Trans Mission, a concert for trans solidarity•
JADE has announced a deluxe edition of her debut album, 'THAT'S SHOWBIZ BABY! THE ENCORE'•
Dork
News
Features
Reviews
Magazine
  • Dork
  • Popzines
Shop
Listings
Directory
Festivals
Hype-THE BEST NEW NAMES, FIRST
Upset-DORK'S HOME FOR ALL THINGS LOUD
The 19755SOSAlessi RoseArctic MonkeysArlo ParksBastillebeabadoobeeBillie EilishBleachersblink-182BlossomsBlur
Bring Me The HorizonCarly Rae JepsenCavetownChappell RoanCharli xcxCHVRCHESCMATConan GrayDeclan McKennaDjoFall Out BoyFoals
Fontaines D.C.Ghostgirl in redGlass AnimalsGorillazGracie AbramsHAIMHarry StylesHolly HumberstoneInhalerJames MarriottThe Japanese House
The Last Dinner PartyLewis CapaldiLinkin ParkLouis TomlinsonMaggie RogersMaisie PetersMUNAMy Chemical RomanceNiall HoranOasis Live '27Olivia DeanOlivia Rodrigo
Pale WavesParamorePhoebe BridgersPinkPantheressRemi WolfReneé RappSabrina CarpenterSam FenderShameSlipknotTate McRaeTaylor Swift
Twenty One PilotsWallowsWet LegWolf AliceYard ActYUNGBLUDZara Larsson
etc.
Film & TV
Gaming
Literature
Culture
Festival Guides-YOUR ESSENTIAL FESTIVAL COMPANION
Hype-THE BEST NEW NAMES, FIRST
Mixtape-DORK'S BEST NEW TRACKS
Play-DORK'S NEW MUSIC FRIDAY EDIT
Upset-DORK'S HOME FOR ALL THINGS LOUD
Playlist Covers
Playlist Directory
Recommender
Before Doors-LIVE SESSIONS
After Gates-FESTIVAL SESSIONS
Music Video Directory
Down With Boring-THE DORK PODCAST
Chart Attack-UK NUMBER ONES, DISSECTED
Dork Live
Oasis Live ’27Tickets. Dates. What’s the story?Explore the tour
Dork Radio
Live
Live 24/7
Dork Radio
Dork
Down With Boring

Join thousands of music lovers getting the best new tracks, exclusive interviews, and breaking news delivered straight to your inbox every week.

In print now

October 2026

Latest issue variants

View archive
Dork, October 2026 (Cara Delevingne cover)

Cara Delevingne

Dork, October 2026 (Keo cover)

Keo

Dork, October 2026 (Lizzy McAlpine cover)

Lizzy McAlpine

Dork, October 2026 (Tove Lo cover)

Tove Lo

Advertise|Support|About Dork|Editorial standards & corrections|Privacy Policy|Genres|Years|Sitemap|RSS|Cookie settings
© 2026 The Bunker Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.
Powered by PlaywireAdvertise on this site.
  1. Tracks
  2. Eminem
  3. Revival
  4. Castle
Castle by Eminem

TRACK

Eminem

Castle

Release date: 15th December 2017

From Revival
Track 18
4:15
Hip-Hop/RapMusic
Spotify Apple Music More on Eminem

About This Track

'Castle' closes the 'Revival' album alongside 'In Your Head' and 'Arose', forming a deeply personal trilogy. Produced by DJ Khalil, the track is structured as a series of letters to Eminem's daughter Hailie, beginning before her birth in December 1995 and continuing through her early childhood. The lyrics trace his resolve to support her whilst chasing a music career that felt both close and impossibly distant, his 'Infinite' CD having flopped and the prospect of breakthrough still uncertain.

The song's framing device allows Eminem to address fatherhood with unguarded honesty, the letters capturing both excitement and fear in real time. He writes of Hailie inheriting her mother's personality and smile, apologises for minor mishaps, and promises to build castles out of sand for her to sit on the throne. The chorus refrain acknowledges the isolation that success can bring, the castle becoming a trap as much as a shelter.

The track forms part of a narrative arc that extends into 'Arose', which deals with his 2007 overdose. Here, the focus remains on the early years, the grind of open mics and all-nighters set against the mundane milestones of her first steps, the tension between ambition and duty rendered without sentiment.

"Castle" is a track by Eminem, from the album Revival, released 15th December 2017. The track is 4:15 long. It's filed under Hip-Hop/Rap. Full lyrics are available below. Dork has published 1 article about Eminem.

About the Artist

Eminem

Eminem

Lyrics

Castle

I built this castle, now we are trapped on the throne
I'm sorry, we're alone
I wrote my chapter
You'll turn the page when I'm gone
I hope you'll sing along
This is your song
I just want you to know that I ain't scared
Whatever it takes to raise you, I'm prepared
To do whatever, to do whatever
December 1st, 1995, dear Hailie
This is your song

You'll be coming out of mommy's stomach soon
I better do something quick if I'ma be able to support you
I can barely support me, but as long as you're healthy
That's all that matters for the time being
But obviously, assuming you will be, just thinking ahead
I'ma make it if it kills me
Let's see how far I can take it with this music
I'm getting sick of chasing this illusion
Sorry for sloppy writing
The pen in my hand's shaking, please excuse me
Dad's a little nervous, but at the same time excited
If I use this same energy while I'm saying rhymes and write 'em
With the same passion and the same exact enthusiasm
As I'm using in this letter maybe they can feel me as I'm
Trying to build these castles out of sand, baby girl
For you to sit on the throne, I got plans, baby girl
Welcome to mom and dad's crazy world
Love, daddy

Maple flavored kisses, buttered pancakes, and syrup

I built this castle, now we are trapped on the throne
I'm sorry, we're alone
I wrote my chapter
You'll turn the page when I'm gone
I hope you'll sing along
This is your song
I just want you to know that I ain't scared
Whatever it takes to raise you, I'm prepared

To do whatever, to do whatever
December 1st, 1996, dear Hailie

You got your momma's personality, same eyes as I got
Her beautiful smile, but your ears are the same size as mine are
Sorry for that, a little minor mishap
But you'll grow into 'em baby
I'm on the grind now
I'm doing little shows, open mics, all-nighters and studios
While I'm tryna keep the lights on
Why does it seem like I'm so close to this dream, yet so far?
I just keep steering
I'm gonna turn into someone
I haven't the slightest clue what I'm gonna do if it falls through
You took your first steps today, you'll probably walk soon
My Infinite CD flopped, too many soft tunes
They're talking bad about dad, it's ticking me off too
Makes me feel like I don't belong or something, ooh

I think I might have just stumbled onto something new
Got a prediction for the future, I'm hoping it's you
Open this envelope when you're older and it holds true

I built this castle, now we are trapped on the throne
I'm sorry, we're alone
I wrote my chapter
You'll turn the page when I'm gone
I hope you'll sing along
This is your song

I just want you to know that I ain't scared
Whatever it takes to raise you, I'm prepared
To do whatever, to do whatever
December 24th, 2007, dear Hailie

Now if you found these letters, I guess I better try to explain
A lot's happened in between 'em, since I rised to this fame
I've said your name but always tried to hide your face
This game is crazy, I wanted to claim my love for you but damn
I never knew it'd be like this
If I did I wouldn't have done it
You ain't asked for none of this shit
Now you're being punished?
Things that should've been private with me and your mother is public
I can't stomach, they can take this fame back, I don't want it
I'll put out this last album then I'm done with it
One-hundred percent finished
Fed up with it, I'm hanging it up, fuck it
Excuse the cursing, baby, but just know
That I'm a good person, though they portray me as cold
And, if things should worsen,
Take this letter I wrote as a goodbye note
Because your dad's at the end of his rope
I'm sliding down a slippery slope
Anyways sweetie, I better go, I'm getting sleepy
Love dad
Shit, I don't know

Lyrics provided by LRCLIB

View full lyrics page →

Track details

From Revival

4:152017
Listen
Album
Revival
Revival
Eminem
15th December 2017
Track number
18
Release year
2017
  1. 2Believe
    5:15
  2. 3Chloraseptic (feat. PHRESHER)
    5:01
  3. 4Untouchable
    6:10
  4. 6Remind Me (Intro)
    0:26

More from Eminem

Albums & EPs

STANS (The Official Soundtrack)
STANS (The Official Soundtrack)
2025
The Marshall Mathers LP (25th Anniversary)
The Marshall Mathers LP (25th Anniversary)
2025
The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce)
The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce)
2024
Curtain Call 2
Curtain Call 2
2022
Music To Be Murdered By
Music To Be Murdered By
2020
Kamikaze
Kamikaze
2018

Explore

More tracks by Eminem

  1. Beautiful (2006)
  2. Cleanin' Out My Closet [V4]
  3. Discombobulated [V4]
  4. Get Your Money Straight (Unreleased, KM Track 13)
  5. Got My Gat Back
  6. In A Perfect World
  7. Keys To The City [Unreleased & Not Leaked, KM Track 12)
  8. Kim [V3]
  9. King Mathers (Unreleased, KM Track 14)
  10. Marshall Mathers [V1]

Showing 10 of 20

If you like Eminem

D12

D12

Bad Meets Evil

Bad Meets Evil

Obie Trice

Obie Trice

Ca$his

Ca$his

Stat Quo

Stat Quo

Paul Rosenberg

Paul Rosenberg

  • 7Remind Me
    3:45
  • 8Revival (Interlude)
    0:52
  • 9Like Home (feat. Alicia Keys)
    4:05
  • 10Bad Husband (feat. X Ambassadors)
    4:48
  • 11Tragic Endings (feat. Skylar Grey)
    4:12
  • 12Framed
    4:13
  • 13Nowhere Fast (feat. Kehlani)
    4:24
  • 14Heat
    4:10
  • 15Offended
    5:21
  • 16Need Me (feat. P!nk)
    4:25
  • 17In Your Head
    3:03
  • 18Castle
    4:15
  • 19Arose
    4:35
  • —Walk on Water
  • —River
  • —Bad Husband
  • —Chloraseptic
  • —Tragic Endings
  • —Like Home
  • —Nowhere Fast
  • —Need Me
  • Credits

    Production & Engineering

    Writer
    Chin Injeti, DJ Khalil, Eminem, Erik Alcock, Liz Rodrigues
    Writer
    Erik Alcock, Khalil Abdul-Rahman, Liz Rodrigues, Marshall Mathers, Pranam Injeti
    Producer
    DJ Khalil
    Producer
    DJ Khalil
    Engineer
    Tony Campana
    Bass
    Chin Injeti
    Guitar
    Chin Injeti, Erik Alcock
    Keyboards
    DJ Khalil
    Vocals
    Liz Rodrigues
    Additional Keyboards
    DJ Khalil
    Additional Vocals
    Liz Rodrigues
    Assistant Engineer
    Tony Campana
    Drum Programmer
    DJ Khalil
    Drum Programming
    DJ Khalil
    Mastering Engineer
    Brian Gardner
    Mixing Engineer
    Mike Strange
    Recording Engineer
    Joe Strange, Joe Strange (2), Mike Strange
    READ MORE ABOUT EMINEMREAD MORE ABOUT EMINEMREAD MORE ABOUT EMINEMREAD MORE ABOUT EMINEM
    READ MORE ABOUT EMINEMREAD MORE ABOUT EMINEMREAD MORE ABOUT EMINEMREAD MORE ABOUT EMINEM
    Eminem's former sound engineer has pleaded guilty to leaking unreleased music
    News

    Eminem's former sound engineer has pleaded guilty to leaking unreleased music

    Joseph Strange has pleaded guilty to criminal copyright infringement after unreleased Eminem tracks were copied, sold and leaked online.

    22 Oct 2026 • 8:27 pm
    Why Slane became such a significant concert setting
    Features

    Why Slane became such a significant concert setting

    Slane’s landscape made it a distinctive place for a concert. Irish beginnings, international bookings and returning artists gave it a musical identity.

    26 Sept 2026 • 4:00 pm
    Watch a new clip from Eminem's superfan documentary STANS, releasing in August
    News

    Watch a new clip from Eminem's superfan documentary STANS, releasing in August

    The rapper's new documentary explores his influence through devoted fans' perspectives, hitting global theaters for a limited release this August.

    31 Jul 2025 • 7:46 pm