Noted for his intense flow and sharp wit, Francis has won acclaim both as a freestyle battler and as an unapologetic, intellectual lyricist. Francis uses a broad emotional palette to address a wide range of personal, cultural, and political issues. His unconventional style and persona have given him crossover appeal, but at the same time alienated some hip-hop listeners.
Prior to embarking on a full-time career as an MC, Francis displayed his skills in slam poetry. During the late 1990s, he recorded his first demo tape (1996), fronted the now defunct Providence hip-hop band Art Official Intelligence, and hosted a weekly slot on independent radio station WRIU (the "True School Session"). He also formed the Non-Prophets and released a 12” (Drop Bass/Bounce/I Keep Calling, Emerge Records, 1999), following up in 2003 with their first full-length offering, Hope. Francis is a contemporary of underground hip-hop artists such as Slug, Eyedea, Sole and the anticon. collective. He is also loosely affiliated with the vague underground hip-hop super-group The Orphanage.
As a solo performer, Francis won the MC battle at the 2000 Scribble Jam, and in 2001 he came close to repeating as champion (semi-finalist) while performing as his "metal" alter ego, "Xaul Zan". Francis released his first proper solo album, Personal Journals, on Anticon. in 2002. He toured with a live band on the Live Band Dead Poet Tour to support it. Francis subsequently became the first hip-hop artist to sign with Punk label Epitaph, agreeing to a three-album deal. His first album for Epitaph, A Healthy Distrust, was released in early 2005 and was followed up with Human the Death Dance in 2007.
One of Francis' best-known tracks is "Makeshift Patriot", a commentary on the American media recorded one month after the September 11, 2001 attacks which he released on the internet as an MP3 as well as a limited edition 7" single.
In February 2005 Sage dropped his second full length album on the originally punk label Epitaph, it was widely regarded as the best underground hip hop album of the year by critics and fans alike and featured heavily political tracks such as "The Buzz Kill" and "Slow Down Gandhi" and more personal material like that more similar to that of his debut 'Personal Journals' such as 'Bridle' and a few heavily satirical comments on the modern day rap and urban scene such as the satirical comment on youth gun culture 'Gunz Yo'.
Sage has helped to set up the Wiki KnowMore.org which is described as a 'way to keep tabs on the some of the biggest and most dangerous businesses in the world'. He is a vegetarian and also chooses to abstain from drugs and drinking, though doesn't label himself as "straight-edge" because he believes "you shouldn't define yourself by what you don't do."
Sage has set up his own label and signed some of who he claims to be his favorite artists of the moment such as Buck 65 and Proplyphic and Reanimator named Strange Famous (which shares his initials) with which he released his most recent work 'Human the Death Dance'
This album was released in May 2007 and takes a step away from the heavily political 'Healthy Distrust' and heads back to the more personal lyrics of 'Personal Journals' and comments on modern culture. The album features cameos from many Strange Famous artists such as Buddy Wakefield, Buck 65 and Reanimator.
In 2010 Sage released his fourth full length album Li(f)e (the title coming from the famous quote from 'The Cure' on the Non-Prophets album Hope "Life is just a lie with an f in it and death is definite"). The album was extremely well received and one particular single off of the album 'The Best Of Times' received extensive air play on the popular British radio station Radio 1. After Sages Li(f)e tour Sage has stated that he will no longer be doing tours but will still be releasing albums and other materials, instead he will be doing select gigs throughout each year.
On 3 June 2014, Sage released his fifth studio album 'Copper Gone'. It is the first official studio album after Sage Francis announced his hiatus, which lasted for four years.
Sea Lion
Sage Francis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The sea lion laying down long
A song in the air
Why should singer care
When singer can be among song
Force of my love was strong
The sea lion laying down long
A song in the air
Why should singer care
When singer can be among song
Ma, Ma, look what I did, Ma
Look what I did to my hands, I broke em
You gave me the stone, gave me the chisel
Didn't say how to hold em
Didn't say give away every piece of the puzzle
Till I was left with nothing
But I took it upon myself to crush it up and distribute the dust
Get in the bus, hop in the van
Jump in the water, crawl to the land
Build another castle out of the sand
Break it down and then I get into the saddle again
Going city to city I'm already lost, tell the boss
Who is new in town; I'm-a ride this horse till it bucks me off
And I'm forced to shoot it down
I'm-a take him out for some gasoline
I'm-a trade this cow for some magic beans
Make Mom proud of the deals that I've made
'Cause I'm just a modern day Johnny Appleseed
But I'm glad that I never passed the genes
And I never put down the axe
Piano Man got a checkered dance floor
To grace and the painful look on his face
'Cause the crowd is packed and the louder they clap
The less he is able to make the connection
Between what he sees when he hears certain notes
And the hurt that is shown in his facial expression
I don't need your go-ahead to go ahead
No, I know no one said it was gonna be easy
But sweet Jesus, who wants to sleep with me?
Way too many moves to learn
But not enough people to put em on
Lookit, Mom, no hands
I built this suit of armor with wooden arms
Force of my love was strong
The sea lion laying down long
A song in the air
Why should singer care
When singer can be among song
Force of my love was strong
The sea lion laying down long
A song in the air
Why should singer care
When singer can be among song
Oh God I think I'm dead
I can't see outside my head
Brains and bloods and cryptic gang men
Czars and warlords breaking bread
Thoughts are thought
What's said is said
I thought that 'fore you said it
I didn't mean to think out loud
My tongue slipped but who let it?
Let it be, let me be, let me go, nah let me out
My manhood nods and whispers when my father screams and shouts
Dear dad I'm sad you're dead
A new man standing in the pulpit
He bows before a wooden cross and forces praise the culprit
I'm a tenor in the choir but I sing a different song
Of how the where's and why's of now all prove I don't belong
But I'm staying I've planted seeds and plan to watch them grow
I've watered all my wishes dreams fulfilled more seeds to sow
And I promise to learn to love the way I've learned to fear
To unknot all the inhibitions tangled in my hair
To let my ego mound in piles around the barber chair
And make a graceful exit from my vexed and troubled years
I've decided I've been invited to my own resort
Where knights can leave their armor neatly piled by the door
And every woman, child, and man will gather by the shore
And study how sea lions swim in cursive
Force of my love was strong
The sea lion laying down long
A song in the air
Why should singer care
When singer can be among song
Force of my love was strong
The sea lion laying down long
A song in the air
Why should singer care
When singer can be among song
The song Sea Lion by Sage Francis is a complex and poetic exploration of identity, creativity, and the search for meaning. The first verse describes the power of love and music to transport the singer, to become one with the song and the creature (the sea lion) that embodies its essence. The singer proudly declares his creative independence and willingness to break the rules and challenge expectations, but also feels the weight of responsibility and the fear of failure. The second verse shifts to a more personal and introspective tone, as the singer reflects on his relationships with his mother and father, his struggles with self-doubt and insecurity, and his hopes for the future. The final verse presents a vivid and surreal image of a paradise where barriers between people and nature, words and music, are dissolved, and everyone can learn from the elegant motion of sea lions in the ocean.
One of the most striking features of this song is its intricate and highly allusive language, full of metaphors, wordplay, and cultural references. The sea lion symbolizes freedom, grace, and wildness, as well as the primal force of creativity and the instinctive connection between the singer and his art. The image of hands that are broken and filled with dust evokes the idea of the artist as a worker who must grind and craft his materials to create something new and beautiful. The reference to Johnny Appleseed, the pioneer who planted apple trees across the American frontier, suggests a similar spirit of adventure and generosity, as well as the ambiguity of success and legacy. The mention of the Piano Man, a character from a song by Billy Joel, implies the contrast between the joy and sorrow of performing, the harmonies and dissonances of life, and the difficult balance between art and commerce. Overall, Sea Lion is a rich and challenging song that rewards careful listening and reflection, inviting the listener to dive into its depths and explore the mysteries of the human heart and mind.
Line by Line Meaning
Force of my love was strong
The singer's love for something was incredibly strong
The sea lion laying down long
A sea lion was resting nearby, providing a peaceful atmosphere
A song in the air
The sound of music could be heard in the surroundings
Why should singer care
The singer doesn't need to pay attention to anything else but the music
When singer can be among song
The singer can be fully immersed in the music
Ma, Ma, look what I did, Ma
The singer is showing off to their mother
Look what I did to my hands, I broke em
The singer has injured their hands doing something impressive
You gave me the stone, gave me the chisel
The mother provided the tools for the singer's creativity
Didn't say how to hold em
The mother gave the singer freedom to use the tools in their own way
Build another castle out of the sand
The singer is creating something new and temporary
Break it down and then I get into the saddle again
The singer is constantly moving on to new projects
Going city to city I'm already lost, tell the boss
The singer is constantly traveling and unsure of where they are
Who is new in town; I'm-a ride this horse till it bucks me off
The singer plans to keep going until they can't anymore
I'm-a trade this cow for some magic beans
The singer is taking a risk in hopes of getting something more valuable
Piano Man got a checkered dance floor
A musician is playing on a special dance floor
To grace and the painful look on his face
The musician is struggling even though the crowd is enjoying the music
I don't need your go-ahead to go ahead
The singer doesn't need anyone's approval to do what they want
No, I know no one said it was gonna be easy
The singer knows that their chosen path is difficult
But sweet Jesus, who wants to sleep with me?
The singer is jokingly questioning their attractiveness
Oh God I think I'm dead
The singer feels overwhelmed and stuck
Czars and warlords breaking bread
People in power are enjoying lavish meals while others struggle
Thoughts are thought
The singer is thinking deeply
What's said is said
It's too late to take back what was said
Planting seeds and plan to watch them grow
The singer is working towards a better future
I've decided I've been invited to my own resort
The singer is taking control of their life and creating their own happiness
And study how sea lions swim in cursive
The singer is finding beauty and inspiration in unexpected places
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY, BMG Rights Management
Written by: Brendon Patrick Whitney, Joseph Will Oldham, Sage Francis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Cheche Garcia
on Buckets Of Silence
I never held a funeral for that big part of me that died.
I need to put these thoughts to rest. i need to find a peace of mind.
I need to piece my mind, find a piece of mind to rest in.
need to find someone to confide in, and with the rest i need to start restin'.
needless to say, i couldn't hide.
fifteen grown men shouldn't cry.
Cheche Garcia
on Message Sent
I've got some letters inside of my drawer
that should have been stamped and delivered
One is addressed to my ex
it says I'm the type of kid who can't be lived with
One is addressed to my friends
it says I'm a mess so y'all can't visit
One is addressed to myself
but I don't know what personality or hand to give it