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.
Andy Kaughman
Sage Francis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Us poets paint life, but don't get recognized till afta'
So I faked my own death just to see what would happen
As I taje shallow breaths and wait for people's reaction
It was funny at first, but I had to hold my laughter...wait
Before long I was on display at an open casket wake
And I'm the main attraction who draws a crowd. A freak show of sorts
Good thing my skin is pale enough to pass as a decomposing corpse
People's emotions and awaiting a kiss from praying lips that I hate but miss.
She didn't show...although she sent a card with flowers
How considerate. That little bitch would make me sit in my car for hours
Heartless powers start to devour my patience...it gets me violent
I'm ready to fly shit and end everything like "I QUIT!"
Then again I sit deathly quiet...biting my tongue
Just excited that some kids...who were invited to come did
I'm the center of attention...the talk of the town
It ain't all that profound, but on this special day of mine I'm the one the universe revolves around
It's like a birthday...kind of.
I also found that it's the worst way to find love.
White doves battle black crows in one of the back rows
And everybody my ass knows back home is sporting black clothes
Looking glum as usual...it's all too familliar
I put the fun back into funeral. My morbid humor'll kill ya'
For all that it's worth...the people who I thought were jerks
Were putting on the water works and it sorta hurts
My momma stroked my hair with so much care but hardly spoke
Now my heart is broke, and yeah...I should've let her in on the joke
But I'm honestly choked up, and I'm stuck holding back my tears
As I absorb the atmosphere, "I wanna turn back I'm scared!"
Then a hand touches my shoulder to calm my nerves
And something odd occurs because I heard my father's words
So I got disturbed...as he expressed what he's never said
What bothered me the most is that I remembered...he's dead
I manifested destiny. The best and worst of worlds has come true
As I'm buried alive, in the back of my mind echoes his words:
"I love you."
Irony is a funny bastard,
I mean you've got to be funny when your mere existence is totally dependent on God's twisted sense of humour
And I can cut this kid with a knife he's living so (???)
The knife struck,
Over privileged kids trying to tell me life sucks,
Men preoccupy their minds thinking of all the guys their wives...
Had sexual relations with,
I'd have patience if the innocence weren't lost,
But when I scrubbed my hands the purity rinsed off,
And when I scrubbed some more protective gloves tore,
The only thing saving me from loving… her…
The lyrics of this song by Sage Francis are about faking one's own death and attending their own funeral just to see the reactions of those who cared for them. The singer, a poet, finds himself in a position where he is not getting recognized for his work, and in order to get some recognition and attention, he decides to fake his own death. He attends his own open-casket funeral and sees the reactions of his loved ones and the people around him. He describes himself as the center of attention and likens his situation to a birthday, although he also notes that it is the worst way to find love.
As the song progresses, he talks about his emotions and how his mother strokes his hair with care but does not say much, and how his father's words echo in his mind as he is buried alive. The singer describes the irony of his situation and how he finds humor in the fact that his mere existence is dependent on God's twisted sense of humor. He delves into the darker themes of life, such as lost innocence, infidelity, and the pain of unrequited love.
Overall, the song is a commentary on the human experience and how people cope with their emotions in different ways. It touches on themes such as life, death, love, and loss, and showcases the unique perspective of an artist who finds himself at odds with the world around him.
Line by Line Meaning
Now I know it ain't right, but I decided I hadta'
I knew it was not the right thing to do, but I still went ahead with my plan.
Us poets paint life, but don't get recognized till afta'
Poets describe life, but they rarely get recognition for their work until after they die.
So I faked my own death just to see what would happen
I pretended to die to see how people would react to the news.
As I taje shallow breaths and wait for people's reaction
I was taking shallow breaths and waiting to see how people around me would react.
It was funny at first, but I had to hold my laughter...wait
It started out as a joke, but then I had to contain my laughter and wait.
Before long I was on display at an open casket wake
After some time, my supposed dead body was put on display at a funeral wake.
And I'm the main attraction who draws a crowd. A freak show of sorts
As a fake corpse, I became the center of attention and was attracting a lot of people who were curious about me.
Good thing my skin is pale enough to pass as a decomposing corpse
People believed I was actually dead because my skin color was pale enough to match a corpse.
Frozen in my thoughts, laying stiff...playing with
I was stuck in my thoughts and lying still, pretending to be dead.
People's emotions and awaiting a kiss from praying lips that I hate but miss.
I wanted to see how people around me would react to my supposed death, even if it meant getting condolences from those I disliked.
She didn't show...although she sent a card with flowers
The person I wanted to see did not show up at the funeral, but she did send a card and flowers.
How considerate. That little bitch would make me sit in my car for hours
I was bitter about the person not showing up and sarcastically calling her considerate for not making me wait too long.
Heartless powers start to devour my patience...it gets me violent
I was getting angry at the situation and feeling powerless, which was making me agitated.
I'm ready to fly shit and end everything like "I QUIT!"
At this point, I was ready to give up and walk away from everything.
Then again I sit deathly quiet...biting my tongue
Despite feeling angry, I remained quiet and held back my words.
Just excited that some kids...who were invited to come did
I was happy to see that some kids I invited actually showed up.
I'm the center of attention...the talk of the town
As a fake-dead person, I was the topic of discussion and getting a lot of attention.
It ain't all that profound, but on this special day of mine I'm the one the universe revolves around
Although it wasn't a big deal, on that day, everyone's attention was focused on me.
It's like a birthday...kind of.
It felt like a special day, similar to a birthday.
I also found that it's the worst way to find love.
I realized that pretending to be dead was not the best way to find love.
White doves battle black crows in one of the back rows
There was a commotion in the back rows between people who were supporting me and those who were not.
And everybody my ass knows back home is sporting black clothes
People in my hometown who knew me were all wearing black clothes, mourning my 'death.'
Looking glum as usual...it's all too familliar
People around me looked sad and familiar, as if they had seen this before.
I put the fun back into funeral. My morbid humor'll kill ya'
I tried to make the funeral lively and humorous, even if my sense of humor was dark and morbid.
For all that it's worth...the people who I thought were jerks
Despite what I thought before, the people who were not nice to me seemed genuinely upset about my 'death.'
Were putting on the water works and it sorta hurts
To see people crying and showing their emotions was affecting me emotionally as well.
My momma stroked my hair with so much care but hardly spoke
My mother was emotional and took care of me, but was not saying much.
Now my heart is broke, and yeah...I should've let her in on the joke
I felt regret for not telling my mother and others about the joke before 'dying.'
But I'm honestly choked up, and I'm stuck holding back my tears
Despite pretending to be dead, I was actually emotional and trying to hold back my tears.
As I absorb the atmosphere, "I wanna turn back I'm scared!"
I was feeling overwhelmed by the situation and wanted to leave.
Then a hand touches my shoulder to calm my nerves
Someone touched me to try to calm me down.
And something odd occurs because I heard my father's words
Something strange happened, and I started hearing my deceased father's voice.
So I got disturbed...as he expressed what he's never said
What my father was saying was disturbing and unexpected.
What bothered me the most is that I remembered...he's dead
As I heard my father's voice, I was reminded that he is no longer alive.
I manifested destiny. The best and worst of worlds has come true
Everything I wanted to happen, good or bad, was happening as a result of my actions.
As I'm buried alive, in the back of my mind echoes his words:
As I am trapped and feeling like I am buried alive, I am still hearing my father's voice in my head.
"I love you."
The last words my father spoke were that he loved me.
Irony is a funny bastard,
Irony can be amusing yet disturbing at the same time.
I mean you've got to be funny when your mere existence is totally dependent on God's twisted sense of humour
It is ironic that our lives are in the hands of a higher power who may have a dark sense of humor.
And I can cut this kid with a knife he's living so (???)
I can see this person's life situation so clearly that it's as if I could cut through it with a knife.
The knife struck,
This person's situation was so bleak that it was like a sharp knife hurting me.
Over privileged kids trying to tell me life sucks,
People who have everything are trying to tell me that life is hard.
Men preoccupy their minds thinking of all the guys their wives...
Men are insecure about their relationships and worry about their wives being with other men.
Had sexual relations with,
The men are thinking about their wives being intimate with other people.
I'd have patience if the innocence weren't lost,
If people were still innocent and not tainted by the world, I would have more patience with them.
But when I scrubbed my hands the purity rinsed off,
When I tried to clean myself of the world's taint, I lost my innocence in the process.
And when I scrubbed some more protective gloves tore,
I tried to protect myself from the world, but I was not able to keep everything out and my defenses tore.
The only thing saving me from loving… her…
The only thing stopping me from loving someone is my protective armor.
Contributed by Sebastian C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Top10BeyondTheScreen
Which celebrity interview made you cringe the most?
@victoriawilliams2786
Trump's
@mlggamer5296
From this list definitely Kathy Griffin and Allen Carr
@ketmaniac
@@mlggamer5296 Alan
@mlggamer5296
@@ketmaniac oh it is spelled Alan I thought it was initially spelled right when I was typing
@flyme2themoon720
Compaired to Amber Heard these are nothing.Ambers the most toxic and disqusting thing that ever entered Hollywood...PERIOD!!
@reenierossi3724
Where was the story about the screenshot you advertised, which hooked me to come in and watch?
@michaeljordan6008
Sorry weenie
@NuhashTheHash
Buy a yub beanie
@tommyvenegas6704
I suffered the same fate.