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.
Cup of Tea
Sage Francis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He stays up with me and we discuss things
Most of the time he just listens
Other times offers suggestions or he just ignores my questions
It gets more depressing as time passes, because every night
I ask this one question and all he does is wipe his glasses
It's aggrevating as hell and I'm just waiting to tell
whether or not he can even remember the answer..
Or whether or not he can even fucking remember me.
What a waste of time
But every night it's that same damn routine:
One green cup of tea and me stuck all by myself once its empty
Then I'm off to bed with plenty of caffiene to keep me up and thinking
The cup I'm drinking from is never clean
I can't remember if it's a dream once I awake and I walk..
From my messy bed and anticipate the next late night talk
Every midnight we sit at the coffee table and we share a cup of tea
He stays up with me and we discuss things
Most of the time he just listens
Other times offers suggestions with his awful expressions
Altered refelctions...his whole aura is see-through
With more confessions...I don't want to leave you
"This cup should be bottomless!"...as my insecurities spill
I see his face fading away. I surely need a refill
I purposely keep still and don't move much
Except to wet my lips with sips. With every kiss of death I lose touch
I sip the tea carefully because its at the degree of separation
Tasting the forked tongue in bi-lingual conversation
Waiting for his answer still...and at any given chance I will
Sweet and Low my bitter past...let the cancer kill the small talk
"Alright, man...this bitter taste in my mouth needs to get washed out
Ghosts in this house don't have anything timely to talk about."
The concept is dead. There's nothing death should interrupt
I went to bed last night with one sip left in the cup
In Sage Francis's song Cup of Tea, the artist talks about sharing a particular midnight routine with an unknown person where they sit at a coffee table and share one cup of tea while discussing different things. Although most of the time, the person just listens, occasionally they offer suggestions, and at other times, they just ignore the artist's questions. As the routine continues, it becomes increasingly depressing for the artist, who asks a particular question every night and only receives silence from the other person in response. The whole experience becomes frustrating for the artist. They don't know whether the person remembers their shared encounters or not, or whether they choose to ignore them intentionally.
Through the song, it's evident that the artist is trying to communicate their feelings of loneliness and the profound need for someone to empathize with them. They desire to connect with someone who can fill their cup, which seems to represent the emptiness they feel inside. The artist ends up going to bed alone and drinking coffee to keep themselves thinking and awake. In summary, the song Cup of Tea highlights the desire to find someone who can fill us up and take away our emptiness.
Line by Line Meaning
Every midnight we sit at the coffee table and we share a cup of tea
Late at night, I have someone with whom I spend time discussing things while sipping from my cup of tea.
He stays up with me and we discuss things
The person present with me stays all night to listen or give ideas about whatever we talk about.
Most of the time he just listens
The other guy primarily listens to what I say without interrupting or interfering with my thoughts.
Other times offers suggestions with his awful expressions
Sometimes, he gives me advice. However, his facial expressions and body language horrify me.
Altered refelctions...his whole aura is see-through
I suspect that the friend with me is not trustworthy, and I can see through him like a glass surface that has a fluctuating reflection.
With more confessions...I don't want to leave you
I keep blurting out secrets and truths, unable to suppress my feelings of reluctance to leave that companion alone.
"This cup should be bottomless!"...as my insecurities spill
I easily get engulfed in my own self-doubt and anxiety, thinking that the tea should not finish and that I can't deal with that emptiness.
I see his face fading away. I surely need a refill
I feel like the friend may vanish at any moment. Therefore, I must refill my cup to resume talking and hold on to this moment for longer.
I purposely keep still and don't move much
To extract every second of this encounter, I try not to make any noise, staying still and barely moving, acknowledging the passage of time with each sip.
Waiting for his answer still...and at any given chance I will
Every time I pose the question mark of our continued companionship and commitment, I wait for his response but also remain ready to leave if it's negative.
Sweet and Low my bitter past...let the cancer kill the small talk
I attempt to let go of my negative memories and feelings by taking a teaspoon of artificial sweetener, all while hoping to rid our small talk of hard conversations and uncomfortable moments trapped in lingering expectations.
"Alright, man...this bitter taste in my mouth needs to get washed out
I take notice of the apparent bitterness in my mouth and urge that my companion and I discuss something more agreeable or pleasurable.
Ghosts in this house don't have anything timely to talk about."
We acknowledge the absence of any meaningful subjects left to debate or contemplate and that most of our interactions consist of random and disconnected statements.
The concept is dead. There's nothing death should interrupt
We both assume the end of the conversation and accept that it can't be revived, ending it forever without any hope of a replacement or a continuation.
I went to bed last night with one sip left in the cup
The song concludes with no resumption of the conversation and me heading off to bed with still little hope that the last sip would be fresh and palatable in the morning.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: SIXTOO, 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