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.
Embarrassed
Sage Francis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No, seriously, look at me
Honestly, ask yourself this
Lookin′ at me, do you really think that there is any way possible for you to embarrass me?
Look at me! Do you really think I care what you think?
Do you really think I care what you say?
Look at me!
I'm embarrased by my past actions and even more ashamed
I′m embarrassed, I'm embarrassing, I'm an embarrassment, and it′s all addin′ up (x2)
I'm so preoccupied with self indulgency to see
What you provided me, I fully appreciate your offerings
And the awful things in life are lessened
By lessons of self-acceptance
And I regret keeping a distance
For future reference over bridges are preventable, I know the traps
Humanity as a whole will collapse, now close the gaps
We dwell on what we share, and what separates us
We′re all different, but what makes us a unit?
Music is a universal language; so is anguish, pain, and torment
Balance of emotions, it shows a happiness upon us
No more pickin' sides, one without the other is impossible
(Uhh, forgot what I was supposed to say)
They call it bi-polar, unstable conditions, they got me lookin′ over my shoulder
The book that I wrote ya', was meant to move the time slower
But it was spent cookin′ my mind's motor, now I'm older
Yeah, it was in the cards that I′m to be forever haunted
Hip hop is slowly but surely becoming the Big Brother I never wanted
To hurt me, purely to mic
Still my head is astonished with Sonics and Stetics
Poetics and knowledge and polished rhetoric
Everything has its negative
Conscience consciously edit
Constantly get rid of the rigorous repetitive movements
Been better than you since...
It′s easier to talk to you about it than to do it
Here I am, center of the spotlight
They all drunk and smilin', waiting for their cockfight
"Time to entertain" says the clock of life
So I became the freaky kid I′m starin' at, even though you know it′s not right
Embarrassment, it's in between insecurity and arrogance
I′m a machine with a clarity I can barely grip
So if I seem red in the face, it's not cause I feel out of place
And I can yell all day, all night, all day
And I still doubt that you would hear a word I say
And I can drive all night, all day, all night
But if you stay with me, you'll never get it right
I was never much for the self-driven skepticism
I was that cat that let distraction affect my vision
You were the kitten that was screaming to
Cover up the sound of landing or crashing, however it was going down
But it′s goin′ down and it's goin′ fast
And I have no doubts about whether or not it's gonna last
Fill the glass, tilt your head backwards
Let it trickle through the throat to where you hide your giggles and your laughs
I′ll wait to find the correct departure time
Shine my eyes to keep the lies from climbin' up inside my mind
Some belong to you, and some belong to me
But none of them can escape the contemplation necessary
You can′t scare me, but you can keep it buried
Put your hands on the circle; try to steer me
And now that I sing all of my songs worth singing
I'm guessing that it's just a test to see how strong I can bring it
The song "Embarrassed" by Sage Francis opens with an invitation for the listener to really look at him and ask themselves if they think they can embarrass him. This sets the tone for the rest of the song, which is a reflection on personal embarrassment and insecurity. The chorus repeats the line "I'm embarrassed, I'm embarrassing, I'm an embarrassment, and it's all adding up" as a sort of mantra.
The verses delve deeper into the source of this embarrassment, with Sage admitting that he is embarrassed by his past actions and even more ashamed of his present thoughts and future endeavors to clear his name. He acknowledges his own self-indulgence and regrets keeping a distance from others. He also reflects on the shared experiences of humanity and the power of music to unite and express emotions.
The song seems to be a self-reflective and self-critical piece. Sage is not afraid to admit his faults and mistakes, but he is also struggling with his own sense of self-worth and how others perceive him. The repetition of the word "embarrassment" reinforces this internal struggle.
Line by Line Meaning
Look at me for a second
Take a moment to look at me
No, seriously, look at me
I want you to pay attention to me
Honestly, ask yourself this
I want you to think honestly about something
Looking' at me, do you really think that there is any way possible for you to embarrass me?
Do you really think that you have the power to embarrass me?
Look at me! Do you really think I care what you think?
I don't care about your opinion of me
Do you really think I care what you say?
I don't care about your words
I'm embarrased by my past actions and even more ashamed
I feel ashamed of my past actions and even more ashamed now
Of my present thoughts and future endeavors to clear my name (x2)
I feel embarrassed and ashamed of what I think now and the things I am doing to improve my image
I'm embarrassed, I'm embarrassing, I'm an embarrassment, and it's all addin' up (x2)
I feel like a mess, and everything I do only adds to that
I'm so preoccupied with self indulgency to see
I'm too focused on myself and my desires to notice
What you provided me, I fully appreciate your offerings
I appreciate what you have given me
And the awful things in life are lessened
Life's problems are easier to handle
By lessons of self-acceptance
By accepting myself for who I am
And I regret keeping a distance
I wish I had gotten closer
For future reference over bridges are preventable, I know the traps
I know how to avoid pitfalls when crossing bridges
Humanity as a whole will collapse, now close the gaps
If we don't come together, we will fall apart
We dwell on what we share, and what separates us
We focus on our commonalities and what divides us
We're all different, but what makes us a unit?
We are all unique, but what brings us together?
Music is a universal language; so is anguish, pain, and torment
Music and suffering are things that everyone can understand
Balance of emotions, it shows a happiness upon us
By balancing our emotions, we can find happiness
No more pickin' sides, one without the other is impossible
We cannot choose between two necessary things
(Uhh, forgot what I was supposed to say)
I forgot what I was going to say
They call it bi-polar, unstable conditions, they got me lookin' over my shoulder
People call it bipolar disorder, and it makes me paranoid
The book that I wrote ya', was meant to move the time slower
I wrote a book to make time pass more slowly
But it was spent cookin' my mind's motor, now I'm older
But writing it consumed me and now I'm older
Yeah, it was in the cards that I'm to be forever haunted
It was always my fate to be haunted by my past
Hip hop is slowly but surely becoming the Big Brother I never wanted
The hip hop culture is becoming what I never wanted it to be
To hurt me, purely to mic
It's all about getting attention, even if it hurts me
Still my head is astonished with Sonics and Stetics
I'm still amazed by the sound and beauty of music
Poetics and knowledge and polished rhetoric
I appreciate the art of poetry, knowledge, and polished speaking
Everything has its negative
Everything has a downside
Conscience consciously edit
I am consciously editing my conscience
Constantly get rid of the rigorous repetitive movements
I want to avoid repetitive and dull movements
Been better than you since...
I've been better than you for a long time
It's easier to talk to you about it than to do it
I find it easier to talk rather than to act
Here I am, center of the spotlight
I am in the spotlight
They all drunk and smilin', waiting for their cockfight
Everyone is drunk and happy, waiting for a fight
"Time to entertain" says the clock of life
Life is telling me to entertain others
So I became the freaky kid I'm starin' at, even though you know it's not right
But I became the person that I used to stare at, even though it's not right
Embarrassment, it's in between insecurity and arrogance
Embarrassment is the uncomfortable space between insecurity and arrogance
I'm a machine with a clarity I can barely grip
I have the mental capacity of a machine, but I am still struggling
So if I seem red in the face, it's not cause I feel out of place
If I look embarrassed, it's not because I feel out of place
And I can yell all day, all night, all day
I can shout for hours and hours
And I still doubt that you would hear a word I say
But I doubt that you would listen to me
And I can drive all night, all day, all night
I can drive for long periods of time
But if you stay with me, you'll never get it right
But if you stick with me, you'll never succeed
I was never much for the self-driven skepticism
I never liked doubting myself
I was that cat that let distraction affect my vision
I let distractions get in the way of my goals
You were the kitten that was screaming to
You were the one who was always screaming
Cover up the sound of landing or crashing, however it was going down
Trying to mask the sound of a landing or crash, no matter how it happened
But it's goin' down and it's goin' fast
Something is happening quickly
And I have no doubts about whether or not it's gonna last
I have no doubts that it will last
Fill the glass, tilt your head backwards
Drink up, and tilt your head back
Let it trickle through the throat to where you hide your giggles and your laughs
Let the liquid go down to where you suppress your laughter
I'll wait to find the correct departure time
I'll wait for the right time to leave
Shine my eyes to keep the lies from climbin' up inside my mind
I'm trying to keep myself from believing lies
Some belong to you, and some belong to me
There are some lies that belong to me and some that belong to you
But none of them can escape the contemplation necessary
But all of them require some level of thought and processing
You can't scare me, but you can keep it buried
You can't scare me, but you can keep something hidden
Put your hands on the circle; try to steer me
Try to control me
And now that I sing all of my songs worth singing
Now that I've sung all of my best songs
I'm guessing that it's just a test to see how strong I can bring it
I think that life is testing me to see how strong I am
Writer(s): Daley Sean Michael, Landry Paul F, Averill Mike
Contributed by Elizabeth N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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