Paul "Sage" Francis (born November 18, 1976 in Miami, Florida) is a hip-hop… Read Full Bio ↴Paul "Sage" Francis (born November 18, 1976 in Miami, Florida) is a hip-hop artist based in Providence, Rhode Island.

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.

I Apologize
Sage Francis Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

song: I Apologize (featuring Sole)
written by: Sage Francis
album: Sick of Waiting Tables
label: Strange Famous Records

(these lyrics are for the Sage Francis segments of the song. Sole's segments need to be transcribed by him and sent to us if he wants them posted. I could guess but I would rather not.)

No one else make notes to know thyself.
those who loathe?...love them,
those who love?...show them what it is to loathe, if they don't show you love still...f**k em.
everyone's potential enemy who loves to diss.
virtual acquaintances only exist on a buddy list.
I'll hug and kiss myself to sleep while needing something else to eat,
while needing someone else to feed but eggshells are stuck in my feet.

I'm sick of beating around the bush while needing to push past creative limits,
And I don't have anything else left to say to the critics.
is it just because we're different y'all can't stand it?
or that I backstroke against the current and the culprit is aerodynamic?
heros might panic though I clown around to be the silliest...
man alive, well I'm dead serious.
take me for a jokester and you'll only miss the punchline.
every friend of mine has dissed me at least one time.
I've come to find life is consistently unkind.
I've kissed the sunshine. sip it sometime until your lips become blind.

now i've lost it, or am i losing it, or did i never have it?
aspirin addicts are avid advocates of happiness in tablets.
they're adamant about their acid trip.
i want a bite of the apple Adam bit. Catholics don't know the half of it.
immaculate magic tricks. experimenting with alliteration and assonance,
but speaking too many cold words chapped my lips.
there's an asterisk up on my left arm,
but my foot notes are out of tune from my music always getting stepped on.
should've kept calm when i was granted the chance,
but that's my song getting me amped, so god dammit let's dance.
dammit, bring this stuff to fisticuffs if that's the only thing that'll help
someone like you feel good about yourself and the things your dealt.
i'll win the belt but if you need to keep your pants on...
here--another battle for you to talk about in your damn song.
here-- another battle for you to talk about, wow, look at that...
another...battle...rap

you won't have to duck, i'll just talk over your head,
knowing your dead career has one year left til everyone else knows what i said.
they're laughing at you but you don't know it yet .
i'd say it to your face but i don't want to waste the moment. Let...
everyone first understand the open threats that poets get
who's wet behind the ears? who broke a sweat?
jiggy man - sip your moet

thuggy dun- hold your tek
netcee - go on the net and keystyle 'bout how we gets no respect.

Overall Meaning

In Sage Francis's song "I Apologize," he reflects on the state of the rap industry and his own personal experiences. Through his lyrics, he encourages the listener to know themselves and to love those who hate them. He also discusses his creative process and how he struggles with critics and maintaining his sense of individuality.

Francis uses wordplay to critique the rap industry, stating that "virtual acquaintances only exist on a buddy list." He also plays with alliteration and assonance, experimenting with different sounds and techniques to create a unique style. He reflects on the challenges of being an artist in a harsh industry, admitting that "every friend of mine has dissed me at least one time" and that "life is consistently unkind."

At the same time, Francis also acknowledges his own faults and shortcomings, expressing uncertainly about whether he has "lost it" or "never had it" to begin with. He notes that he has a "bitter pill to swallow" and that he is constantly "needing something else to eat" while also "needing someone else to feed." Through his introspection, he acknowledges the challenges of being an artist and navigating the complex world of criticism and self-expression.

Line by Line Meaning

No one else make notes to know thyself.
People need to keep notes about themselves to truly understand themselves.

those who loathe?...love them,
Love those who hate you.

those who love?...show them what it is to loathe, if they don't show you love still...f**k em.
If someone you love treats you poorly, show them the same treatment, and if they still don't show you love, then forget about them.

everyone's potential enemy who loves to diss.
Anyone who likes to criticize is a potential enemy.

virtual acquaintances only exist on a buddy list.
People you only know through the internet are not real friends.

I'll hug and kiss myself to sleep while needing something else to eat, while needing someone else to feed but eggshells are stuck in my feet.
I'm alone and need someone to help me, but I'm also too prideful to admit it.

I'm sick of beating around the bush while needing to push past creative limits,
I'm tired of avoiding my creative struggles and need to push myself further.

And I don't have anything else left to say to the critics.
I'm tired of responding to criticism and have nothing more to say to them.

is it just because we're different y'all can't stand it?
Are you criticizing me just because I'm different from you?

or that I backstroke against the current and the culprit is aerodynamic?
I'm swimming against the current and it's taking a toll on me.

heros might panic though I clown around to be the silliest... man alive, well I'm dead serious.
I try to be funny and goofy, but I'm actually very serious about my life and work.

take me for a jokester and you'll only miss the punchline.
If you only see me as a funny person, you'll miss the real meaning behind what I'm saying.

every friend of mine has dissed me at least one time.
All my friends have criticized me at some point.

I've come to find life is consistently unkind.
I've realized that life tends to be cruel and harsh.

I've kissed the sunshine. sip it sometime until your lips become blind.
I've experienced some good in life, and you should also try to appreciate it until you can't anymore.

now i've lost it, or am i losing it, or did i never have it?
I feel like I've lost my mind or never had it in the first place.

aspirin addicts are avid advocates of happiness in tablets.
People who are addicted to drugs like aspirin believe that happiness can be found in pills.

they're adamant about their acid trip.
They are convinced that their drug trip is important.

i want a bite of the apple Adam bit. Catholics don't know the half of it. immaculate magic tricks.
I want to experience the things that Adam did in the Bible, and Catholics don't understand the true wonders of life.

experimenting with alliteration and assonance, but speaking too many cold words chapped my lips.
I try to play with language and poetic techniques, but it can often be exhausting and damaging to myself.

there's an asterisk up on my left arm, but my foot notes are out of tune from my music always getting stepped on.
I have a symbol tattooed on my arm, but my musical notes are often ignored or overshadowed by others.

should've kept calm when i was granted the chance, but that's my song getting me amped, so god dammit let's dance.
I should have stayed calm, but my music is getting me excited and I want to dance.

dammit, bring this stuff to fisticuffs if that's the only thing that'll help someone like you feel good about yourself and the things your dealt.
If fighting is the only way for some people to feel good and cope with their struggles, then let's do it.

i'll win the belt but if you need to keep your pants on... here--another battle for you to talk about in your damn song. here-- another battle for you to talk about, wow, look at that... another...battle...rap
I'll win this battle, but if you need to keep your dignity, then let's have another battle for you to rap about.

you won't have to duck, i'll just talk over your head, knowing your dead career has one year left til everyone else knows what i said.
I'll speak intelligently over your level, and everyone will forget about your failing career in a year.

they're laughing at you but you don't know it yet.
People are laughing at you, but you don't even realize it.

i'd say it to your face but i don't want to waste the moment. Let... everyone first understand the open threats that poets get who's wet behind the ears? who broke a sweat?
I don't want to waste my time speaking to you directly. Everyone should understand the kind of threats that poets receive. Who's inexperienced? Who actually put in work?

jiggy man - sip your moet thuggy dun- hold your tek netcee - go on the net and keystyle 'bout how we gets no respect.
Jiggy man, drink your fancy drinks. Thuggy Dun, hold your gun. Netcee, go online and complain about how we don't get respect.

Contributed by Mackenzie O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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