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.
Makeshift Patriot
Sage Francis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The Flag Shop Is Out Of Stock
Hang Myself...Half Mast
Makeshift Patriot
The Flag Shop is Out of Stock
I hang myself...Via live telecast.
Which is suitable for a full view of a forever altered skyline.
It's times like these I freestyle biased opinions every other sentence.
My journalistic ethics slip when I pass them off as objective.
"Don't gimme that ethical @#%$."
I've got exclusive, explicit images to present to impressionable American kids,
And it's time to show this world how big our edifice is!
That's exactly what they attacked when a typically dark skinned Disney villain
Used civilians against civilians and charged the Trojan horses into our buildings.
Using commercial aviation as instruments of destruction,
Pregnant women couldn't protect their children. Wheelchairs were stairway obstructions.
Now I have to back petal...from the shower of glass and metal,
Wondering how after it settles we'll find who provided power to radical rebels.
The Melting Pot seems to be calling the kettle black when it boils over,
But only on our own soil so the little boy holds a toy soldier...
And waits for the suit and tie to come home. We won't wait till he's older,
Before we destroy hopes for a colder war to end. "Now get a close up of his head..."
Makeshift Patriot
The Flag Shop Is Out Of Stock
Hang Myself...Half Mast
Makeshift Patriot
The Flag Shop is Out of Stock
I hang myself while the stock markets crash
The city is covered in inches of muck
I see some other pictures of victims are up
Grieving mothers are thinking their children are stuck
Leaping lovers are making decisions to jump
While holding hands...to escape the brutal heat. Sometimes in groups of the three.
The fall out goes far beyond the toxic cloud where people look like debris.
But all they saw after all was said...beyond the talking heads
Was bloody dust with legs looking like the walking dead calling for meds.
Hospitals are overwhelmed. volunteers need to go the hell home.
Moments of silence for fire fighters were interrupted by cell phones.
Who's going to make that call to increase an unknown death toll?
It's the one we rally behind. He's got a megaphone...and he's promising to make heads roll,
So we cheer him on, but es pestos is affecting our breath control.
The less we know...the more they fabricate...the easier it is to sell souls
An addictive 24 hour candle light vigil in TVs.
Freedom WILL be defended...at the cost of civil liberties.
Viewers are glued to television screens. Stuck...'cause lots of things seem too sick.
I use opportunities to pluck heart strings for theme music.
I'll show you which culture to pump your fist at and what foot is right to kiss.
We don't know who the culprit is yet...but he looks like this.
We know who the heroes are. Not the xenophobes who act hard,
"We taught that dog to squat. How dare he do that shit in our own back yard!"
They happened to scar our financial state and char our landscape.
Can you count how many times so far I ran back this same damn tape?
While a camera man creates news and shoves it down our throats on the West Bank,
With a 10 second clip put on constant loop to provoke US angst.
So get your tanks and load your guns and hold your sons in a family huddle,
Because even if we win this tug of war and even the score...humanity struggles.
There's a desperate need of blood for what's been uncovered under the rubble,
Some of them dug for answers in the mess...but the rest were looking for trouble.
Makeshift Patriot
The Flag Shop Is Out Of Stock
Hang Myself...Half Mast
Makeshift Patriot
The Flag Shop is Out of Stock
I hang myself.
Don't waive your rights with your flags.
The lyrics to Sage Francis's song "Makeshift Patriot" are a biting commentary on the media's coverage of the events surrounding the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The singer begins by describing the scene of his own funeral, which he broadcasts live on television. He delivers opinions that are clearly biased and not objective, but he presents them as fact. The singer then launches into a scathing criticism of the government's response to the attacks, including the invasion of Iraq and the curbing of civil liberties in the name of national security. The lyrics are a call for people to think for themselves and not blindly follow the government or the media.
The phrase "makeshift patriot" is used ironically to describe someone who is blindly patriotic and unwilling to question the government's actions. The lyrics are a critique of the way in which the media presented the events of 9/11 as a simple story of good versus evil, and the way in which the government used this narrative to justify its actions. The singer urges listeners not to "waive your rights with your flags," suggesting that patriotism should not come at the expense of civil liberties.
Line by Line Meaning
Makeshift Patriot
The persona is trying to play the role of a patriot despite not feeling patriotic.
The Flag Shop Is Out Of Stock
The persona is highlighting the superficiality of American patriotism and how it has become like a commodity that can be sold or bought.
Hang Myself...Half Mast
The persona is using the imagery of hanging oneself at half-mast to express his disillusionment with the state of the country.
Coming live from my own funeral...the beautiful weather offered a nice shine,
The persona is using hyperbolic language to talk about how the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks feels like a funeral for the country.
Which is suitable for a full view of a forever altered skyline.
The persona is describing how the attacks have changed the iconic New York City skyline forever.
It's times like these I freestyle biased opinions every other sentence.
The persona is admitting that he is biased and that he tends to express his opinions without being objective.
My journalistic ethics slip when I pass them off as objective.
The persona is confessing that he struggles to maintain ethical standards when reporting or discussing the events surrounding the 9/11 attacks.
"Don't gimme that ethical @#%$."
The persona is using profanity to show how frustrated he is with the facade of objectivity in journalism.
I've got exclusive, explicit images to present to impressionable American kids,
The persona is criticizing the media's tendency to exploit tragic events to sell sensationalistic stories and appeal to the emotions of the public, particularly the youth.
And it's time to show this world how big our edifice is!
The persona is being sarcastic when he talks about America's so-called greatness in the eyes of the world.
That's exactly what they attacked when a typically dark-skinned Disney villain
The persona is highlighting the fact that the terrorists who attacked the US on 9/11 were portrayed as stereotypical villains, particularly in the media.
Used civilians against civilians and charged the Trojan horses into our buildings.
The persona is describing how the terrorists used innocent people as pawns to carry out their attack on American soil.
Using commercial aviation as instruments of destruction,
The persona is pointing out the irony that the planes that were meant to transport people and goods ended up being used as weapons of mass destruction.
Pregnant women couldn't protect their children. Wheelchairs were stairway obstructions.
The persona is describing how the most vulnerable members of society were the ones who suffered the most during the 9/11 attacks.
Now I have to backpedal...from the shower of glass and metal,
The persona is using the metaphor of backpedaling to show how he feels overwhelmed and helpless in the face of such destruction.
Wondering how after it settles we'll find who provided power to radical rebels.
The persona is expressing his curiosity about the source of the terrorists' power and what led them to perpetrate such a heinous act.
The Melting Pot seems to be calling the kettle black when it boils over,
The persona is using the metaphor of the melting pot to describe how the US, a country made up of different cultures, is quick to judge and criticize other countries when it itself has its own issues to deal with.
But only on our own soil so the little boy holds a toy soldier...
The persona is using the image of a little boy holding a toy soldier to show how children are influenced by the culture of war and violence in the US.
And waits for the suit and tie to come home. We won't wait till he's older,
The persona is criticizing the culture of war and the military-industrial complex in the US, which perpetuates a cycle of violence and aggression that affects everyone, including children.
Before we destroy hopes for a colder war to end. "Now get a close up of his head..."
The persona is describing how the US is always at war or preparing for war, and how this mindset affects the hopes for peace and stability in the world.
The city is covered in inches of muck
The persona is using the image of a city covered in mud to describe the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, which left the city in ruins.
I see some other pictures of victims are up
The persona is acknowledging the human toll of the 9/11 attacks, particularly on the innocent victims who perished or suffered as a result.
Grieving mothers are thinking their children are stuck
The persona is describing the emotional turmoil that mothers go through when their children are missing or presumed dead.
Leaping lovers are making decisions to jump
The persona is describing the harrowing sight of people jumping to their deaths from the burning towers in order to escape the flames.
While holding hands...to escape the brutal heat. Sometimes in groups of the three.
The persona is describing how some people tried to hold hands and jump together in order to find solace in the face of such overwhelming tragedy.
The fallout goes far beyond the toxic cloud where people look like debris.
The persona is describing how the fallout from the 9/11 attacks extends beyond the physical destruction of the towers and how it has affected the lives of millions of people, both in the US and abroad.
But all they saw after all was said...beyond the talking heads
The persona is critiquing the media for its superficial coverage of the events surrounding the 9/11 attacks.
Was bloody dust with legs looking like the walking dead calling for meds.
The persona is using the image of people covered in dust to describe how the survivors of the attacks looked like the walking dead, desperate for medical attention and care.
Hospitals are overwhelmed. volunteers need to go the hell home.
The persona is describing the chaos and confusion that resulted from the influx of wounded and traumatized survivors after the attacks and how the hospitals and volunteers were struggling to cope.
Moments of silence for fire fighters were interrupted by cell phones.
The persona is criticizing the lack of respect and decorum shown by people who interrupted a moment of silence for the fallen firefighters by using their phones.
Who's going to make that call to increase an unknown death toll?
The persona is questioning who will be responsible for calculating the true death toll of the 9/11 attacks and how many people were affected by it.
It's the one we rally behind. He's got a megaphone...and he's promising to make heads roll,
The persona is criticizing the political leaders who use the 9/11 attacks to further their own agenda and to justify aggressive foreign policy.
So we cheer him on, but es pestos is affecting our breath control.
The persona is describing how the toxic fumes and dust from the attacks have affected the health and well-being of the survivors and first responders.
The less we know...the more they fabricate...the easier it is to sell souls
The persona is criticizing the media and politicians for exploiting the tragedy of the 9/11 attacks to manipulate public opinion and support for their own personal gain.
An addictive 24-hour candlelight vigil in TVs.
The persona is describing how the media coverage of the 9/11 attacks has become like a spectacle, with constant coverage and sensationalism designed to keep people glued to their screens.
Freedom WILL be defended...at the cost of civil liberties.
The persona is warning that the US government will use the 9/11 attacks as an excuse to curtail civil liberties and personal freedoms in the name of national security.
Viewers are glued to television screens. Stuck...'cause lots of things seem too sick.
The persona is describing how people are addicted to the media coverage of the 9/11 attacks and how it has affected their emotional and mental well-being.
I use opportunities to pluck heartstrings for theme music.
The persona is criticizing the media and politicians for using the tragedy of the 9/11 attacks to manipulate people emotionally and create a sense of nationalism or jingoism.
I'll show you which culture to pump your fist at and what foot is right to kiss.
The persona is describing how the media and politicians have created a culture of jingoism and nationalism that encourages people to blindly support the government and demonize other cultures and countries.
We don't know who the culprit is yet...but he looks like this.
The persona is criticizing the media's tendency to create stereotypes and demonize entire groups of people based on the actions of a few.
We know who the heroes are. Not the xenophobes who act hard,
The persona is criticizing the media and politicians who perpetuate stereotypes and xenophobia instead of recognizing the bravery and heroism of ordinary people who suffered during the 9/11 attacks.
"We taught that dog to squat. How dare he do that shit in our own back yard!"
The persona is using sarcasm to criticize the US government and media's tendency to view other countries and cultures as inferior and to see the 9/11 attacks as an act of aggression and disrespect towards American values and morals.
They happened to scar our financial state and char our landscape.
The persona is describing how the 9/11 attacks not only affected human lives but also disrupted the economy and the physical landscape of the US.
Can you count how many times so far I ran back this same damn tape?
The persona is highlighting the fact that the media and politicians tend to repeat the same talking points and rhetoric about the 9/11 attacks instead of engaging in nuanced and critical analysis.
While a camera man creates news and shoves it down our throats on the West Bank,
The persona is criticizing the media for being more interested in sensationalizing news and creating conflict than in providing accurate and fair coverage.
With a 10 second clip put on constant loop to provoke US angst.
The persona is describing how the media repeats the same clips over and over again to stir up emotions and create a sense of fear or hysteria in the public.
So get your tanks and load your guns and hold your sons in a family huddle,
The persona is criticizing the US government and military-industrial complex for perpetuating a culture of war and violence instead of focusing on peaceful solutions.
Because even if we win this tug of war and even the score...humanity struggles.
The persona is describing how war and violence only lead to more destruction and suffering, and that humanity as a whole suffers as a result of these conflicts.
There's a desperate need of blood for what's been uncovered under the rubble,
The persona is describing how the survivors and first responders of the 9/11 attacks are in desperate need of supplies and care to deal with the physical and emotional trauma of the tragedy.
Some of them dug for answers in the mess...but the rest were looking for trouble.
The persona is describing how some people sought to find answers or meaning in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, while others used it as an excuse to promote hatred, war, or violence.
Don't waive your rights with your flags.
The persona is cautioning against blindly giving up personal freedoms and civil liberties in the name of patriotism or nationalism.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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