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.
Time of My Life Redux
Sage Francis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I stare, as my birthtime drew near
The only earth i knew reared me in a world i grew to fear
I do appear quite nude and warm
I'm like "what's up with the lights and the white uniforms?"
You're damn right you're truly wrong when a hand strikes the newly born.
"i can't fight" i'm cruely scorned.in a man's life, the beauty's gone
I was scared with fright through the storm
"it's a miracle ma!" damn my dick is long
Oh, that's just the umbellical chord
Clip clip, snip snip.and now it's gone along with my foreskin
One of them awful things that they do to theoffspring
The sting is lessened by the drugs they pump into my miniature body
Making us addicts just that quick is their signature hobby
An infamous robbery, and if i'm not careful then my shaft'll break
It's got me coming up with creative ways to masturbate
I wanna be held but my father rebelled and my mother's unconscious
I went from a dark bliss to some boxes
It's obnoxious the way the doctors poke and prod
Seriously i can barely function
This is my first out-of-body experience and alien abduction
I'm barely a munchkin after just minutes of labor
They're putting my tiny footprints on some birth certificate paper
My personal hell of isolation began in an incubator
To think of it later, slice open my wrist and check the microchip data
They didn't capture it on beta film or audio
The year made me a dragon, the month made me a scorpio
The weak, feeble, helpless baby boy cried for nights
But that day was the time of my life
But that day was the time of my life
But that day, but that day was the time of my life
But that day, but that day, but that day, but that day, but
That day was the time of my life
(freestyle)
The lyrics of Sage Francis's song Time of My Life Redux offer a raw and introspective look into the experience of birth from the perspective of the newborn. The song starts with the singer describing himself as a fly on the wall with a bird's eye view of his own birth. He is born into a world that he grew to fear and is immediately struck by the harshness of the lights and the white uniforms in the delivery room. The singer faces the reality of his own vulnerability as he is cruelly struck by the hand that is supposed to welcome him into the world.
As the song progresses, the singer describes the medical procedures that he undergoes, including having his umbilical cord and foreskin clipped and snipped by the doctors. He is pumped full of drugs that turn him into an addict, and he longs for the comfort of his parents but finds only isolation in the incubator. The singer's experience reflects the deep sense of loss and trauma that can occur during the birthing process, and the lyrics offer a powerful critique of the medicalization of childbirth.
Line by Line Meaning
Consider me to be a fly on the wall with a bird's eye view
Imagine I'm a tiny fly observing everything from above
I stare, as my birthtime drew near
I look on as my own birth approaches
The only earth i knew reared me in a world i grew to fear
The world I grew up in, which was all I knew, taught me to be afraid
I do appear quite nude and warm
I'm born naked and comfortable
I'm like 'what's up with the lights and the white uniforms?'
I notice the strange surroundings and the doctors in their white coats
You're damn right you're truly wrong when a hand strikes the newly born.
It's completely wrong to spank a newborn baby
'i can't fight' i'm cruely scorned.in a man's life, the beauty's gone
'I can't defend myself,' I think as I'm slapped. In a man's life, the innocence is lost
I was scared with fright through the storm
I was terrified during the chaos of being born
I'm prepared to write a mutiny song
I'm ready to rebel against the mistreatment of newborns
'it's a miracle ma!' damn my dick is long
I excitedly exclaim about my anatomy, not yet realizing I'm being born
Oh, that's just the umbellical chord
I'm confused about the cord that's attached to me
Clip clip, snip snip.and now it's gone along with my foreskin
The doctors cut my umbilical cord and removed my foreskin
One of them awful things that they do to theoffspring
These are some of the terrible things that doctors do to newborns
The sting is lessened by the drugs they pump into my miniature body
Drugs make the pain easier to bear for my tiny body
Making us addicts just that quick is their signature hobby
They quickly make us dependent on drugs, and it seems like it's what they enjoy doing
An infamous robbery, and if i'm not careful then my shaft'll break
The doctors' actions feel like a crime, and they could harm me if they're not careful
It's got me coming up with creative ways to masturbate
As I grow up, I experiment with self-pleasure as a way to make up for the lack of affection and love I receive
I wanna be held but my father rebelled and my mother's unconscious
I crave physical comfort, but my father is distant and my mother is unresponsive
I went from a dark bliss to some boxes
My peaceful existence in the womb changed suddenly, and now I'm in a cramped, uncomfortable space
It's obnoxious the way the doctors poke and prod
It's annoying and invasive how the doctors examine me
Seriously i can barely function
I'm struggling to cope with all the new sensations and experiences
This is my first out-of-body experience and alien abduction
Being born feels like leaving my body and being taken by aliens
I'm barely a munchkin after just minutes of labor
I'm tiny and vulnerable after only a short time since being born
They're putting my tiny footprints on some birth certificate paper
They're recording my birth and identity on official paperwork
My personal hell of isolation began in an incubator
My nightmare of being alone and separated from the world starts in an incubator
To think of it later, slice open my wrist and check the microchip data
Reflecting on this experience makes me want to harm myself and remove any microchips they may have implanted in me
They didn't capture it on beta film or audio
There's no recording of my birth on film or audio
The year made me a dragon, the month made me a scorpio
Based on astrological beliefs, my birth year makes me a dragon and my birth month makes me a Scorpio
The weak, feeble, helpless baby boy cried for nights
I'm a weak, powerless baby who cries for several nights after being born
But that day was the time of my life
Despite all the difficulties of being born, it was still the most significant and memorable day of my life
Contributed by Isaiah E. 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