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.
Zero
Sage Francis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If it wasn't for mistakes, I probably wouldn't be here today.
10 years ago I was 22.
20 years ago I was 12.
30 years ago I was 2.
When I came out my momma I was zero.
When I came out my momma I was zero.
I was zero when I came out my momma, and now everybody knows.
In the before life, I was undead.
I was home schooled, there were no rules.
But I gave it all up, just for the chance to go public.
A celestial scarecrow dancing with the puppets.
A tug in my gut, I'm carrying the world in my stomach.
I'm a surrogate mother-fucker the girls love it.
Birth the suffix and cut the visible string.
Controls much more than a physical thing.
I was born into it, and before I knew it.
I saw the students of poor gettin' hauled off to war.
The law of Judas in the land of the king's tax.
Partaking the Eucharist, than demand your kick-backs.
Spiritual wrist slap, please pass the sacrament.
Ask if big bad black Jesus was African.
Selling a click track, call it a soul-plat.
It's all in how you package it.
The power of a magic trick.
Immaculate concepts, lost in the land of the cross.
I'm standing off with a man of the cloth.
He knows the ins and out's and all I wants the outs.
Hes selling real estate for some place in the clouds.
But I'm not investing in intellectual property.
Inventing gender-bending technology.
Because maybe everybody needs to just become a sexual oddity.
Leaving birth to the test tubes and death to the lottery.
There's no one stopping me, I've gotta be self-regulating.
Wealth was escalating, but my poverty was entertaining.
I'm debating, the value of a caste system.
I'm cash backed for wars and wars funded by my tax income.
I find my part of the problem in part of me.
There's always been a difference between what I am and what I wanna be.
It's either Jihadist freak or Jesus seamster.
I heard god is cumming and shes a screamer.
I couldn't understand what she was telling me.
Why everyone thinks that their their own worst enemy.
I followed the manual and I swallowed the skeleton key.
And it unlocked the hell in me.
(So this is my gift to god!)
Rippin' at my dick like a tourniquet, syphilis!
(This is my gift to god!)
I'm jumpin' out the cake, naked with a shank.
(This is my gift to god!)
Unwrap the package confetti made of maggots.
(This is my gift)
You call that talent? here's your image back, you can have it.
10 years ago I was 22.
20 years ago I was 12.
30 years ago I was 2.
When I came out my momma I was zero.
When I came out my momma I was zero.
When I came out my momma I was zero.
When I came out my momma I was zero.
I was zero when I came out my momma, and now everybody knows.
I was zero when I came out my momma, and now everybody knows.
If it wasn't for the bass, I wouldn't need these hearing aids.
If it wasn't for mistakes, I probably wouldn't be here today.
If it wasn't for mistakes, I probably wouldn't be here today.
The lyrics of Sage Francis's song "I Was Zero" touch on a variety of topics, including the passing of time, personal identity, social norms and expectations, and critiques of organized religion. The opening lines, "If it wasn't for the bass, I wouldn't need these hearing aids / If it wasn't for mistakes, I probably wouldn't be here today," introduce a theme of causality and contingency: the singer's current circumstances and limitations (e.g. the need for hearing aids) are the result of past events and choices, some of which were mistakes.
The following lyrics read like a timeline of the singer's life, starting with their birth and working backwards in increments of 10 years: "10 years ago I was 22 / 20 years ago I was 12 / 30 years ago I was 2." The repetition of the phrase "When I came out my momma I was zero" emphasizes a sense of origin and starting from nothing. The line "I was born into it, and before I knew it / I saw the students of poor gettin' hauled off to war" suggests that the singer was born into a world with social and political problems, although their own upbringing ("home schooled, there were no rules") may have shielded them from some of the negative aspects of society.
Later in the song, the singer critiques elements of organized religion, such as the exploitation of followers for financial gain ("selling a click track, call it a soul-plat / it's all in how you package it") and the division and conflict caused by different interpretations of religious texts ("ask if big bad black Jesus was African"). The line "I'm cash backed for wars and wars funded by my tax income" suggests that the singer is aware of their role in perpetuating violence and injustice through their contributions to the government's war efforts.
Ultimately, the lyrics seem to be grappling with questions of personal agency and responsibility in a complex and flawed world. The repeated phrase "I was zero when I came out my momma, and now everybody knows" hints at a desire for recognition or validation, as well as a sense of personal insignificance in the grand scheme of things. The line "I find my part of the problem in part of me / there's always been a difference between what I am and what I wanna be" suggests a tension between the singer's current identity and their aspirational self, as well as a willingness to acknowledge their own faults.
Line by Line Meaning
If it wasn't for the bass, I wouldn't need these hearing aids.
Bass in music caused hearing damage requiring use of hearing aids.
If it wasn't for mistakes, I probably wouldn't be here today.
Mistakes made in the past led to present day existence.
10 years ago I was 22.
10 years prior to present day, subject was 22 years old.
20 years ago I was 12.
20 years prior to present day, subject was 12 years old.
30 years ago I was 2.
30 years prior to present day, subject was 2 years old.
When I came out my momma I was zero.
At birth, the subject was starting life at the number zero.
I was zero when I came out my momma, and now everybody knows.
Life story is now common knowledge.
In the before life, I was undead.
Referring to life before fame in the hip-hop scene.
I was home schooled, there were no rules.
Subject was homeschooled and lacked formal structure or rules.
But I gave it all up, just for the chance to go public.
Subject gave up previous lifestyle for chance at public recognition.
A celestial scarecrow dancing with the puppets.
Subject feels like an outsider or outsider artist in music industry.
A tug in my gut, I'm carrying the world in my stomach.
The subject feels a metaphorical weight of the world on their shoulders.
I'm a surrogate mother-fucker the girls love it.
Female fans enjoy the subject's music as much as sex.
Birth the suffix and cut the visible string.
Creation and departure from the past (string symbolizes attachment).
Controls much more than a physical thing.
The past affects more than just the physical present.
I was born into it, and before I knew it.
The subject was born into their lifestyle and didn't have a say in it.
I saw the students of poor gettin' hauled off to war.
The subject witnessed poor individuals being disproportionately drafted into war.
The law of Judas in the land of the king's tax.
Referring to a betrayal by government entities.
Partaking the Eucharist, than demand your kick-backs.
Religious hypocrisy and corruption.
Spiritual wrist slap, please pass the sacrament.
Religious criticism.
Ask if big bad black Jesus was African.
Questioning depictions of biblical figures as white.
Selling a click track, call it a soul-plat.
Reference to the commercialization of music.
It's all in how you package it.
Success can depend on marketing and presentation.
The power of a magic trick.
Music can be like a magic trick in its ability to entrance people.
Immaculate concepts, lost in the land of the cross.
Religious ideas/events have been distorted over time.
I'm standing off with a man of the cloth.
The subject is in conflict with religious authority.
He knows the ins and out's and all I wants the outs.
The religious authority knows the workings of the system, but the subject wants out.
Hes selling real estate for some place in the clouds.
Heaven is being marketed like real estate.
But I'm not investing in intellectual property.
Subject is not interested in the commercialization of ideas.
Inventing gender-bending technology.
Reference to disrupting traditional societal constructs of gender.
Because maybe everybody needs to just become a sexual oddity.
Suggesting that everyone should embrace their own individuality.
Leaving birth to the test tubes and death to the lottery.
The subject is critical of society's approach to birth and death.
There's no one stopping me, I've gotta be self-regulating.
The subject is driven and motivated to succeed.
Wealth was escalating, but my poverty was entertaining.
Contrast between societal views of poverty and wealth.
I'm debating, the value of a caste system.
The subject is considering the merits of hierarchical social systems.
I'm cash backed for wars and wars funded by my tax income.
Subject recognizes their complicity in financing conflict.
I find my part of the problem in part of me.
The subject recognizes and acknowledges their role in societal issues.
There's always been a difference between what I am and what I wanna be.
The subject has a personal goal or ideal that they've yet to achieve.
It's either Jihadist freak or Jesus seamster.
Society often categorizes people based on stereotypes or preconceptions.
I heard god is cumming and shes a screamer.
A crude joke or critique of religious beliefs.
I couldn't understand what she was telling me.
The subject is confused or unsure of something.
Why everyone thinks that their their own worst enemy.
The subject is perplexed by self-destructive behavior.
I followed the manual and I swallowed the skeleton key.
The subject adhered to society's expectations, but ultimately found it unfulfilling.
And it unlocked the hell in me.
Internalized issues were brought to the surface.
(So this is my gift to god!) Rippin' at my dick like a tourniquet, syphilis!
Graphic and vulgar expression of discontent.
(This is my gift to god!) I'm jumpin' out the cake, naked with a shank.
The subject is provocative and shocking to gain attention.
(This is my gift to god!) Unwrap the package confetti made of maggots.
The subject presents themselves as something unexpected and unsettling.
(This is my gift) You call that talent? here's your image back, you can have it.
The subject is dismissing an outdated or unwanted image/expectation.
When I came out my momma I was zero.
At birth, the subject was starting life at the number zero.
When I came out my momma I was zero.
At birth, the subject was starting life at the number zero.
When I came out my momma I was zero.
At birth, the subject was starting life at the number zero.
When I came out my momma I was zero.
At birth, the subject was starting life at the number zero.
I was zero when I came out my momma, and now everybody knows.
Life story is now common knowledge.
I was zero when I came out my momma, and now everybody knows.
Life story is now common knowledge.
If it wasn't for mistakes, I probably wouldn't be here today.
Mistakes made in the past led to present day existence.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Red Brick Music Publishing, ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Brian Deck, Gordon William Patriarca, James Becker, Paul F Landry, Richard Terfry, Temistoclas Hugo Rutili
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