Sage Francis
Sage Francis & Will Oldham & Alias (anticon.)
Sage Francis
Sage Francis
Sage Francis
Sage Francis
Sage Francis
Sage Francis
Sage Francis
Sage Francis
Sage Francis
Sage Francis
Sage Francis
Sage Francis
Sage Francis
An extended metaphor on how being an emcee is like being a magician. Sage pulled the ultimate vanishing act when he got out of the game.
[Verse I]
When I first got into magic, yeah
When I first got into magic it was an underground phenomenon
Now everybody's like, "Pick a card, any card"
If I shot my full load with the first hand I played
I'd be a monkey in a box
Hangin' with the David Blaines
I'd be swimming with the sharks
Mouths full of razorblades
But I'm not
I got outta that game
Escape artist
I talked till I'm red in my face
With strained polyps
I rock till I'm outta my range
Then raise octaves
I play through the pain
And remain conscious
Refraining from commenting on the lame compliments
And the petty criticisms from those who ain't accomplished
Even one-fifths of some of the shit
I've made progress with
I'm leavin' naysayers stumped like rain forests
After years of pullin' rabbit ears out my pants pockets
I'm not revealing any tricks of the trade
It's just there ain't no magic in the breakdown, baby
[Hook]
In an effort to make ‘em all see what I found in my life I decided to give 'em a look
None of 'em gave it a glimpse and I guess that I’m sitting in the middle of an unread book
Letters are falling apart but the sentences stand on their own and the wording is permanent
Never been missed, I've just been misworded and misinterpreted, it’s
Funny how serving a sentence of solitary confinement
Results in the death sentences filling my writing assignment
I'm just wondering where my time went
It pulled a disappearing act
And every single assistant I ever had got sawed in half
[Verse II]
Cause see I never paid attention but I can't afford to laugh (word?)
Cause I'm lookin' through my break
And an autograph for my cast (Ok)
And I'm short on staff
So all I ask is volunteers from the crowd
Show a little bit of audience participation now!
When I say "hip" (What do I say?)
You? You say, "Shut the fuck up; we ain't sayin' shit!"
And I respect it (yes!)
Check it
In a flair for the dramatic exit
A fashionable entrance late to my own arraignment
(Oh) The self-destructive things that I do for entertainment
My folks gave me this heart you broke and heart is my pallet
While I was out honin' my craft
You were disownin' your talent
That's why you still live at home
And I bought this house off my parents (uhh)
I'm gettin' ahead of myself (I'm gettin' ahead of myself)
I see the hair on my back (I see the hair on my back)
I'm on the road reading Kerouac
His poems versus better raps
I think to myself (I think to myself)
What's worth remembering
Versus defending
The size of my manhood
Or confessional canned goods
[Hook]
In an effort to make ‘em all see what I found in my life I decided to give 'em a look
None of 'em gave it a glimpse and I guess that I’m sitting in the middle of an unread book
Letters are falling apart but the sentences stand on their own and the wording is permanent
Never been missed, I’ve just been misworded and misinterpreted, it’s…
Funny how serving a sentence of solitary confinement
Results in the death sentences filling my writing assignment
But none of this is gettin' told in confidence I reckon
I spin confidential records just to hold the listeners attention
[Verse III]
I'm a veteran of spacial relationships
I clip your wings to fit you in
Headshrinking magician
Shapeshifting reptilian
Turned body contortionist
Orphanages started offering torches to abortion clinics (abortion clinics)
I lost acquaintances
And a morgue of lady friends
I gender bent the heaven sent angelic devil boy
Good Gods androgynous
I'm lookin' marvelous
But looks can kill
And they're unsure about my sexual orientation still
Put me in a special kind of case that only breaks if
You hit it with a bouquet of flowers and baby breath arrangements
The vault is vacant
And they're all looking for fault for blame
I called my agent
The moment that I caught the train
I let him know that I'm goin' nowhere
He's invited
If he leaves tonight then he might just help me find it
But this is my burden to bear
Not his
And I'm a psychic without a sidekick
Holding the future hostage
A loose cannon standing on the rooftop with
A new respect and understanding of bartenders and locksmiths
They call me daredevil
But I'm not precise enough
Unprofessional
On an amateur level
I love my life too much
Escape Artist (x4)
(Escape, escape)
Escape Artist
I'm in two places at once
Escape Artist
But I ain't slept in months
Escape Artist
Just tryin' to get away
But there ain't no magic in the breakdown baby
Ain't no magic in the breakdown baby
No magic in the break
Ain't no magic in the breakdown baby
(x3 and continues as Sage speaks)
Pussies
You're scared to shoot me in the heart
You know it's too big!
Uhh!
I don't give a fuck
I got a bulletproof heart
Hit me, baby
I'll never fall in love with you
Ever!
If you've got glass, throw that too
Beeyotch, hahaha
Make some noise for Sage Francis, y'all
Escape Artist was written by Sage Francis.
Escape Artist was produced by Alias (anticon.).
Sage Francis released Escape Artist on Tue Feb 08 2005.
Sage Francis wrote about the meaning of “Escape Artist” on a Strange Famous Records blog post celebrating 15 years since the release of A Healthy Distrust:
Right off the bat, let me dispel the lingering rumor that all the “magic” talk is in reference to Magic: The Gathering. I never played that gam...