[Recorded Voice] You are listening to the heartbeat of the Sage Sage posses the newest and most revolutionary advance in split-second presentation As well as split-second calculation To protect the future of America The defense techniques of tomorrow had to be discovered now But Sage needed more than this New concepts, new tools, new weapons By an*lyzing the past, Sage can project into the future [Sage Francis: Verse I] I used to think that rappers had it figured out Bra** Monkey, St. Ides, Olde English, and Guinness Stout Once a man, twice a boy with a choice of vice, a voice of spite Not enough poisons to pick to enjoy this life Man, I thought suicide was a suburban myth I couldn't see my own hands being the ones I'm murdered with That is until I traveled this world a bit I understand now if I lose my nerve I'll get the girl to do it! She heard the music but preferred the person--she's worth it The only one I let behind the curtain to work with Pushin' bu*tons and playin' with levers We'll stay together as long as I'm modest in my songs Radio - s**ers never play this Scared sh**less of dismissing Clear Channel playlists Poorly developed, yet highly advanced The black music intertwined with a white man's line dance [Recorded Voice] Supersonic, super destructive, seemingly unresistable On the job around the clock, with 24-hour-a-day reliability Constantly monitoring, pulse-taking, controlling Into a continuous flow of interpretations, which could be understood at a glance [Sage Francis: Verse II] It's not lonely on top I'm kept busy with shivers and cold shakes Sitting on snowbanks Waving to be delivered some soulmates So I wait/weight Lift and test my faith on several levels Build my body till they send me an empty face with the head of devils My breath resembles the smell of flowers Yanked from life and placed in a vase Sits and wilts and rots and dies in the name of grave mistakes That we all make Believe we're getting by treating ourselves wrong Throw me a reindeer John letter party And I'll be there with bells on Hell spawned some iffy calls in City Hall They still got the gall To blame the vitriol on Biggie Smalls From strip malls To strip clubs They slip d** Into the drinks that kids love Tell us to drink up and get buzzed This is the buzz k**, jump into the saddle Emerge from the dust kicked up in the uphill battle With my guns drawn and sword out Pointed towards the courthouse I sort out words from my war-torn mouth I disa**ociate the actions with their meanings On some "ends justify the means" mentality Plus I'm bleeding Give me a Band-Aid, a band that can't play A fanbase with hearing aids and a voice like a hand grenade I pull the wool over their vision Pull the pin and push it in 'em I'm using women as a pin cushion A supervillain With some warpaint and jokes done in poor taste We'll see who laughs last, all the way to foreign banks [Recorded Voice] Ready to take over in a matter of seconds To protect the future of America Sage also has protection too (Come on, come on, feel it, feel it) The protection which comes with the possesion of weapons of retaliation But is this protection enough? [Sage Francis: Verse III] (I was) I was B-boyin' in my former body Singing all the songs at parties Now I'm like, "Don't let nobody Through the door in the hotel lobby!" I'd wear Armani if they endorsed me So people who are poor can rob me Then forcefully s** me up Color me confused when they paint issues black and white Resuscitate their gray matter right back to life It's my destiny, she wants me, she beckons She left me for dead but d**h didn't want no sloppy seconds I'm certified fresh I freedom-kiss the French for their political dissent Like mwah/moi I do it with tongue this time And take that bovine blood out your wine And take that statue back to the lab it was created at Your huddled ma**es yearning to breath free Take 'em back! Your homeless, tempest-tost to me Take 'em back! The U-S-A has cracked [Recorded Voice] And as long as we're on guard As long as we're ready to look ahead To move ahead The future of America is secure