Sage Francis
Survived Another Winter
Verse 1: Prolyphic:
This is my soul on a postcard stamped with no address
I just hope it gets to where its got to go and beats the cold stress
Cuz those who can't take it go west coast, on the search for gold
Let see how far you get before your progress slows
And the California dream gets old and overrated
Its where mediocre artists go to settle for less as broke waiters
They travel in packs like chain smokers
With the hopes of being famous, but can't make it on their own
I seen their bandwagon pass me by, while I was dragging my boycott
Pulling my own weight in stride
It was my choice not to ask for a ride, cuz one at a time
I'd come across those who've fallen off and careers died
On the side of the road like no one noticed or thought twice
That you were covered in snow and frost bite
Oh, the irony when karma catches up, taste your own medicine
Means just see where you end up
Where the fuck are they now as time passed
They're miles back in piles and all I do is smile and laugh
Cuz once it hits November its just another winter
Don't think I won't remember who should get the middle finger
Cuz I've gone this far and I've counted these days
With my soul on this postcard and it found its way
Through the bullshit and politics, in and out of this
From the bottom up, I finished what I started, survived another winter

[Verse 2: B Dolan]
Some heads go blind every time the sun sets
Feeling the chill of sudden death
They up and run for the West
While we survive these winters of disconnect
Thrive, whither, and die with the sun
Surrender to death, then resurrect
With fire on our tongues
And thicker blood
Stubborn as the earth
Waiting for the blizzard to come
Its just a mystery to some
Who feel the cold tell their bones to lay down
Afraid to stay around
They're hopping planes trains and greyhounds
L.A. Bound
The days are shades of gray now
Stay in and pull the shades down
The rain will flood the gutters and slush will suck at our boots
Winter is the curse we shuffle through
Huddled in groups. Growing indestructible roots
And hold mics like they're frozen
I hope the plates don't shift and drop your fragile state into the
Ocean
New England patriots!
Its in our nature to resist
That's what the fuck we're known for
Eyes forward til' the cold war is over;
Survived another winter
[Verse 3: Alias]
By pinning myself to the frozen ground this time
Syncopated to the sound of falling snow with this rhyme
The constant sunshine of the west made me lose track
Eyes toward where the sun rises, so I decided to move back
Because I'd rather fill my lungs with chimney smoke
As opposed to California smog that always seemed to make me choke
Yeah, yeah...the silence of falling snow, enough to make you deaf
Give me overcast days and snow drifts
I wanna watch my breath float away into the sky
Season change: two words that I need to live my life by
Ask why Jack Frost is my friend again
Then pretend that in a couple of months, I won't be climbing up these walls again
But I'll invite the cabin fever in with open arms
Nothing else to do but sit and write and set alarms
Snowed in, writing new raps, watching snow fall out the studio window
Is how I survived another winter

[Verse 4: Sage Francis]
When the look-alikes insisted that I go west
I didn't book a flight, I shook my right fist full of protest
I slipped right into the snow vest. Respect the dress code
We see our own breath when it gets cold. The heart rates get slow
Every move is purposeful
The crowd stands with their arms crossed, boss, don't take it personal
It's gray skies, white lies and black ice
When the day dies the night time's my afterlife
I made my sacrifice. I'm not confined to this Island, drifter
Time shifter. Get the troubles off your mind, sister
Don't be sensitive. Slip inside a hide that's thicker
Sure, hide your figure
Survive a winter wonderland and understand that sometimes we shiver
To stay alive. We don't follow the signs of a quitter
He's talking with his mouth full. Looking like his eyes were bigger
Than his stomach, but fuck it
Because shuckin' and jivin' just does damage to the inside like liquor
Inside your liver. Slap me with a parental advisory sticker
You want constant sunshine? That's a side splitter
Got no time for punchlines, that's why I'm bitter
Frostbite sarcasm sealed, signed and delivered
Don't cry or whimper
Fight the tide with a counter-current. Never getting swept up by the river
Keeping sober until it freezes over. Survive another winter