In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
"Today, my mother killed me"
If I'm alive by the time you find this, it's a miracle
What else can be said, a vision quest with infrared
I'm at a dead end, I bled slow
From my chest, held my breath and did my mess and never let go
I lived a good life, I never had half-compromise a thing
And if I couldn't write, I'd think of other ways to optimize my living
No wife, no kids, no anchors
Hand over fist to withhold this info from the bankers
Don't know my neighbors, didn't take a village to raise me
Small-town mentality types thinkin' I'm crazy
I ain't as weird as they paint me
Off color, I'm more gutter, punk, and ritzy
More glitz and glamor than others
Motherfuckers left me lonely in this designated corner
Had a couple walls that build upon, they made me a performer
Now shade me from the warmer weather
Save me from the slaughterhouse
That creeps between the pages where I try to hide my awful mouth
Speak discretely to the sheets that seem to be hollow
Punched a ladder full of holes, just for my swollen feet to follow
Support me all you want, don't let me drop a field of land
I'm not going to stop until God is my ceilin' fan
Spare the lamb, save me from my former-self
That creeps between the pages as the line across and locks my self
Now this is my box, these are my walls
This is when time stops and I'm all that there ever was
And I'm all there ever is and I'm all that there ever will be
A freeze frame pine box soliloquy… Call me FRANCOIS
[Hook:]
Call Me Francois (call call call me francois)
(Call call call me francois)
Take what you can; leave what you must
Because y'all comin with us, (motherfucker you comin' with us)
Fill your bags with the rags that you wear and their necessities
Along with the dog-tags and family recipes
Rest in peace, if you arrest the pace, movin' haste
God-speed you black empress, get dressed, we're late
She painted my head orange, carved my face with her tongue
Emptied out my insides and lit the candle behind my eyes
Had the strike of twelve to midnight, winter queen
Left with my life rival in a white limousine
When he made her dress twirl, it looked like a mushroom cloud
Everybody ducked down except for me, that's my destiny
He used a broken condom as a corsage
I watched him push the rusty pin through her prom dress into her heart
Kill me already; fill me with confetti
Crush me up and sprinkle me over their wedding and her pregnant belly
I wasn't ready to suppress these memories, undress the mam', O' Reese
Forget the family, streamline the enemy, design the penalty
Cruel and unusual, commit the felony, unfit for prison duty
No man's an Island, except for Island man; he's a ROCK STAR!
No man's an Island, except for Island man; he's a ROCK!
[Hook]
If I'm alive by the time you find this, it's a miracle
What else can be said, a vision quest with infrared
I'm at a dead end, I bled slow
From my chest, held my breath and did my mess and never let go
I lived a good life, I never had half-compromise a thing
And if I couldn't write, I'd think of other ways to optimize my living
No wife, no kids, no anchors
Hand over fist to withhold this info from the bankers
Don't know my neighbors, didn't take a village to raise me
Small-town mentality types thinkin' I'm crazy
I ain't as weird as they paint me
Off color, I'm more gutter, punk, and ritzy
More glitz and glamor than others
Motherfuckers left me lonely in this designated corner
Had a couple walls that build upon, they made me a performer
Now shade me from the warmer weather
Save me from the slaughterhouse
That creeps between the pages where I try to hide my awful mouth
Speak discretely to the sheets that seem to be hollow
Punched a ladder full of holes, just for my swollen feet to follow
Support me all you want, don't let me drop a field of land
I'm not going to stop until God is my ceilin' fan
Spare the lamb, save me from my former-self
That creeps between the pages as the line across and locks my self
Now this is my box, these are my walls
This is when time stops and I'm all that there ever was
And I'm all there ever is and I'm all that there ever will be
A freeze frame pine box soliloquy… Call me FRANCOIS
[Hook:]
Call Me Francois (call call call me francois)
(Call call call me francois)
Take what you can; leave what you must
Because y'all comin with us, (motherfucker you comin' with us)
Fill your bags with the rags that you wear and their necessities
Along with the dog-tags and family recipes
Rest in peace, if you arrest the pace, movin' haste
God-speed you black empress, get dressed, we're late
She painted my head orange, carved my face with her tongue
Emptied out my insides and lit the candle behind my eyes
Had the strike of twelve to midnight, winter queen
Left with my life rival in a white limousine
When he made her dress twirl, it looked like a mushroom cloud
Everybody ducked down except for me, that's my destiny
He used a broken condom as a corsage
I watched him push the rusty pin through her prom dress into her heart
Kill me already; fill me with confetti
Crush me up and sprinkle me over their wedding and her pregnant belly
I wasn't ready to suppress these memories, undress the mam', O' Reese
Forget the family, streamline the enemy, design the penalty
Cruel and unusual, commit the felony, unfit for prison duty
No man's an Island, except for Island man; he's a ROCK STAR!
No man's an Island, except for Island man; he's a ROCK!
[Hook]
Lyrics submitted by votre_mere, edited by MCBusStop
Call Me Francois (feat. Hook) Lyrics as written by Sage Francis Miles Bonny
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
Godspeed You! Black Empress