Yell Fire!

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 11:39:28 -0600

Franti has created a searing, reflective new album of original songs titled Yell Fire! 14 new songs inspired by the trip to Iraq, Israel and Occupied Territories of Palestine. Recorded in Kingston, Jamaica and Franti’s hometown of San Francisco, California.

“The thing that I found when I was in war zones was that nobody wants to hear songs about war. They want to hear songs about connection to people, and songs about love and life, songs that make them dance.”

- Michael Franti

Rock The Nation - CD5

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 11:39:28 -0600

Stay Human

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 11:39:28 -0600

The Album begins... THE CASE OF SISTER FATIMA Every year hundreds of important events go under-reported, or get completely and intentionally ignored by the mainstream media. The case of Sister Fatima is one such case. The fact of the matter is that even within circles of the most aware social justice advocates and underground media journalists, Sister Fatima's name is rarely uttered or discussed. I have not been able to pinpoint exactly why. Over the past thirty years there have been a large number of high profile cases involving African American political prisoners in the United States, that while grossly unreported and biasly slandered still received at least a modicum of media attention. So why is it that the case of this one revolutionary woman has received no media attention? How is it that one Governor could almost single-handedly send to death row a sixty-one year old woman simply as a means to get re-elected? And most shockingly, why is it that the general public has become so desensitized to capital punishment that only a handful of people have even bothered to make themselves aware of the case of Sister Fatima? For those of you who do not know, Sister Fatima was accused and convicted of the 1991 slaying of prominent business couple James and Ellen Buchanan. There was very little physical evidence submitted in the trial, as their bodies have yet to be located and no murder weapon was found. The evidence used to condemn Sister Fatima was the testimony of "eyewitnesses" who claimed to have seen Sister Fatima having an argument with the Buchanans the week of the murder. According to witnesses the nature of the argument was over the lease agreement of the medical marijuana office Sister Fatima ran, which was housed in a building owned by the Buchanans. At a later date, blood was found and an anonymous note was mailed to police officials from someone claiming to have shot and buried the Buchanans. Many now believe Sister Fatima, who had been a police target since the late Sixties because of her outspoken views on racial equality, police violence, environmental issues, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender rights, and the compassionate use of medical marijuana, was framed as a means of silencing her. Since the trial, all six of the "witnesses" have come forward and have completely recanted their testimonies, stating for the record that they had been coerced at the time of interrogation and had never seen Sister Fatima arguing with the Buchanans on any occasion. In spite of the fact that Sister Fatima's case was clearly an organized set-up, and there is now overwhelming evidence to clear her of all charges, neither the Governor's office nor the judicial system will allow her case to be retried. Rather they are intent on executing her as quickly as possible as a means of acquiring votes from a deceived and paranoid public. An innocent woman, only few have heard of, awaits death by lethal injection...why? Oh My God Lyrics: M. Franti / Music: M. Franti, R. Lazo (chorus) Oh-my, oh-my God! out here mama they got us livin' suicide singin' oh-my, oh-my God! out here mama they got us livin' genocide Slam bam I come unseen but like gasoline you can tell I'm in the tank like money in the bank I smell appealing, but I'm toxic, can send ya reeling without an inklin', keep ya thinkin' 'cause you gave cash to the feds, left your school district for dead fucked you up in the head, but still they sayin' nothin's wrong sellin' firewater but outlawing the bong still believing the system is workin' while half of my people are still outta workin' anonymous notes left in the pockets and coats of judges and juries from 'Frisco to Jersey threats and protests politicians mob debts trumped up charges and phony arrests stage a lethal injection, the night before the election 'cause he got donations from the prison guard's union (chorus) Listen in to my stethoscope on a rope internal lullabies, human cries thumps and silence, the language of violence algorithmic, cataclysmic, seismic, biorhythmic you can make a life longer, but you can't save it you can make a clone and then you try to enslave it? stealin' DNA samples from the unborn and then you comin' after us 'cause we sampled a James Brown horn? scientists who's God is progress a four-headed sheep is their latest project the CIA runnin' like that Jones from Indiana but they still won't talk about that (Jim) Jones (People's Temple mass suicide) in Guyana This ain't no cartoon no one slips on bananas do you really think that that car killed Diana hell I shot Ronald Reagan, I shot JFK, I slept with Marilyn (Monroe) she sung me happy birthday singin' (chorus) Well politicians got lipstick on the collar the whole media started to holler but I don't give a fuck who they screwin' in private I wanna know who they screwin' in public robbin', cheatin', stealin', white collar criminal McDonald eatin', you deserve a beatin' send you home a weepin', with a fat bill for your Caribbean weekend for just about anything they can bust us false advertising sayin' "halls of Justice" you tellin' the youth don't be so violent then you drop bombs on every single continent mandatory minimum sentencin' 'cause he got caught with a pocket fulla medicine do that again another ten up in the pen I feel so mad I wanna bomb an institution singin' (chorus) "Solomon's law of an eye for an eye blurs our vision of greatness. Is that how justice got blind?" KRIST NOVOSELIC/ Nirvana Stay Human (All the freaky people) Lyrics: M Franti / Music: M. Franti, C. Young Starvation is a creation of the devil a rebel I'm bringin' food to the people like a widow bringin' flowers to a grave in the middle of the city isolation is a riddle to be surrounded by a million other people but feel alone like a tree in the desert dried up like the skin of a lizard but full of color like the spots of a leopard drum and bass pull me in like a shepherd scratch my itch like a needle on a record full of life like a man gone to Mecca sky high like an eagle up soaring I speak low but I'm like a lion roaring baritone like a Robeson recordin' I'm givin' thanks for bein' human every morning... (chorus) Because the streets are alive with the sound of Boom Bap can I hear it once again! Boom Bap tell your neighbor tell a friend every box gotta right to be boomin' because the streets are alive with the sound of Boom Bap can I hear it once again! Boom Bap tell your neighbor tell a friend every flower gotta right to be bloomin'! Stay Human! Be resistant the negativity we keep it at a distance call for backup and I'll give you some assistance like a lifesaver deep in the ocean stay afloat here upon the funky motion rock and roll upon the waves of the season hold your breath and your underwater breathin' To be rhymin' without a real reason is to claim but not to practice a religion if television is the drug of the nation satellite is immaculate reception beaming in they can look and they can listen so you see don't believe in the system to legalize you or give you your freedom you want rights ask 'em, they'll read 'em but every flower gotta right to be bloomin'... stay human... (chorus) All the freaky people make the beauty of the world You see Y2K ya know is a moment in time we find that we can open up a heart that's locked or been broken by the pain of words not spoken or shot by guns a still smokin' Cartwrights out on the Ponderosa or drive by bang in Testarossa we need to heed the words of Dalai Lama or at least the words of yo mama take a mental trip to the Bahamas steam your body in a stereo sauna, sauna, comma... (chorus) With the passage of time, the number of executions has increased exponentially in the U.S.A., from one in 1977, to 74 in 1997, to 610 in 1999. I've been against the death penalty since I was a very small child, for one simple reason. What if they've got the wrong person? And what if it happens to be me? Jello Biafra Rock The Nation Lyrics: M. Franti, Radio(Active) / Music: M. Franti, C. Young We livin' in a mean time and an aggressive time a painful time, a time where cynicism rots the vine in a time where violence blocks the summer shine lifetimes, go by in a flash in a search for love, in a search for cash everybody wanna be some fat tycoon everybody wanna be on a tropic honeymoon nobody wanna sing a little bit out of tune or be the backbone of a rebel platoon it's too soon to step out of line you might get laughed at you might get fined but do you feel me when I say I feel pain everyday when I see the way my friends gotta slave and never get ahead of bills they gotta pay no way no way! some make a living doing killing Colombian penicillin some are willing to play the villain they just chillin' to pass the time, pass the information or pass the wine pass the buck or pass the baton but you can't pass the police or the pentagon the I.R.S. or the upper echelon I think it's time to make a move on the contradiction (chorus) Bom-Bom, rock the nation take over television and radio station Bom-Bom the truth shall come give the corporation some complication! This is the dawning of our time I say it one more time to emphasize the meaning of my rhyme to rise above all the dirt and grime add the right spice at the right time fuck the constitution are we part of the solution or are we part of the pollution sittin' by and wonderin' why, things ain't the way we like to find them to be, to be for you and for me the people over there and the ones in between check our habitation are we a peace lovin' nation peace lovin' nation I have a reasonable doubt I think I'll just spell it out there's no need to scream or to shout the N.R.A. just bought a man's soul then he jumps up and shouts gun control the government says that killin's a sin unless you kill a murderer with a lethal syringe so I ask again "are we peace lover's then" some of them slang guns when they six years old some of them end up in some six foot hole this whole damn place seems to, lost control so I raise my voice before I lose my soul (chorus) This is the way I'll express my feelings vibe revealed and revolved spinnin on a record y'all try to confiscate take what I communicate with it's ancient gift of the lip steady creating activating passin vocal vibrations to the blind plus the seeing human doesn't mean just being be coming don't believe it just belife it belongings or beloved rehearse it or recite it while shining drop your guns and move your tongues battle motivation in no time lyrics come sometimes fun others run their mouth or away my minds co beaming like an early sunray one day we'll get the picture and all combine less the talking bout mines is mine and become one mind every piece of the puzzle has its place to build the piece of the puzzle called the human race taking it long enough we crush the formal journalistic dyslexic critters talk backwards to rap words I'm sure raising my hands with questions and demands statements and a plan with a map of the land (chorus) Sometimes Lyrics: M. Franti / Music: M. Franti, D. Shul (chorus) Sometimes, I feel like I can do anything and sometimes, I'm so alive sometimes, I feel like I can zoom cross the sky and, sometimes, I wanna cry Most people try to aim to please but a lot a them are kinda weak in the knees learnin' late about the birds and the bees fallin' in love and wanna be set free playin' ball at the age of thirteen everybody's growin up with a dream I never noticed what could happen to me time flies when you're walkin' the streets one minute gotcha holdin' an ace the next minute gotcha fall on yer face a mean city is a nasty place only a rat can win a rat race! peace to the people who be fallin' away to make it home today and peace to the people who be tryin' to find some kinda life (chorus) Sound body and sound of mind sound of the rhythm and sound of the rhyme somebody marchin' all out of time biggest mistakes are the humanest kind judge not, lest you be judged the court room or the billy club blood bubblin' thicker than mud the heart beat rub-a-dub-dub show love and love who you know family wherever you go Tokyo to Acapulco bravissimo, magnifico peace to the people who be losing their head peace to the people who be needin' a bed love to the people who be feelin' alone spreadin' love upon the microphone hope to the people who be feelin' down smile to the people who be wearin' a frown faith to the people who be seekin' the truth y'all all of the time, and I say (chorus) "It doesn't matter what you think of the death penalty in the abstract; in the real world, race and class determines who lives and dies in death penalty cases. So until racism and economic inequality are gotten rid of in America, they should get rid of the racist death penalty, which targets minorities and the poor." TOM MORELLO/ Rage Against the Machine Do Ya Love Lyrics: M. Franti / Music: M. Franti, C. Young So many times, people turn they backs to you 'cause they don't wanna see, what's inside of you 'cause lookin' inside of you they might realize there's something inside of them they might not wanna find But it ain't about who ya love, (who ya love) see it's all about do ya love, (do ya love) (chorus) Well well well well sunshine, and loveliness, ain't nobody feeling no ugliness tonight ain't it fine like sippin' sweet Georgie wine see I'm just chillin' with these friends of mine I ain't tryin'a bother you so why ya gotta bother me what goes on in your bedroom ain't no mess to me you say your God don't like my God 'cause you don't like my friends but your friends tryin' to kill a man and I don't understand 'cause it ain't about who ya love, (who ya love) see it's all about do ya love, (do ya love) (chorus) Ooh one two three say yeah say yeah feels so good to me ooh! and ya one two three, say yeah, say yeah feels so good!!!! I say do it at home or on the street with a drag queen don't matter to me it ain't about sex or having degrees your pedigree don't matter to me about who ya love, (who ya love) see it's all about do ya love, (do ya love) (chorus) "The death penalty sucks. It's absolutely barbaric. It's wrong, period. It's proven not to deter murder, it's racially and socio-economically biased, and it's cruel." AMY RAY/ Indigo Girls Soulshine Lyrics: M. Franti / Music: M. Franti The world around gotcha down you got high blood pressure people pushin' you around and some wanna tell you how you should behave cut your hair the right way, tell you what to say, hang out with the right folks, become a fashion slave But do you wanna feel free but do you wanna feel freaky and free but do you wanna feel free do you wanna feel free, free, free, freaky and free (chorus) Take ya time unwind ya mind we all need a little soulshine take ya time unwind ya mind we could use a little soulshine 9 to 5, people

New Music From Michael Franti and Spearhead on Calabash Music

Yell Fire!

Rock The Nation - CD5

Stay Human