My nerves settled almost completely as my purpose for being their became crystal clear. This event was a guaranteed Grand Slam of awkwardness for me, but how often does one get to participate in such things with their Grandma? I was squirming in my seat right up until when the folk artist who was performing before me told the crowd that if we were trapped in a gas chamber she would be the one to start singing “Kumbaya.” And then she sang Kumbaya. She told the organizers that her Grandson wrote protest songs and she asked them if I could contribute to the post-protest show with some of my spoken word. One of the more memorable performances of this song was done in a tiny restaurant after an anti-war protest that my Grandmother invited me to in Newport, RI. I’m glad that this is how we kicked it all off, because it properly set the tone for what people could come to expect from A Healthy Distrust and it’s a song I’ve performed at almost every show from there on out. “Oh, I’ve got a good idea…let’s have the first single to my first album on Epitaph be one without a chorus! And no video!” Ahhh, those were the days. The intro is comprised of a tongue-in-cheek spoken word segment, which quickly switches from whimsical to angry at the point I “Booyaaaaa!” (which is purposely goofy and mispronounced, though I’ve never been sure if it’s been viewed that way by most listeners.) From that point on it’s bars, bars, bars, and vitriol mixed with interlinked political references that rely heavily on wittiness and repetitive themes to make up for the total lack of a chorus.
Bush’s reelection, which absolutely contributed to the energy and content of the song. If memory serves correctly, this was the first single Epitaph released for AHD a month or two before the album dropped. That’s because it addresses socio-political problems the US has been facing for decades, which means this song was a highlight reel of systemic awfulness and a warning of our trajectory more than it was a prescient hot take. If you want my basic explanation of the song, this blog I wrote in 2009 summed it up pretty well: “Slow Down Gandhi” is about fly-by-night activists who get caught up in political fervor every election year and then they fall by the wayside when the party is over.īut, yes, although “Slow Down Gandhi” was written over 15 years ago it does appear to speak directly to many of our world’s immediate dilemmas. But that sounds like a lot of work, and I think the lyrics have already done most of the heavy lifting, so I’d rather give some behind-the-scenes info instead. Someone on Twitter recently asked me if this write-up would explain how Slow Down Gandhi “parallels the current state of the nation,” which would probably make a lot of sense to do. All physical merch for AHD can be found HERE.ĪHD can be streamed on all the usual sites including Spotify and Bandcamp. To help celebrate the 15th anniversary of my “A Healthy Distrust” album, Sage Francis will be posting the lyrics along with background information for each of the 15 songs. Sage Francis “A Healthy Distrust” Song Breakdowns + Lyrics
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