Propagandhi’s known for being one of the few no-bullshit punk groups still around. Today’s song is named after their “Potemkin City Limits” album—although the song is from their 2009’s Supporting Caste (which was voted the best album of the year by PunkNews users). According to Wikipedia, they are “an active veganarchist band supporting animal liberation and veganism”. (Update: According to the band (and Jesus H. Christ) they’re satanic, not vegananarchist).

The song’s based on the story of Francis, a pig that escaped from a slaughterhouse in 1990 and roamed free for 5 months in the parks of Red Deer, Alberta. He was finally caught and sent to a farm where he would eventually die.

The lyrics are pretty straightforward: Francis was an animal raised for meat production (not a nice image):

In his short life he’d only ever known

Panic, fear, pain, darkness and pandemonium

In the hell that was his home

He managed to escape when a worker got distracted:

His would-be killer’s back turned for a moment

And a blinding ray of light spread across the floor

In a crimson pool he saw his own reflection

As he bolted for the door.

And then roamed free for five months until a local farmer by the name of Al Marshall captured him:

And where for 5 months he ran free

A quarter mile just short of the city limits

They finally captured him

According to the local lore he’s sent to a farm to live the rest of his life, but the real story’s a bit more sad: Francis was hit by a car, and although he survived he was severely injured. Al Marshall found him near one of Red Deer parks and shot him three times with tranquilizer darts. He was then taken to a nearby farm where he would die a couple of days later due to the injuries caused by the darts (his internal organs were punctured).

In 1997 a statue was built in downtown Red Deer to honor Francis, the pig who “earned his freedom”. Chris Hannah (writer, vocalist and guitar player of the band) compares this statue to the false Potemkin Villages built by Grigory Potyomkin in the 18th century:

And there’s a statue that the abattoir erected

To remind us all of their contributions

To me it marks Potemkin City Limits

This Francis cast in bronze

More information about Francis’ story can be read in the Edmonton Journal and in this sketchy website.