literally every Shayfer James song I can find in this lordless hell

Purchase this album as a CD or a digital copy on the band's online store!: https://www.spgiraffestore.com/collections/music-albums/products/steam-powered-giraffe-mkiii-cd

The third studio album from San Diego's quirky group of antique automatons released in 2013. This release introduced the robot named Hatchworth to the band and new musical programming interfacing with their familiar harmonic tones for a variety of sleek, ear-pleasing catchy melodies, fresh beats, and comedic stylings. From pop music to disco, the robots will have you tapping your toes all night long. Listen with caution, though, because you might just catch Hatch Fever!

MK III

Mecto Amore

Are You Happy?(Questions) - Jhariah

Shipwreck

A Surprising Conclusion

Fright, Sheer Fright

All my antics and my gibberish 
Put a damper on my sentences; 
I'm a [cuddlefish/cuttlefish] 
Trying to cover up my incompetence. 
Maybe your fancy just isn't ticklish— 
Maybe your heart belongs to another fish— 
But on your part that'd be foolish. 
Baby, I think you ought to think through this. 

The sea is big, big, big, 
And it's full of scary things! 
Like great white sharks, 
And colossal squid! 
And I'm worried about you... 
I don't want you to get hurt. 
I don’t want you to get hurt... 
I don’t want you to get hurt. 

If you love something 
(So they say) 
You should set it free. 
But I disagree— 
'Cause I can safely say that 
Catching and releasing 
Isn't what I'd want for me. 

I know I know better than you do 
What is best for you to do— 
Can't you see the logic there? 
It's superlogical. 
My perspective is an outside one, 
And that's really saying something 
'Cause we don't have mirrors 
And since we're under the water, 
There isn't a surface 
For you to see your reflection in... 
Not that you don't look nice! 
(In fact, how wonderful you look 
Is exactly what the problem is....) 

The sea is big, big, big, 
And it's full of scary things! 
Like great white sharks, 
And colossal squid! 
And I'm worried about you... 
I don't want you to get hurt. 
I don’t want you to get hurt... 
I don’t want you to get hurt. 

It guts me every time 
I hear you're frequenting 
Such sketchy dives. 
It's not like it's a crime, 
But what if you get caught by a scuba diver 
Just like Nemo and I can't find you? 

Still I'd never cease my quest for you— 
What else would there be for me to do? 
Sure, there are plenty of fishes in the ocean, 
But not one of them could ever get a hook in my devotion. 
So my love for you supports recent scholarly publications 
Reporting that fish have a greater capacity for memory 
Than was previously believed, 
And I will miss you for the rest of my life.


from A Troubled Piece of Fruit, released 23 July 2012

Stephan Nance, piano/vocals

Stephan Nance — Cuddlefish

Blue-, blue-, blue-eyed 
Scruffy fella— 
Helicopters buzzed against 
Our cheeks and ears and necks and 
Turned us all around 
In terms of color: 
Blushing, queasy, spinning 
And irrevocably endearing 
Drinking fountains, puppies, penguins, 
Little lambs… 

Don’t you dare go 
Making me like you more; 
I hate you more and more 
Every second I’m with you; 
Every second you’re making me like you 
More and more, 
I hate you more 
I hate you more. 

Firecrackers have no choice: 
The fuse gets lit, 
The voice comes shooting out 
In sparks and sparkles— 
And a minute 
Lasts a lifetime, 
Lasts a heartbeat, 
Never lasts for sixty seconds 
Like it should— 
And no matter what 
It’s never long enough— 
But it’s still good. 

True, true, true, I would 
Be your boyfriend 
If you’d be mine, 
But this whole situation is 
Becoming so ridiculous— 
Mr. Potato Heart— 
Indeed, it seems 
You lack a few essential pieces; 
Would it be taboo for me 
To skip-bo right past go, 
Play operation and connect for good 
The clues to cure this sorry state of 
Constant aggravation? 

Don’t you dare go 
Pushing my love away 
If you’re gonna just 
Pick up the slack and 
Pull it right back 
In a stupid kind of tug-of-war game 
That I don’t wanna play— 
Unless I’m on your side, 
In which case 
I’ll be with you all the way. 

Firecrackers have no choice: 
The fuse gets lit, 
The voice comes shooting out 
In sparks and sparkles— 
And a minute 
Lasts a lifetime, 
Lasts a heartbeat, 
Never lasts for sixty seconds 
Like it should— 
And no matter what 
It’s never long enough— 

I could go a day without you 
I could go a hundred days 
But I’d spread those hundred days 
Out over a century 
If that’s okay with you 
Sometimes I get the feeling 
I’m just on display— 
Like some little punk’s been 
Pressing against me, 
Setting me off for a 
Pyrotechnicolorful 

Don’t you dare go 
Don’t you dare go 
Don’t you dare go 
Don’t you dare go 
Don’t you dare go 
Don’t you dare go 
Setting me off and 
Running away 
When I’ve got something 
I still want to say… 
Again! 

Firecrackers have no choice: 
The fuse gets lit, 
The voice comes shooting out 
In sparks and sparkles— 
And a minute 
Lasts a lifetime, 
Lasts a heartbeat, 
Never lasts for sixty seconds 
Like it should— 
And no matter what 
It’s never long enough— 
And no matter what— 
It’s never long enough— 
But it’s still so 
oh oh oh-oh-oh 
good!

credits
from A Troubled Piece of Fruit, released 23 July 2012 

Stephan Nance, piano/vocals
Merlin Showalter, drums 
Tim McLaughlin, bass/guitar

Stephan Nance — Firecracker

Red Room Vol. 1

Carve a Smile

Room By Room

None of Thee Above

Tombstone Road

Godspeed

Shayfer James has built a creative world entirely his own—where poetic lyricism collides with cinematic arrangements, where darkness waltzes with whimsy, where rebellion and vulnerability share the same breath. His work explores the dual forces of isolation and belonging, of longing and defiance, all delivered with theatrical flair and unmistakable swagger that both welcomes and unsettles.

Room By Room

Shayfer James

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