Karpeh was born on January 30, 1993, in Cleveland, Ohio. He graduated with a degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University in 2015. Karpeh worked as a real estate agent in New York City for two years and in advertising for a year before pursuing music full-time.
Karpeh learned music production at GW University by remixing beats for friends. His music style is influenced by hip-hop, organic and electronic sounds. He plays multiple instruments including the saxophone, flute, guitar, bass, keyboard and drums.
Known by his stage name Cautious Clay, Karpeh, on September 22, 2017 released "Cold War", the first single from his debut EP Blood Type, which was first released on February 21, 2018, and then re-released on April 13, 2018 with the additional single "Stolen Moments".
Karpeh's second EP Resonance, was first released on May 30, 2018 and then re-released on August 22, 2018 with the additional song "Crowned". His third EP Table of Context, was released on March 27, 2019.
Karpeh played at the 2019 Billy Reid Shindig in Florence, Alabama. He will also feature on the soundtrack of 13 Reasons Why: Season 3 with the song "Swim Home". Swim Home is one of two collaborations with John Mayer, the other is "Carry Me Away", featured on Table of Context.
"Cold War" was sampled on the song "London Boy" for Taylor Swift's seventh studio album Lover (2019).
Stolen Moments
Cautious Clay Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To a single word you told me
Every time that you approach me, I feel lost
I don't really know the cost to be
I just really wanna watch movies
I don't wanna tell you that I love you
'Cause I think that loneliness would serve us well
I'm so afraid of intimacy
There's nothing you could ever show me
Never cared enough to see through all my flaws
I don't ever wanna hear you say
Working together gon' be okay
Hard enough to see these goals don't come true
And I think that loneliness will serve us well
All good enough to know that you won't understand me
'Cause I'm dead set, don't trust in me
Honesty is better when it's practiced
'Cause no love is perfect for me
Don't stress your confidence in subtleties
'Cause no better half can satisfy
A wasted alibi
And I think that loneliness would serve us well
The lyrics to Cautious Clay's "Stolen Moments" delve into the idea of avoiding emotional intimacy and vulnerability. The persona in the song claims that they don't want to listen too closely to the person they are talking to or tell them that they love them because they fear the vulnerability that comes with emotional closeness. The persona is convinced that loneliness is the best route for them as it is easier than dealing with the complexities of emotional intimacy. This conflicted persona is self-aware but also unsure of what their emotions really are.
The persona admits their fear of intimacy, stating that it is something that no one can help them with, and they struggle with accepting even the flaws they possess themselves. The line "I don't ever wanna hear you say / Working together couldn't be okay" suggests that the persona is also apprehensive about being in a relationship or building something together with someone else for fear that they may not succeed or that the relationship will fail.
Overall, "Stolen Moments" explores the theme of the internal struggle that comes with emotional intimacy and the reluctance to make oneself vulnerable. It also highlights the difficulty of self-acceptance and the common desire to hide from what scares us.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't wanna listen too closely
I don't want to pay too much attention to you
To a single word you told me
I don't want to take your words too seriously
Every time that you approach me, I feel lost
I feel uncertain when you come near me
I don't really know the cost to be
I am not sure of what it takes to be with you
I just really wanna watch movies
I just want to be distracted by something else
I don't wanna tell you that I love you
I don't want to confess my love for you
'Cause I think that loneliness would serve us well
I believe that being alone would be good for us
It's all real enough to know that you won't understand me
I know you won't comprehend how I feel
I'm so afraid of intimacy
I am terrified of being emotionally close to you
It's nothing you could ever show me
There is nothing you can do to make me feel comfortable
Never cared enough to see through all my flaws
You never really cared enough to accept my imperfections
I don't ever wanna hear you say
I never want to hear you suggest
Working together couldn't be okay
Being together might not be enough
Hard enough to see these goals don't come true
It's difficult enough to accept that our dreams won't materialize
And I think that loneliness will serve us well
I still think that being alone will be beneficial
All good enough to know that you won't understand me
I am confident that you will never really get me
'Cause I'm dead set, don't trust in me
Because I am resolute, don't count on me
Honesty is better when it's practiced
Being truthful is easier when it's a habit
'Cause no love is perfect for me
Because there is no ideal love for me
Don't stress your confidence in subtleties
Don't rely on subtle gestures to show your affection
'Cause no better half can satisfy
Because there is no one who can satisfy me completely
A wasted alibi
An excuse that is meaningless
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Joshua Karpeh
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
KaihJun Teh
I don't wanna listen too closely
To a single word you told me
Every time that you approach me I feel
Lost
I don't really know the cost to be
I just really wanna watch movies
I don't wanna tell you that I love you
Cus I think that loneliness would serve us well
It's all real enough to know that you won't understand me
I'm so afraid of intimacy
Nothing you could ever show me
Never cared to see through all my
Flaws
I don't ever wanna hear you say
Working together couldn't be ok
Hard enough to see these goals don't come true
And I think that loneliness will serve us well
All good enough to know that you won't understand me
Cus I’m Dead set don't trust in me
Honesty is better when it’s practiced
Cus no love is perfect for me
Don’t stress your confidence in subtleties
Cus no better half can satisfy
A wasted alibi
Colton Pearson
this song dont get enough love
Peter DeMoor
Well give it more love then silly
Zyzy Crew
💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯
llanimay
I just found this song today..not only is his voice gorgeous, but the feel of this song is so warm and raw. And i relate to the lyrics way too much.. Love this song, its saying a few things I've been trying to say through a few of my own songs but its hard to put stuff into words. 💕
Music Hello
This song is so precious..it gives me chill vibes
Love Yourself
Such an incredible song... I remember being hooked to this song a couple years ago when i found it on Spotify.. like it blew my mind how good this was ..i was so impressed ..the music, the vibe, the lyrics, his voice .. perfect !
And now i suddenly felt like listening to it and i only remembered "clay" .. but i immediately recognised the album cover and the song name once I checked the releases !
Hard to forget the album covers of your fav songs
DBW games
This man gonna blow up any time soon I feel it
Patricia Venti
such a gem so glad i found catious clay!!
Rebbeka Ndahuma
Me too, every single day😭💕
_ jun
노래 짱 좋아요 😊