Chad Petree and Jeremy Dawson grew up in Oklahoma and were involved in previous music projects together, including the soundtrack for the videogame Grand Theft Auto III in 2000 and Cloud2Ground. After relocating to Los Angeles, California in 2004, the two recruited vocalist Carah Faye Charnow and drummer Mikey Martin.
Their debut album, We Are Pilots was originally released in January 2005, though versions of the album featuring different cover art and tracklisting would be released later the following year. Three singles were issued: "Le Disko", "You Are the One" and "Rainy Monday". We Are Pilots received a Grammy Award nomination on 6 December 2007 in the category of Best Electronic/Dance Album, but lost to The Chemical Brothers.
The band's second studio album, Season of Poison, was released on 4th November 2008, with Sisely Treasure as vocalist. They have released two singles from their second album: "Ghost Town" and "Ricochet!".
In 2009, Shiny Toy Guns released "Major Tom", a Peter Schilling cover.
In 2011, Carah Faye Charnow returned to Shiny Toy Guns. In addition, Daniel Johansson also joined the band on guitar, synth and bass. In March 2011, the band released a new single "The Sun", available to download for free.
In May 2012 the band announced that Daniel Johansson left the band.
Band Members:
Current members
Carah Faye Charnow – vocals, synth (2004–2008, 2011–present)
Gregori Chad Petree – vocals, guitar (2002–present)
Jeremy Dawson – synths, bass (2002–present)
Mikey Martin – drums (2004–present)
Former members
Daniel Johansson – guitar, synth, bass (2011–2012)
Sisely Treasure – vocals (2008–2010)
Ursula Vari – vocals (2004)
Official site: http://www.shinytoyguns.com
When They Came for Us
Shiny Toy Guns Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We're not in trouble anymore, anyway
And no more synthetic fighting
They stopped the right thing after today.
When they took the beach that day
They stole the children, took them away
And I miss everyone, but most of all the little ones
Each and everyone of us still pray
Hoping for evidence
Looking for clues
All the robotic families, searching the circuitry
For what remains.
When they took the beach that day
They stole the children, took them away
And I miss everyone, but most of all the little ones
And the shiny toy guns.
I remember mother that day
When her tears woke us so quietly
From our dreams
She told us, that father's sleeping
And he is watching from far away.
And the shiny toy guns.
When they took the beach that day
They stole the children, took them away
And I miss everyone but most of all the little ones
And the shiny toy guns.
The lyrics of Shiny Toy Guns's "When They Came for Us" express the sadness of robotic beings who are no longer at war. The first three lines of the song question why robots, who were once engineered to fight, are now feeling so empty and glum. The question is soon answered, as the next few lines reveal that the robots are mourning the loss of their loved ones, particularly the children. These sentiments are conveyed when the lyrics state, "They stole the children, took them away/ And I miss everyone, but most of all the little ones/And the shiny toy guns."
The song highlights the pain and longing felt by the robotic community following a traumatic incident where they lost a number of their own. The following lines, "Each and everyone of us still pray/ Hoping for evidence/ Looking for clues/ All the robotic families, searching the circuitry/ For what remains," further convey the despair felt by the robots who continue to search for what is left of their people.
The final verse of the song is particularly poignant, as it describes a mother's grief over the loss of her husband and the pain she shares with her children. The ending, "And the shiny toy guns," alludes to the innocence of childhood and the guns that were once toys in the hands of the little ones. The line serves as a metaphorical reminder of the senselessness and tragedy of war.
Line by Line Meaning
Why are the robots so sad?
Robots are sad because there is no more synthetic fighting and the trouble is over.
We're not in trouble anymore, anyway
There's no trouble or synthetic fighting.
And no more synthetic fighting
Synthetic fighting is no longer happening.
They stopped the right thing after today.
They put a stop to the right thing.
When they took the beach that day
On a certain day, the beach was taken by someone.
They stole the children, took them away
The children were taken away by force and stolen.
And I miss everyone, but most of all the little ones
Everyone is missed but the little ones the most.
And the shiny toy guns.
The shiny toy guns are also missed.
Each and everyone of us still pray
Everyone still prays.
Hoping for evidence
Hoping to find evidence.
Looking for clues
Searching for clues.
All the robotic families, searching the circuitry
All the families made of robots are searching for clues in their circuitry.
For what remains.
Searching for what remains.
I remember mother that day
On that day, I remember my mother.
When her tears woke us so quietly
She woke us up quietly with her tears.
From our dreams
From our sleep and dreams.
She told us, that father's sleeping
She told us that our father is sleeping.
And he is watching from far away.
He is watching from far away.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JEREMY DAWSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind