Sha!

"Sha!" (originally titled "The Life and times of Mr. Sha") is the ninth track on Hey, There's Tommy! Hey Tommy, Where's Mom & Dad? and was the very last Humming Bird song to be written. It was written faster than any of the other songs, on the night when the Detroit Tigers eliminated the New York Yankees from the ALDS in 2011. The intro and verses were written by Martin Michalek with the chorus and bridges being co-written by Jack and Martin. All of the guitars on the recording were performed by Jack Mergist, who wrote all of the lead parts as he payed them; the bass part is by Martin Michalek. Though Martin wrote most of the lyrics, refusing to alter whichever line came first to his mind, the bridge chords—which are among some of Humming Bird's most beloved lyrics—were bounced back and forth by Jack and Martin a few days later during a recording session for the song. The bridge lyrics were inspired by the final three lines of John Clare's poem "I Am," which is one of Martin's favorites ever written. All members of Humming Bird have, at one point or another, considered "Sha!" to be the crowning achievement of the band. Sandbaby recorded a cover of the song and it has been played live more than any other Humming Bird song (three times, that is). Martin considers it the greatest song he and Jack have ever written.