The original members were Richard Fielding and Andrew Wright, and were soon joined by Tom Ellard. This later changed to Garry Bradbury, Paul Deering, and Tom Ellard; Ellard has been the only one to remain throughout the group's career, with changing lineups throughout its two and a half decades of existence, later working mainly with Stephen Jones. Robert Racic was an integral part of the band during the late eighties/early nineties.
Severed Heads performed a final concert in Sydney in January 2010. Tom Ellard uploaded a farewell video of Sevs in Space to Youtube, which may be considered as a requiem of sorts.
In early 2008, Ellard added the following text to the bottom of the official site's front page, "Severed Heads do not have a MySpace page. It is a fake. The band is dead,". (www.sevcom.com).
Army
Severed Heads Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We saw the fighting in a movie / I walked out before the end
C In a field of snow she holds her rifle
In the hills below the enemy hide
I've got a letter from a friend / She's got a husband and a family
When we were young she had told me / she would fight for her country--C
"Two women with opposing ideals and memories. I was thinking of
Revolutionary Iran for some reason. "
The song "Army" by Severed Heads is a reflection on the aftermath of a friend's decision to join the army. The opening line "I've got a friend who joined the army" sets the stage for the themes of sacrifice, loss, and regret that permeate the song. The lyrics "She broke a wish we made on blood" suggests that the singer and their friend made a pact or promise that joining the army violated, something sacred that they each held dear.
The second stanza brings the listener into the world of the army from a removed perspective. The singer's friend is now in a snowy field, holding a rifle, and the enemy is hiding in the hills below. This shift in perspective underscores the physical distance and emotional disconnect between those in service and those who witness it from afar. The music itself also reinforces this feeling of coldness and detachment, with its synthesizer-heavy sound and rhythmic repetition.
The final stanza is perhaps the most poignant, as the singer receives a letter from their friend who now has a husband and family. The line "When we were young she had told me she would fight for her country" implies that the singer is grappling with their friend's changed circumstances and wondering if their friend's ideals are still intact. The song as a whole is a somber reflection on the sacrifices that military service entails and the personal toll that it can take on those who make that choice.
Line by Line Meaning
I've got a friend who joined the army
I know someone who enlisted in the military
She broke a wish we made on blood
She went against a promise we swore to keep
We saw the fighting in a movie
We witnessed simulated combat on a screen
I walked out before the end
I didn’t stick around to see the outcome
In a field of snow she holds her rifle
Amid a snowy landscape, she grips her gun
In the hills below the enemy hide
The opposing force is situated in the terrain above
I've got a letter from a friend
I received a message from an acquaintance
She's got a husband and a family
She’s wed and has children
When we were young she had told me
When we were kids, she confided in me
she would fight for her country--C
She committed herself to serving her nation
"Two women with opposing ideals and memories. I was thinking of Revolutionary Iran for some reason."
The song is likely based on two women with different perspectives, and possibly inspired by events in Iran.
Contributed by Ian H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.