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).
Greater Reward
Severed Heads Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And while I am true to you in love, my wings are not for you
You can hold me all my life but paradise can take me twice
When I go to my greater reward, it's a throne I'll take on my own
C Told you, hold me now
I'm enthralled in a greater reward
The Earth for you
but fate may take me anyday
Thinks via this that I've gone all religious."
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The lyrics to Severed Heads' song Greater Reward speak to the struggle between love and personal ambition. The opening line, "Give me back myself, for I am held by something else above," suggests that the singer feels limited by their devotion to another person. While they are true to their love, they recognize that they have their own wings to spread and dreams to pursue.
The second verse points to the idea that the singer recognizes the finite nature of life on Earth. Even if they spend their entire life with their love, paradise (perhaps a metaphor for a lofty goal or ambition) may call them away. The ultimate reward, the singer suggests, will be earned on their own terms.
The chorus "Hold me now, I'm enthralled in a greater reward" reinforces the idea that the singer is torn between their love and their own destiny. They recognize that the Earth is important to their loved one, but they also know that fate may take them in another direction. The final line, "Now I hope that no one thinks via this that I've gone all religious," seems to acknowledge that the song's themes may be easily misinterpreted as religious devotion, when in fact they are more focused on personal ambition and the pursuit of one's own destiny.
Line by Line Meaning
Give me back myself, for I am held by something else above
I feel like I've lost a part of myself because I'm being influenced by something bigger than me.
And while I am true to you in love, my wings are not for you
I love you deeply, but there are aspects of myself that belong to me and cannot be shared.
You can hold me all my life but paradise can take me twice
Even if you try to protect me, life can still be unpredictable and full of surprises.
When I go to my greater reward, it's a throne I'll take on my own
I'm confident that my destiny is my own and I will be rewarded for my life's work.
C Told you, hold me now
I need you to hold me and be there for me in this moment.
I'm enthralled in a greater reward
I'm captivated by the idea of a reward that goes beyond what I can achieve in this life.
The Earth for you, but fate may take me anyday
I may belong to this world, but ultimately my fate is uncertain and beyond my control.
"There are some feelings which remain private. Now I hope that no one Thinks via this that I've gone all religious."
I want to keep some of my personal beliefs private and don't want people to make assumptions about me based on my music.
Contributed by Carson L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@youtubeisevil
This video is like a surreal obscure game that would come out today, wow
@shadowstate552
Great song. One day I left my Rotund of Success CD in my mom's car and she came home from work saying she really loved this song, LOL! I reminded her, as a parent, she's supposed to disapprove of everything I too.
@michaelangelo8926
Thank you Tom, for sharing expensive music computer programs to the world, for free that caused artists all over the world to be able to make music alone. You are a great soul... R.I.P. Stacy
@chrislaney5298
Excellent industrial dance music! Newttwerk was a terrific label in the late '80s and early '90s.
@Krystian88able
It's more synthpopy than industrial. Check out their "Hot with Fleas",<-- that's more industrial than "Greater Reward"
@wendydunn410
every time i listen to them it puts me in a great mood!!!
@synthoelectro
Been a fan since 2000, love the happy glow industrial EBM dancy attitude ;)
@darklight8236
Tom Ellard was the Executive Producer for Skinny Puppy (w. Dave Rave in tow) on the Bites album......Are you sure Sev Heads makes you happy? LMFAO! #TOPY #AIN
@user-uj7vt6cz3w
dont you hold me now im enthralled in a greater reward...these words like a psalm
@luckycatphil
The Earth for you.. but fate may take me any day