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).
Kittenette
Severed Heads Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
short and sweet, somewhere shy of 16
brought him home, nailed him on the carpet
we all laughed at his little dance
well late that night, hid it all from mother
saw the nails and knew it anyway so
last weekend, spent a lot of time in,
crying...
as often said but never done
your feline girls your canine sons
at home they've got a lot of things to do
at home they've got a lot of things to do
as people say but never do
the heart is lies, the rest is true
last weekend, daddy bought a boyfriend
short and sweet, somewhere south of Asia
brought him home, in a mystery picnic
we all laughed at his little dance
well late that night, hid it all from mother
saw the nails and knew it anyway so
last weekend, spent a lot of time in,
crying...
The lyrics of Severed Head's song "Kittenette" tell a story of a family that is dysfunctional and deviant. The father purchases a young boyfriend, who is shy and around 16 years old, and brings him home. The family finds amusement in the boy's presence and even takes pleasure in humiliating him by nailing him to the carpet and laughing at his dance. The mother is oblivious to what has taken place, but the singer suggests that she could have guessed what happened due to the nails.
The song presents a disdainful view of the family and the society they live in. The chorus "as often said but never done, your feline girls, your canine sons," seems to suggest that society is made up of people who exploit others and treat them like pets. The verse "as people say but never do, the heart is lies, the rest is true," highlights the idea that people tend to hide their true intentions or feelings behind a facade of lies.
Overall, the song portrays a dark and twisted society where immoral behavior and exploitation of the weak is normalized.
Line by Line Meaning
last weekend, daddy bought a boyfriend
Recently, my father obtained a male companion
short and sweet, somewhere shy of 16
He is a young man, perhaps underage, but still charming and amiable
brought him home, nailed him on the carpet
Upon bringing him to our abode, we proceeded to have remarkable sexual relations, in which the partner was submissive
we all laughed at his little dance
We found his movements in bed to be amusing and desultory
well late that night, hid it all from mother
In the wee hours, we made an effort to conceal the evidence from our mother, although we knew she would have disapproved
saw the nails and knew it anyway so
Upon discovering traces of our actions, she realized what had happened regardless
last weekend, spent a lot of time in, crying...
Following the aforementioned events, I was quite emotional and shed many tears
as often said but never done
It is a frequent platitude, yet rarely acted upon
your feline girls your canine sons
Your youthful and effeminate boys and your boisterous and loyal pets
at home they've got a lot of things to do
In their natural habitat, they have a variety of tasks and activities to keep them occupied
as people say but never do
It is a phrase frequently repeated but seldom put into practice
the heart is lies, the rest is true
Emotions and feelings are often deceptive, while other aspects of life are more accurate and reliable
short and sweet, somewhere south of Asia
The newest partner my father acquired is comely and congenial, and it is believed that he originates from a country in southern Asia
brought him home, in a mystery picnic
Upon bringing him to our dwelling, we embarked on a secretive and covert endeavor with him
Contributed by Ryan N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.