Says Paul Berryman of the name: "It was basically just a piss-take on commonly used words in the 90's. Like The Jesus and Mary Chain, 'Jesus Built My Hot Rod', Jesus Lizard, Jesus Jones; there's just heaps of Jesus' out there in the music world so we thought we would have that and super was kind of like a 90s catch word."
The group's debut EP, "Eight Step Rail", was released in May 1996 and spent a couple of months on top of the Australian Independent charts and won a couple of ARIA awards.
All has not always well with the band internally and in 1997 Chris Tennent temporarily left the band. Aaron Tokona from Wellington, New Zealand band Weta filled in, though chose to turn down the band's offer to become a permanent member.
They released their debut album, Sumo, through Warner Music in 1998 and its success in Australia led to a US release. The band has released two subsequent albums, Jet Age, in 2001, and Rock Music, in 2003. All albums charted well in Australia.
Chris Tennant left the band permanently in 1999 and was replaced by Tim Henwood (who has since himself left to concentrate on his work with The Androids). Jason Slack (an unofficial member) has since been playing guitars with the band.
In June 2004, the band split with Warner Music Australia and indicated they would take time off while individial members pursued other projects. McLeod is said to be working on a solo album of material not suited to the band. Her solo single released in 2005 is entitled "Let's Get Together", while her album to be released in the same year is called Beauty Was A Tiger.
Recently there has been much controversy over whether the band has split: a number of articles describe McLeod and Berryman as "former" members. Fans continue to speculate over online message boards, some reasoning that the writers of such articles jump to conclusions after seeing each member doing his/her own thing. The band has so far remained silent on this issue, although the band's website has disappeared.
Now and Then
The Superjesus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I think of you, and what you want to take from me,
But now I'm not waiting on sunrise to come again.
And though my eyes are opening,
It's only now and then,
But I'll never know when.
Time is not the only one to wait,
It's just enough to dream of yesterday,
You know that
I'm not waiting on sunrise to come again,
And though my eyes are opening,
It's only now and then,
And I'm not believing.
All that I've been needing
To take me to another day.
The way to a second
Life, where I was beckoned
Back again, someday.
But now I'm not waiting on sunrise to come again,
And though my eyes are opening,
It's only now and then.
But I'll never know when.
I'll never, I'll never know when.
I'll never, I'll never know when.
I'll never, I'll never know when.
I'll never, I'll never know when.
I'll never, I'll never know when.
The Superjesus's song "Now and Then" is a ballad about moving on from the past and looking towards the future. The singer talks about being far away from someone and thinking about what they want from her. However, she states that she is no longer waiting for the sunrise to come again because she has realized that time is not the only thing to wait for. She talks about dreaming of yesterday and how it is slipping away, but she is not believing in the past anymore.
The chorus repeats the phrase "It's only now and then," which emphasizes the idea that the singer is only occasionally thinking of the past. She talks about never knowing when she will think of it again, but she is focused on moving forward to another day, to a "second life." The song ends with the repetition of "I'll never know when," which adds to the uncertainty and unknown of what the future holds.
Overall, the lyrics seem to suggest a desire to let go of the past and embrace what is yet to come. The use of repetition emphasizes the fleeting nature of thoughts and memories, and the uncertain nature of what lies ahead.
Line by Line Meaning
Across the world, as far as I could be.
Though I am far away, my thoughts are still with you.
I think of you, and what you want to take from me,
I consider what you want from me, but I am not willing to wait for you to take it.
But now I'm not waiting on sunrise to come again.
I am no longer waiting for a new beginning or a fresh start.
And though my eyes are opening,
Although I am becoming more aware of my surroundings,
It's only now and then,
It is not a constant state, only fleeting moments of realization.
But I'll never know when.
I cannot predict when these moments will occur.
Time is not the only one to wait,
I am not the only one patiently waiting for something to change.
It's just enough to dream of yesterday,
Sometimes, reminiscing is enough to satisfy my desire for change.
And now it's slipping away.
But even those memories are beginning to fade.
You know that
You are aware that
I'm not waiting on sunrise to come again,
I am not holding onto hope that things will magically get better.
And though my eyes are opening,
Despite becoming more conscious,
It's only now and then,
I still only recognize my reality in fleeting moments.
And I'm not believing.
I am not optimistic about what the future holds.
All that I've been needing
Everything I have desired
To take me to another day.
To lead me towards a brighter future.
The way to a second
A path towards a different reality,
Life, where I was beckoned
Where I was called towards a better existence.
Back again, someday.
A hope that I will find myself in a better place, someday soon.
But now I'm not waiting on sunrise to come again,
I refuse to wait for a new beginning to come to me.
And though my eyes are opening,
Even though I am becoming more aware of my present.
It's only now and then.
There are still only brief moments of understanding.
But I'll never know when.
The timing of those moments is unpredictable, and I cannot count on it.
I'll never, I'll never know when.
I must live in the present and embrace its unpredictability.
I'll never, I'll never know when.
The future is uncertain, and I must continue to embrace each day as it comes.
I'll never, I'll never know when.
But who knows, maybe things will change for the better tomorrow.
I'll never, I'll never know when.
Only time will tell, and until then, I must continue to move forward.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: SARAH MC LEOD, CHRIS TENNENT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dustie Redhart
Always nice to see the Adelaide botanic gardens being repped in a music video. Adelaideans rejoice!
Renee Carrington
💯❤️❤️❤️
Scott Brandts
THEIR BEST DAMN SONG!!
TOTALLY COVERED WITH GOOSE BUMPS LISTENING TO THIS AFTER SO MANY YEARS!!
John Harris
Discovered a song from this album on a sampler CD, bought the album, and became a HUGE fan. I've played "Sumo" hundreds of times.
RuffAndTuff Recordings Music [DaarkAarts]
Such an epic band and album... I'm glad I found it in the record shop long ago, I still play the tunes to this day. Would love to do a new remix of something, we'll see what can happen!
s0m3rand0mb01
super underrated band, never hear them brought up in ‘best Aussie alt bands’ and they really should be
cmorris139
This is without a doubt my fav song ever... I love her vox
OmNomNomNomTom
There is a beautiful air sound on the top end of her vocals. Sounds insanely pretty!
Soul-Taker
I'll always love this song
Axl
So glad you guys are back together. 😄