Uriah Heep were part of the early 1970s rock scene, and have been referred to as pioneers of the hard rock, heavy metal and progressive rock genres. The band has sold over 40 million albums worldwide with over four million sales in the U.S, where its best-known songs include "Gypsy", "Easy Livin'", "The Wizard", "Sweet Lorraine", and "Stealin'". They also maintain a significant following and perform at arena-sized venues in the Balkans, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Russia, Finland and Scandinavia.
Uriah Heep have released twenty-four studio albums of original material, twenty live albums and forty-one compilation albums (including two greatest hits albums). Twelve of the band's studio albums have made it to the UK Albums Chart (Return to Fantasy reached No. 7 in 1975), while of the fifteen Billboard 200 Uriah Heep albums, Demons and Wizards was the most successful (No. 23, 1972). In the late 1970s the band had massive success in Germany, where the "Lady in Black" single was a big hit.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uriah_Heep_(band)
Studio albums
...Very 'eavy ...Very 'umble (1970)
Salisbury (1971)
Look at Yourself (1971)
Demons and Wizards (1972)
The Magician's Birthday (1972)
Sweet Freedom (1973)
Wonderworld (1974)
Return to Fantasy (1975)
High and Mighty (1976)
Firefly (1977)
Innocent Victim (1977)
Fallen Angel (1978)
Conquest (1980)
Abominog (1982)
Head First (1983)
Equator (1985)
Raging Silence (1989)
Different World (1991)
Sea of Light (1995)
Sonic Origami (1998)
Wake the Sleeper (2008)
Into the Wild (2011)
Outsider (2014)
Living the Dream (2018)
Chaos & Colour (2023)
Circle of Hands
Uriah Heep Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cold spirits plan
Searching my land
For an enemy
Came across
Love's sweet cost
And in the face of beauty
Evil was lost
Sky full of eyes
Minds full of lies
Black from their cold hearts
Down to their graves
Murdered the dawn
Spreading their scorn
Cursing the sun
Of which love was born
We must keep them away
Or pretty soon we'll pay
And count the cost in sorrow
Sacrifice, the future has it's price
And today is only
Yesterday's tomorrow
Tomorrow
, this song is a commentary on the destructive nature of evil and how it can corrupt even the most beautiful things in life. The opening lines describe the cold spirits of evil searching for an enemy to destroy, but instead they stumble upon the cost of love. The beauty of love is so powerful that it overcomes the evil intentions of those who seek to destroy it. This is reinforced in the second verse, where the evil ones are described as having minds full of lies and hearts blackened with hate. They murder the dawn, symbolizing the destruction of hope, and curse the sun, which represents love and all that is good.
The chorus warns that we must keep these evil forces at bay, or face the consequences that come with allowing them to take hold. The final lines about the future having its price is a reminder that our actions today will impact the world we leave behind for future generations. The song's overall message is that even in the face of evil, love can ultimately triumph if we are vigilant and fight to protect it.
Line by Line Meaning
Circle of hands
A group of people holding hands in a circular formation
Cold spirits plan
Dark and negative energies plot
Searching my land
It is not clear who these spirits are searching for, but they are doing so on the singer's land
For an enemy
They are looking for someone to target with their negative energy
Came across
They stumble upon something unexpected
Love's sweet cost
The price one has to pay for love, whether it be in the form of pain, sacrifice, or vulnerability
And in the face of beauty
Even when faced with something beautiful, there is still potential for evil to exist
Evil was lost
However, in this case, the negative energy loses to the beauty and love present
Sky full of eyes
The sky is personified as having eyes, perhaps indicating feelings of being watched or judged
Minds full of lies
People's thoughts are filled with deceit and dishonesty
Black from their cold hearts
Their hearts are dark and cold and this darkness spreads to other areas of their lives
Down to their graves
This negativity goes with them even after death
Murdered the dawn
The start of a new day is ruined by their negativity and evil
Spreading their scorn
Their negative attitude is contagious and spreads to others
Cursing the sun
They resent the happiness and positivity that the sun represents
Of which love was born
Love is often associated with the light and warmth of the sun
We must keep them away
It is important to keep negative people away to avoid their influence
Or pretty soon we'll pay
If we don't, there will be consequences
And count the cost in sorrow
Those consequences will result in pain and sadness
Sacrifice, the future has it's price
Making sacrifices can have consequences for the future, and we must weigh them accordingly
And today is only
We only have the present moment
Yesterday's tomorrow
Tomorrow will become yesterday, so we must make the most of today
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Royalty Network
Written by: KEN HENSLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Richard Witherow
Gary Thain's bass is fantastic here.
shane hall
"Today,is only yesterday's tomorrow" is my favorite line from the song.
A National Acrobat
That’s a great line indeed.
fabio moretti
and itstrue
fabio moretti
fabulousband
Richard Witherow
That's always jumped out at me too.
fred oates
Right!!!✌🏽
PsycOtic ReacTion
I saw these guys play in the Denver Colleseum in 1973 and they nailed this song. The thing that hit me was how strong their vocals were. The voices were up front in the mix not buried behind the guitars and drums. Miss the 70's so bad....I can hear my son saying "OK BOOMER"!!!!!!!!!!
dog chaser
73 Uriah Heep were peaking & was @Dallas Convention Cntr to e joy.
Anthony Glanville
One of the finest albums ever released!