diff --git a/arch/openrisc/kernel/entry.S b/arch/openrisc/kernel/entry.S
index 440711d7bf40..ce6f2b08a35e 100644
--- a/arch/openrisc/kernel/entry.S
+++ b/arch/openrisc/kernel/entry.S
@@ -239,6 +239,8 @@ handler:							;\
 
 /* =====================================================[ exceptions] === */
 
+	__REF
+
 /* ---[ 0x100: RESET exception ]----------------------------------------- */
 
 EXCEPTION_ENTRY(_tng_kernel_start)
diff --git a/arch/openrisc/kernel/head.S b/arch/openrisc/kernel/head.S
index 439e00f81e5d..ec6d2a7d5b92 100644
--- a/arch/openrisc/kernel/head.S
+++ b/arch/openrisc/kernel/head.S
@@ -357,6 +357,8 @@
 
 /* =====================================================[ exceptions] === */
 
+	__HEAD
+
 /* ---[ 0x100: RESET exception ]----------------------------------------- */
     .org 0x100
 	/* Jump to .init code at _start which lives in the .head section
@@ -506,10 +508,10 @@ _dispatch_do_ipage_fault:
 
 /*    .text*/
 
-/* This early stuff belongs in HEAD, but some of the functions below definitely
+/* This early stuff belongs in the .init.text section, but some of the functions below definitely
  * don't... */
 
-	__HEAD
+	__INIT
 	.global _start
 _start:
 	/* Init r0 to zero as per spec */
diff --git a/arch/openrisc/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S b/arch/openrisc/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S
index bc1306047837..049bff45f612 100644
--- a/arch/openrisc/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S
+++ b/arch/openrisc/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@ SECTIONS
         .text                   : AT(ADDR(.text) - LOAD_OFFSET)
 	{
           _stext = .;
+	  HEAD_TEXT
 	  TEXT_TEXT
 	  SCHED_TEXT
 	  LOCK_TEXT
@@ -83,8 +84,6 @@ SECTIONS
 	. = ALIGN(PAGE_SIZE);
 	__init_begin = .;
 
-	HEAD_TEXT_SECTION
-
 	/* Page aligned */
 	INIT_TEXT_SECTION(PAGE_SIZE)
 
diff --git a/scripts/head-object-list.txt b/scripts/head-object-list.txt
index f12b4a7b8406..7274dfc65af6 100644
--- a/scripts/head-object-list.txt
+++ b/scripts/head-object-list.txt
@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@ arch/m68k/kernel/head.o
 arch/m68k/kernel/sun3-head.o
 arch/microblaze/kernel/head.o
 arch/nios2/kernel/head.o
-arch/openrisc/kernel/head.o
 arch/parisc/kernel/head.o
 arch/powerpc/kernel/head_44x.o
 arch/powerpc/kernel/head_64.o