While I'd hate to be that one that suspects everything a Scientologist writes is about Scientology, you've really got to wonder with this one... Yes, Beck is a second generation Scientologist, and has taken at least a few courses.
"Volcano" could definitely be about something else, but the title itself is a bit suggestive. There is a volcano on the main cover of Dianetics, and the volcano is supposed to represent the "explosive results obtainable by Hubbard's methods". It is also prominent in the story told only at the OTIII (Operating Thetan 3) level, that pre-clears and lower level Scientologists are not supposed to hear. Beck may or may not be in the OT levels; I've found no confirmation either way. According to L. Ron Hubbard, Xenu (dictator of the Galactic Confederacy) had an overpopulation problem, so he froze billions of people and brought them to Earth (then called Teegeeack), lined them up around volcanoes, and killed them with hydrogen bombs. When their souls (Thetans) escaped, he gathered them and sat them in front of hours of streamed color images and sounds of false memories or "implants" of things like Christ. As humans evolved, Thetans inhabited them. This is said to be the cause of all human suffering. But again, Beck might not even know about this story. Lower level Scientologists are taught that anything they hear about Scientology from an outside source (the internet, media) is a lie.
"I've been walking down these streets so long
I don't know where they're going to lead me anymore
But I think I must have seen a ghost
I don't know if it's my illusions that keep me alive"
Since he was born into it, he's been "walking down these streets" of Scientology for quite some time, and maybe he's hit a rut in the religion, or gotten to the point that it's no longer helping him anymore. To me, Scientology seems to have two main parts to it: self-help psychological philosophy, and brainwashing cult. The transition from one to the other takes careful planning and treatment. I think the above stanza makes it sound like Beck is nearing that transition point, and questioning too much to be blindly led into culthood. "I don't know" seems to be a common theme, as he uses the term seven times. "Illusions" as in his faith, or the false memories implanted into him? "Ghost" as in "Thetan"?
"I don't know what I've seen
Was it all an illusion; all a mirage gone bad?"
Scientologists believe that people have lived many, many previous lives, and that memories from those lives (as well as from this one) can traumatize you and effect you emotionally now. The above lines could be a reference to past lives, or to all he's seen in the Church. Some of those courses, particularly the ones on Auditing, are pretty intense and can involve everything from training one not to blink for up to two hours, to physically moving objects.
"I'm tired of evil
And all that it feeds
But I don't know"
Scientology's main claim is basically that they rid people and the world of evil. This sort of sounds like a "Yeah, you're right, evil is bad...but still...I don't know if this is the evil that needs to be fought...and in this way?" Just a general questioning, probably.
"And I heard of that Japanese girl who jumped into the volcano
Was she trying to make it back
Back into the womb of the world"
Besides being a really beautiful stanza, maybe it goes back to Hubbard's story of Xenu. If 944 people jumped in that volcano after this girl (I'm referencing clane's post^), maybe he could be comparing it to all of the people who join Scientology, just trying to make it back into the "womb of the world", before any of this Thetan bullshit arose. To a purer state of being, or "clear".. A bit of a stretch, though. Does anyone have a better interpretation for that?
"I've been drinking all these tears so long
All I've got left is the taste of salt in my mouth"
In Scientology, one of the main goals is to be able to completely control your negative emotions, or become "clear". Expressing sadness, then (as well as any sort of illness, which is said to be caused solely by mental entheta [bad emotions]), is a sign that you aren't handling yourself well enough. No one wants to be visibly failing, so some probably "swallow their tears" and pretend everything's fine. Maybe Beck is reflecting on this effect in the above verse... He was in it even as a child, afterall...
"I don't know where I've been"
Past life reference?
"But I know where I'm going;
To that volcano"
The same volcano of Scientology?
"I don't want to fall in through"
Doesn't want to fall into the culty part of it, like everyone else?
"Just want to warm my bones
On that fire a while"
Just wants to stay on the lower levels, helping better himself and his life?
There's my interpretation, assuming the song is indeed about Scientology. Beck tends to be pretty abstract with his songs, though, so the chances that he means any of this literally are probably pretty slim. Plus, I'm not sure that the CoS would be down with a song about questioning his faith in them. And you can make any song sound like it's about anything, with the power of suggestion... I don't know.
Agreed, beautiful song.
While I'd hate to be that one that suspects everything a Scientologist writes is about Scientology, you've really got to wonder with this one... Yes, Beck is a second generation Scientologist, and has taken at least a few courses.
"Volcano" could definitely be about something else, but the title itself is a bit suggestive. There is a volcano on the main cover of Dianetics, and the volcano is supposed to represent the "explosive results obtainable by Hubbard's methods". It is also prominent in the story told only at the OTIII (Operating Thetan 3) level, that pre-clears and lower level Scientologists are not supposed to hear. Beck may or may not be in the OT levels; I've found no confirmation either way. According to L. Ron Hubbard, Xenu (dictator of the Galactic Confederacy) had an overpopulation problem, so he froze billions of people and brought them to Earth (then called Teegeeack), lined them up around volcanoes, and killed them with hydrogen bombs. When their souls (Thetans) escaped, he gathered them and sat them in front of hours of streamed color images and sounds of false memories or "implants" of things like Christ. As humans evolved, Thetans inhabited them. This is said to be the cause of all human suffering. But again, Beck might not even know about this story. Lower level Scientologists are taught that anything they hear about Scientology from an outside source (the internet, media) is a lie.
"I've been walking down these streets so long I don't know where they're going to lead me anymore But I think I must have seen a ghost I don't know if it's my illusions that keep me alive"
Since he was born into it, he's been "walking down these streets" of Scientology for quite some time, and maybe he's hit a rut in the religion, or gotten to the point that it's no longer helping him anymore. To me, Scientology seems to have two main parts to it: self-help psychological philosophy, and brainwashing cult. The transition from one to the other takes careful planning and treatment. I think the above stanza makes it sound like Beck is nearing that transition point, and questioning too much to be blindly led into culthood. "I don't know" seems to be a common theme, as he uses the term seven times. "Illusions" as in his faith, or the false memories implanted into him? "Ghost" as in "Thetan"?
"I don't know what I've seen Was it all an illusion; all a mirage gone bad?"
Scientologists believe that people have lived many, many previous lives, and that memories from those lives (as well as from this one) can traumatize you and effect you emotionally now. The above lines could be a reference to past lives, or to all he's seen in the Church. Some of those courses, particularly the ones on Auditing, are pretty intense and can involve everything from training one not to blink for up to two hours, to physically moving objects.
"I'm tired of evil And all that it feeds But I don't know"
Scientology's main claim is basically that they rid people and the world of evil. This sort of sounds like a "Yeah, you're right, evil is bad...but still...I don't know if this is the evil that needs to be fought...and in this way?" Just a general questioning, probably.
"And I heard of that Japanese girl who jumped into the volcano Was she trying to make it back Back into the womb of the world"
Besides being a really beautiful stanza, maybe it goes back to Hubbard's story of Xenu. If 944 people jumped in that volcano after this girl (I'm referencing clane's post^), maybe he could be comparing it to all of the people who join Scientology, just trying to make it back into the "womb of the world", before any of this Thetan bullshit arose. To a purer state of being, or "clear".. A bit of a stretch, though. Does anyone have a better interpretation for that?
"I've been drinking all these tears so long All I've got left is the taste of salt in my mouth"
In Scientology, one of the main goals is to be able to completely control your negative emotions, or become "clear". Expressing sadness, then (as well as any sort of illness, which is said to be caused solely by mental entheta [bad emotions]), is a sign that you aren't handling yourself well enough. No one wants to be visibly failing, so some probably "swallow their tears" and pretend everything's fine. Maybe Beck is reflecting on this effect in the above verse... He was in it even as a child, afterall...
"I don't know where I've been"
Past life reference?
"But I know where I'm going; To that volcano"
The same volcano of Scientology?
"I don't want to fall in through"
Doesn't want to fall into the culty part of it, like everyone else?
"Just want to warm my bones On that fire a while"
Just wants to stay on the lower levels, helping better himself and his life?
There's my interpretation, assuming the song is indeed about Scientology. Beck tends to be pretty abstract with his songs, though, so the chances that he means any of this literally are probably pretty slim. Plus, I'm not sure that the CoS would be down with a song about questioning his faith in them. And you can make any song sound like it's about anything, with the power of suggestion... I don't know.
L. Ron Hubbard was busted by the Feds. numerous times on a boat with young boys. What does that say about people that follow this religion? xD
L. Ron Hubbard was busted by the Feds. numerous times on a boat with young boys. What does that say about people that follow this religion? xD