The Spirit of Rock and Roll
Most people are familiar with what happens to the human body after death: body temperature drops, muscles become stiff, the skin turns blue, and the body begins decomposing. But what happens to the human spirit, or soul, after the body dies? It is difficult to conduct a scientific study on something that is not physical, and the actual existence of the spirit still remains a question to many. The answer to what happens to the spirit after death depends largely on individual religious beliefs. Those who believe in God generally believe that good spirits go to Heaven. That same belief then decrees that evil spirits spend eternity in Hell. Then there are those who believe in reincarnation, the idea that when a body dies, that spirit is released, and comes back as another being. Each of the following rock and roll songs expands on one of those ideas: "Fly to the Angels" by Slaughter, "Lake of Fire" by the Meat Puppets, and "Spiral" by Godsmack, respectively.
People who believe in God believe that Heaven is a place of eternal salvation. If a person follows the ways of God on Earth, their spirit will be delivered to Heaven after their body dies. This belief is demonstrated in the song "Fly to the Angels" by Slaughter. Members of the band have stated in different interviews that this song was written about an ex-girlfriend of Mark Slaughter, singer/songwriter of the group. Mark returned to his hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada, and began searching for a girl he used to date, only to find that she had died just a few days before. "'Fly to the Angels' [is] more representative of the spirituality and awareness that goes into most of the band's music and lyrics" (Over). The song does not specifically say that someone has died. This must be implied from the lines in the chorus that state "Now you've got to fly / Fly to the angels / Heaven awaits your heart" (Slaughter). The second verse of the song contains the lyrics "Now it hurts me way deep inside / When I turn and look and find that you're not there" (Slaughter), further indicating that the person being referred to is no longer on Earth. This song is intended to convey the persona's belief in God and Heaven.
Conversely, those who believe in Heaven also believe in Hell. If good people earn an eternity in Heaven, evil spirits, also, must have a place to spend their eternity. Heaven is a place of eternal praise and happiness, so Hell must be the opposite: a place of eternal punishment and despair. This place of tortured souls is depicted in the song "Lake of Fire" by the Meat Puppets. The group Nirvana, who covered "Lake of Fire" on their "MTV Unplugged" special, popularized the song. "Lake of Fire" opens with the words "Where do bad folks go when they die? / They don't go to Heaven where the angels fly / They go to the lake of fire and fry" (International). The term "lake of fire" is actually used in the bible (Revelation 20:14-15) to describe Hell as a place of torment where sinners' spirits spend their afterlife. The song goes on to say, "Now the people cry and the people moan" (International), further demonstrating the anguish that spirits must endure in Hell.
The belief of reincarnation, the "rebirth of a soul in a new human body" (Merriam-Webster), originated in Ancient Eastern religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism. Today it is widely accepted among numerous religions and belief systems. Many Wiccans embrace reincarnation as their belief of what happens to the human spirit after the body dies. Sully Erna, singer/songwriter for the group Godsmack, is a practicing Wiccan. In the song "The Spiral," Erna expresses his belief in reincarnation. The chorus of the song conveys this belief by stating
We should not assume that because lyricists or poets write songs or poems about Heaven or Hell or reincarnation that they subscribe to that belief system. Songwriters and poets will often write about what they know, but they also write about things that intrigue them, outrage them, or evoke other such strong emotions. Until each of us dies our own death, though, the question of what happens to the human spirit will remain a mystery. Works Cited "GodSmack Awake Lyrics." :: GodSmack ::, lyrics section. 7 April 2001. http://www.godsmack.com.I wait to rot away
The "spiral" mentioned in this passage is a reference to the belief that our spirits will continue to return to Earth. Erna further reinforces this principle when he writes, "Why are we feeling something's familiar around us?" (Godsmack) This indicates that, according to the doctrine of reincarnation, our spirits have been here before.
Live again
Here forever
The spiral never ends
"International Lyrics Server." 7 April 2001. http://www.lyrics.ch/index.htm.
"Over a decade of Rock and Roll 1990-2001." Slaughter Official Homepage, "bio" section. 7 April 2001. http://www.slaughterweb.com/bio/index.htm.
"Reincarnation." Merriam-Webster OnLine Dictionary. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. 8 April 2001. http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary.
"Revelation 20:14-15." The Bible Gateway. 8 April 2001. http://bible.gospelcom.net.
Slaughter. "Fly to the Angels." Stick It To Ya. Chrysalis.