Is the main character a cop, or not? I could have sworn he was when i read posted lyrics and stuff prior to 8/16, but now reading the official transcript, i'm not so sure. I'm thinking he's just some random guy that is outside of Area 51 (cops don't wear birkenstocks), but then what's the "need to know pose"??

ok, so he's not a cop.
and 'need to know pose' is just another randomized phrase, much like 'peanuts parents'

"Need-to-know-pose" is refering to meditation, contemplation, contemplating a question and seeking knowledge and a higher state of mind from it.

And I don't think he is a cop, but yeah, it seemed like that at the beginning, like some worker at Area 51, but he just got there for fun, I guess.

I don't know if this is thinking too much, but when I learned that he said "need-to know pose," I thought of someone trying to act important and maybe even standing in a military type stance with his hands on his hips or something. I just associate the phrase with CIA, FBI, and other "authorities" always saying some issue or information is to be disclosed on a "need-to-know basis only." Of course, that's all from movies and shows that I've seen.

Agent John Kimble imo

no, its meditation/ contemplation.. next lines are something like 'while I was contemplating the whole chosen people thing"

Cool. I've just never heard it used that way.

http://www.how-to-meditate.org/trans...editations.htm

"There are two types of meditation: analytical meditation and placement meditation. When we contemplate the meaning of a Dharma instruction that we have heard or read we are doing analytical meditation. By deeply contemplating the instruction, eventually we reach a conclusion or cause a specific virtuous state of mind to arise."

Here it's called "analytical meditation", but it's called contemplation too, at least in Germany. Of course, "contemplating the whole chosen people thingy" can just mean the usual word contemplating, but I think signs point otherwise.

Maybe the U.S. has lower standards, but wouldn't you have to at least graduate high school to be a police officer?

And I agree with ChoiceBreath that "need-to-know pose" is not about meditation, but is a reference to CIA/NSA/etc. Maybe he was adopting such a pose in order blend in with Area 51 base security, posing as one of them to avoid being picked up?
"Contemplating" doesn't have to mean meditation either. I don't think it means anything more than that he was thinking "about the whole chosen people thingy".

Okay, I'll admit it, I really don't think it has anything to do with meditation. I Googled "need to know pose" and "meditation" and nothing came up on point. I've done some meditation and discussed it at length on numerous occasions with people who do so, and I've never heard anyone mention the phrase.

There's nothing in the lyrics, at all, to suggest meditation. In fact, the song lyrics, taken as a whole, militate against it. The subject goes out to Area 51 to trip and see what's going on, not to go inside and see what's going on. And, lest we forget, Alex Grey said the song was about what happened to a friend of theirs on DMT, or at least what he thought happened.

If someone can provide a reference, I'll concede the issue readily. Until then, I'd say the dude in the story was just supposed to be standing there acting officious.

i really think that it related to "need to know basis". i agree with Choice Breath, i always figured that it was a mockery of his job like "standing here in my 'need to know' pose". you might also say for example, "in my 'don't ask don't tell' pose" or something like that.