Reverse Running

At the start of the song Thom is dead or is about to die and the reverse run is the flash back looking over his life. He is running through it backwards travelling back in time.

The snakes uncoiling represent the negative things in his life uncoiling and coming back to bite him as he travels back through those painful times.

"But you see through me" - shows no one can see him moving back through time.

"Running contrary ways Pulling off the anyways I'm messing up Messing up the patterns Breaking my trajectory"

Shows how he is moving backwards through time as everyone else is moving forwards. Then the interesting part comes at "messing up the patterns, breaking my trajectory". He is trying to slow down this movement back in time, messing up the causation by drifting into a new part of the timeline.

This is further reinforced when he says " I jump back around " he is reversing his reverse running to start moving forward. He is seeing things now that he shouldn't see because they didn't happen in his original timeline. He moves through life once again in a blur.

He wants to go back in time and live his life again on a different trajectory in one which he might stay with his love, but he knows that no matter what trajectory he takes destiny will always make sure she "messes" him up.

Something to do with non-conformity perhaps? Doing the unexpected, reversing the patterns of a lifetime... trying to UNcomplicate life and find a simpler way to live.

While everyone else is doing the same old thing ("while you all lie down"), while thinking they are being so cutting edge and original (imagine the video for Just)... the singer chooses to go against the grain, and this energises and inspires him. At the same time he recognises there can be dangers for those who veer off the well-lit path.

I guess its about the road less travelled by. But he suffers taking that decision and craves to come back to the path which is well lit and has a known outcome.