So, first things first... wow - that's how to make a pop music video with artistic meaning.
I think, though, amidst the obscure references (which are fantastic, and add so much layer and meaning) - the video has quite a simple meaning at its core.
(and apologies if I'm preaching here, but I've seen a lot of comments wishing for a simplification of this, which is totally understandable and needed)
In my opinion, the video draws a correlation between physical, 'traditional' pain (l