Retrograde Chronology in J. Cole's The Fall Off Is Inevitable

I’m interested in time. I like horology, chronometry, and the philosophy of time and timekeeping. In my day-to-day, this reveals itself through my decision about which watch in my collection to wear. When a Christopher Nolan classic movie is released, this means marinating on his perception of the concept of time (Memento, Inception, Tenet). Most recently, however, this meant giving attention to a track from J. Cole’s most recent album The Fall Off, "The Fall-Off Is Inevitable".

How I see it…My life, I see it in reverse, I first appeared in a hearse

I won't analyze every verse in the song here, but the broad concept is fascinating. We accompany Cole as he observes his life in the direction opposite of how he experienced it, starting with his funeral and ending with his birth. Along the way, he mentions key points in his life. His son's birth, meeting his wife, and signing with his then-hero, Jay-Z, are of note.

Watching my son disappear as I stare at his birth

And he returns to the womb, wifey stomach growin' greater in girth

And then declinin' every time we come here, to the nurse

With each day that passes, I could feel my career comin' first

Retrograde Chronology

Creative uses of time always make for unique methods of telling a story. Seeing events unfold in reverse, as we hear in the song, is a narrative structure known as retrograde chronology. "Chronology" is the arrangement of events in time; "retrograde" is the appearance of something to move backwards. You've seen this structure in any story where you were repeatedly shown effect before cause.

"Do I," took the wedding ring off her finger

And now I'm single, walking up the aisle backwards to an era of dirt

RG in Other Works

Retrograde chronology isn't a common structure in entertainment media, but there are a few notable works that use it. In movies, Nolan's big break film Memento tells its story in reverse as we follow the main character's memory of recent events. Maureen Fazendeiro and Miguel Gomes's film The Tsugua Diaries also employs reverse chronology throughout the story. The story starts near the end of in-world events (which parallel real-world events, the COVID-19 pandemic in particular) and progressively reveals the start as the narrative unfolds.

On cloud nine, now signed to my hero

One of the so-called kings of this rap thing that I swear to usurp

Decade later, momma cut on the cable

Nonlinearity

Purely retrograde chronologies are rare, because it's hard for the audience to follow. We're hardwired to understand story in forward chronology simply because that's how events unfold in real life: cause constantly precedes effect. To strike a balance, writers will many times alternate between forward and reverse chronology. This nonlinearity gives writers the most creative breadth, which is why it's such a common tool particularly in thriller genres. Shows like Severance, Stranger Things, and Lovecraft Country; movies like Interstellar, A House of Dynamite, and Pulp Fiction. These are stories heavy in forward chronology but occasionally show effect coming before cause to generate curiosity and attention in the audience.

I'm growing shorter, pampers cover my hind quarters

I watch my father walk back in my life and it clears up a hurt

To Wrap Up

It's not common to hear lyrics in a song that tell a story in perfect reverse chronology, but knowing how to spot such a story is a skill any enjoyer of unique methods of storytelling should have. I hope this song's release starts a narrative trend and yields an explosion in the number of stories told in reverse order.

I couldn't explain, momma gives me my name

Then hands me over to the doctor and I watch as my spirit reverts

(Na, na, na) Then, I'm no longer here on this Earth

(Na, na, na) Mm

(Na, na, na) I'm no longer here on this Earth