u/Oodles_doodles

(Obvious TW for mentions of 'sudoku' and also mentions of 'mukduk')

Whenever I see discussion about this song and it's meaning (which is rather rare) I see often just regarded as simply as 'a song about suicide.' Which isn't wrong, of course, but it's only part of what it means (in my opinion at least). It's from The Heart Goes to Heaven, The Head Goes to Hell, which, unlike some other albums, kinda wears it's message on it's sleeve. I mean, it's right there. Logic can fail morally, most of the time it's better to trust your gut feeling when it comes to moral stuff. This theme is seen in songs like Charlie's Inferno, Kamakazie, and... well, all the songs in the album. But if The U & I in Suicide is really 'just a song about suicide' then that kinda makes it the outlier in terms of meaning and themes. Which is why I think the song isn't just about suicide, obviously it is a big part of it, but there's more to it. I think the song is showing the logic behind how suicide turns to murder-suicide. Near the beginning the song talk about how 'they'll all miss us' and follows that up with 'I wish we could take them with us.' I think this is trying to show one of the primary reasons for murder-suicide; wanting to spare your loved ones the pain of losing you, by... taking them with you. It also later talks about how 'it won't make a difference,' showing another reason for murder-suicide; wanting to feel like you left a bigger impact by dying. I think the chorus is also showing this by seemingly begging and trying to convince someone to kill themselves as well, but judging by how it's repeatedly asked, it's unsuccessful, which could lead to someone deciding to take the person they're begging with them, whether the person wants to or not. The final part of the song talks about 'the nerve of just leaving behind some sophomoric haiku,' which further revisits the idea of wanting to leave a bigger impact when you die, wanting to leave behind more than just 'a sophomoric haiku.' It also says 'don't hide from your life while the light passes by you,' which I think is showing how murder-suicide could be mentally framed as a good thing. 'You're not hiding from your life, you're acknowledging it, by taking people with you!' But yeah, that's what I think the song's trying to say. Obviously it's not trying to rationalize murder-suicide, but it's showing some of the mental steps someone might take to get there.