Suicide has been on my mind a lot lately. Not my own, fortunately. The protagonist of the novel I’m writing is the daughter of a woman who commits suicide.
In the news, Tom Schweich, a Republican candidate for governor of Missouri killed himself last month, allegedly due to a “whisper campaign” about his Jewish heritage. As if that reasoning wasn’t bizarre enough, yesterday Schweich’s former spokesman, Spence Jackson, also killed himself.
Then there was co-pilot who flew a plane into a mountain. What he was actually comitting was murder, but I bet he thought of it as suicide. People can be very selfish like that.
All this put me in mind of one of my old songs. Lest anyone consider this a cry for help, I wrote this song in 1985. So it’s certainly not an urgent one. For its 30th birthday I thought I’d take it out and show it a good time. Try to cheer it up. It’s been a little depressed lately. Singin’ the blues.
The Ace of Diamonds and the Eight of Spades
Dead man’s hand for a gambling age
Suicide
Suicide
Sometimes I feel like I want to commit suicide
I don’t like razors and I don’t like guns
But I don’t like living a life that’s no fun
Suicide
Suicide
Sometimes I feel like I want to commit suicide
I drink too much and do too many drugs
One day you’ll come home and find me on the rug
Suicide
Suicide
Sometimes I feel like I want to commit suicide
Don’t cry for me, ’cause I won’t care
If there’s something better, I’ll see you there
Suicide
Suicide
Sometimes I feel like I want to commit suicide
Words & Music by Mike Power 