Lyric discussion by sideshow 

it's absolutely a suicide. I think the girl referenced by Waits was the inspiration for, not the subject of this song. Here, she get's shot in the head. "It take's a sweet little bullet from a pretty blue gun to put those scarlet ribbons in your hair" would seem to describe the blood soaked hair, and obviously if it's not a cherry bomb it's a gunshot. Chilling song.

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