Wait, Is This Iconic Fall Out Boy Song About a Gay Crush?

Almost everyone knows Fall Out Boy's massive hit song "Sugar, We're Going Down," but the beloved track is going viral on TikTok for a seemingly new discovery. 

Gen Zers on the app, who were likely toddlers when the song first came out in 2005, believe they've uncovered the secret meaning of the song, which is pretty freaking gay. Since we know lyricist Pete Wentz isn't gay, we'll refer to lead singer Patrick Stump as the narrator of the story...

But is the song actually about a gay crush? Let's look at the evidence in verse two of the lyrics.

"Is this more than you bargained for yet?/Oh, don't mind me, I'm watching you two from the closet/Wishing to be the friction in your jeans."

You could take the line about "the closet" literally, like maybe Stump really went around hiding in closets back then, or he could be referring to the closet many LGBTQ+ people find themselves in when they're not out to their friends and family. Perhaps the narrator of the song is watching the guy he loves with someone else, presumably a girl. Or perhaps he's literally watching his ex-girlfriend sleep with someone else from the inside of a closet...

"Isn't it messed up how I'm just dying to be him?/I'm just a notch in your bedpost but you're just a line in a song."

So is the "him" the guy he has a crush on? Baby queers often confuse their idolization for attraction, i.e. "dying to be him." But he could also just be talking about the guy his ex moved on with. 

The next lyric doubles down on those little queer little nuggets: "Drop a heart, break a name/We're always sleeping in and sleeping for the wrong team."

Sleeping for the wrong team, huh? If you're gay, you might've inquired about someone's sexuality by asking which team they play for.

But who's to say? It's hard to know the true intention behind the lyrics unless it comes straight from the songwriter's mouth.

Someone get Fall Out Boy on the phone...