Lyric discussion by nightandday 

Cover art for Lifeguard Sleeping, Girl Drowning lyrics by Morrissey

well, what an imaginative interpretation. I see no reference to homicide in this song and I always thought he felt sympathy for the girl and NOT for the lifeguard, who is shown to be insensitive and lazy (the ironic line 'doesn't she know he had such a busy day?'); and that it was one of those songs where Morrissey identifies with the tragic female heroine (as in This Night Has Opened My Eyes, What She Said, November Spawned A Monster...) - she 'swam too far against the tide' = she dared to be different, she wanted too much... The line 'Don't worry, she was nobody's nothing' sounds so tragic.

But if you want to read stories of "Sal Mineo-like obsessions" into it, then that's what it means for you. I do wonder why the lifeguard seems so unsympathetic, if he's supposed to be the object of love, and why the girl seems so tragic - but that's just me...

@nightandday - Please don’t worry, there’ll be no fuss, she was nobody’s nothing...

That line always confirms the woman as being the unsympathetic character in the song... funny thing, I’ve used that line twice in conversation and no one knew the reference...