In their 1973 song, Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker) The Rolling Stones are singing about an “accidental” shooting in New York City. Given the history of that, and subsequent times,  it’s not hard to imagine that the lyrics refer to racial tensions between communities of color and the police.  The other incident is the overdose death of a 10 year old girlwho is basically forgotten and abandoned by society and who “never had a chance.”  These incidents and the cultural components that enabled them, judging persons by how they look or what community they are from or considering people disposable, breaks the heart of Christ. 

The thing which I had to cut out of the sermon due to time, was the part the music played.  Those who know the song, know that the tune is fast paced, with a fun, funk feel and wonderfully driving and upbeat use of horns.  This in the midst of the vocal bridge,” Doo, doo doo doo, doo doo” are in direct contrast to the very heavy, heartbreaking lyrics, and symbolize further the tendancy of society, or in a theological sense, often the Church, to whistle past the cemetery or deprived parts of our cities and world so as not to hear the cries of the suffering. 

My lyrics were written from the view point of Christ. If one hears the original lyrics / story, summerized above, also from the perspective of Christ you can sense the similarities between the pain our denial and betrayal of Christ as disciples causes him today and the heartbreak Jesus felt with the betrayal of Judas and betrayal of Peter.

If you are not familiar with the tune, it might help to download or listen the Stone’s original. 

“Heartbreaker”  to the tune of “Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)  The Rolling Stones

See the struggles in every city, all the pain that is so stark.

Sin has swallowed your identity, my light world seems forever dark, 

Heart breakers with your idolizing you want to tear my world apart.

Heart breakers with your idolizing, You want to tear my world apart.

Your world’s divided tween 2 colors, angry blue and seething red.

People’s problems ping ponged side to side, Only empty words and blame abides,

blame abides.

Heart breaker, heart breaker, you steal my joy from every heart

Heart breaker, pain maker, you drain my love from every heart.

 (Oh yeah) Doo doo doo doo doo

Grace is absent towards each other, though you ask of it from me.

Busy lives drain your faith away,then you ask what’s going on, going wrong.

 Heart breaker, heart breaker, your choices pulling us apart,

Heart Breaker Pain maker, you drain my love from every heart.

Why don’t you take the love I give you? Instead of fighting me in vain.

Only through the love you crucified, can you hope to lose the stain, end the pain.

 Heart maker, pride breaker, you have no hope if we’re apart,

Heart maker, world shaker, my grace can cleanse you back to start.

 Doo doo doo doo doo