Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, "Dear Doctor" is country song with blues inflections. It is a good example of the acoustic guitar-based compositions that has earned Beggars Banquet its reputation as the Stones' "return to form". Bill Janovitz says in his review of the song, "With all acoustic instruments — guitar, tack piano, 12-string, harmonica, tambourine, and upright bass — ...the band manages to sound authentically old-time and primitive, with Mick Jagger employing the fake-American hick accent that he would continue to mine in future blues and country numbers throughout the Stones' career."
On the Stones' experiments with country, Jagger said in 2003, "The country songs, like 'Factory Girl' or 'Dear Doctor', on Beggars Banquet were really pastiche. There's a sense of humour in country music anyway, a way of looking at life in a humorous kind of way - and I think we were just acknowledging that element of the music."
Janovitz concludes, "Jagger may be poking fun a little, but he could not nail the parlance of the characters so precisely if he had not studied it closely as a fan of the music... In a sense, they have been musicologists, interpreting musical forms that were in danger of dying out. The raw quality of 'Dear Doctor' and the rest of the album was a welcoming sound to the ears of most Stones fans losing patience with their experimentation on Their Satanic Majesties Request."
"Dear Doctor" was recorded at London's Olympic Sound Studios between May 13 and 21 1968. With Jagger on lead vocals, Richards supports on backing harmony. Richards performs all guitars for the track, with Bill Wyman performing bass and Charlie Watts performing drums. Brian Jones plays harmonica and Nicky Hopkins performs piano.
Despite its appearance on one of the Stones' more well-known albums, "Dear Doctor" has never been performed live by the band. It also appears on no compilation albums
Dear Doctor
The Rolling Stones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's a pain where there once was a heart
It's sleepin', it's a beatin'
Can't ya please tear it out, and preserve it
Right there in that jar?
Oh help me, please mama, I'm sick'ning
It's today that's the day of the plunge
Is a bow-legged sow
I've been soakin' up drink like a sponge
"Don't ya worry, get dressed," cried my mother
As she plied me with bourbon so sour
Pull your socks up, put your suit on
Comb your long hair down
For you will be wed in the hour
So help me, please doctor, I'm damaged
There's a pain where there once was a heart
I'm sleepin', it's a beatin'
Can't ya please take it out, and preserve it
Right there in that jar?
Oh help me, please doctor, I'm damaged
There's a pain where there once was a heart
It's sleepin', it's a beatin'
Can't ya please tear it out, and preserve it
Right there in that jar?
I was tremblin', as I put on my jacket
It had creases as sharp as a knife
I put the ring in my pocket
But there was a note
And my heart it jumped into my mouth
It read, "Darlin', I'm sorry to hurt you
But I've no courage to speak to your face
But I'm down in Virginia with your cousin Lou
There be no wedding today"
So help me, please doctor, I'm damaged
You can put back my heart in its hole
Oh mama, I'm cryin'
Tears of relief
And my pulse is now under control
The Rolling Stones’ song Dear Doctor is a story of a man who is in a very difficult situation. He asks for help from his mother and a doctor, but neither can solve his problem. The man has fallen in love with a woman who he realizes he doesn’t want to marry, but he is already dressed in his wedding suit and about to walk down the aisle. The lyrics indicate that he has been drinking to cope with his mounting anxiety, and the pain he feels in his heart becomes literal. He asks the doctor to remove his heart and preserve it in a jar, which is obviously not possible. In the end, he receives a note from his fiancée, saying that she is with his cousin and that there will be no wedding. He is relieved that he doesn’t have to marry her, but he is left heartbroken and emotional.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh help me, please doctor, I'm damaged
The singer is seeking the help of a doctor because he is in pain and feels broken.
There's a pain where there once was a heart
The singer is feeling a physical and emotional pain where there used to be love.
It's sleepin', it's a beatin'
The singer's heart is still present, but it feels as though it has lost its purpose or connection to the rest of his emotions.
Can't ya please tear it out, and preserve it
The singer wants the doctor to remove his heart and keep it safe, as it feels like a burden to him.
Right there in that jar?
The singer wants the doctor to keep his heart in a jar as a symbol of his loss of love and emotion.
Oh help me, please mama, I'm sick'ning
The singer turns to his mother for help because he is feeling sick and overwhelmed.
It's today that's the day of the plunge
The day of the singer's wedding feels like a big decision or risk.
Oh the gal I'm to marry
The singer is not excited about his upcoming marriage to a woman he does not love.
Is a bow-legged sow
The singer is using derogatory language to describe his soon-to-be wife, emphasizing his lack of connection to her.
I've been soakin' up drink like a sponge
The singer has been drinking heavily to cope with the stress and anxiety of his impending wedding.
"Don't ya worry, get dressed," cried my mother
The singer's mother tries to calm him down and convince him to go through with the wedding.
As she plied me with bourbon so sour
The singer's mother offers him a drink to calm his nerves, but it does not help.
Pull your socks up, put your suit on
The singer's mother is trying to get him to prepare for the wedding and forget about his reservations.
Comb your long hair down
The singer's mother wants him to look presentable for the wedding.
For you will be wed in the hour
The singer's mother reminds him that the wedding is happening soon, whether he is ready or not.
I was tremblin', as I put on my jacket
The singer is still anxious and scared as he prepares for his wedding.
It had creases as sharp as a knife
The singer's jacket is perfectly pressed and shows off his anxiety and need for control.
I put the ring in my pocket
The singer still plans to go through with the wedding, even though he is reluctant and scared.
But there was a note
The singer finds a note that changes everything.
And my heart it jumped into my mouth
The singer is shocked and scared by what he reads in the note.
"Darlin', I'm sorry to hurt you
The note is from his fiancee, explaining that she has run away with another man and cannot go through with the wedding.
But I've no courage to speak to your face
The note writer cannot face the singer and tell him what has happened.
But I'm down in Virginia with your cousin Lou
The note writer has run away with the singer's cousin, adding betrayal and family drama to the mix.
There be no wedding today
The singer's wedding has been cancelled due to his fiancee's betrayal.
You can put back my heart in its hole
The singer has had a change of heart and wants to forget about his failed relationship.
Oh mama, I'm cryin'
The singer is emotional and upset about what has happened, but ultimately relieved that he does not have to go through with a loveless marriage.
Tears of relief
The singer is crying tears of relief that he will not have to go through with his impending wedding.
And my pulse is now under control
The singer has calmed down and can take control of his own life again now that his wedding has been cancelled.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Abkco Music Inc.
Written by: Keith Richards, Mick Jagger
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@user-ip9yu7lp1q
Lyrics:
Oh help me, please doctor, I'm damaged
There's a pain where there once was a heart
It's sleepin', it's a beatin'
Can't ya please tear it out, and preserve it
Right there in that jar?
Oh help me, please mama, I'm sick'ning
It's today that's the day of the plunge
Oh the gal I'm to marry
Is a bow-legged sow
I've been soakin' up drink like a sponge
"Don't ya worry, get dressed, " cried my mother
As she plied me with bourbon so sour
Pull your socks up, put your suit on
Comb your long hair down,
For you will be wed in the hour
So help me, please doctor, I'm damaged
There's a pain where there once was a heart
I'm sleepin, it's a beatin'
Can't ya please take it out, and preserve it
Right there in that jar?
I was tremblin', as I put on my jacket
It had creases as sharp as a knife
I put the ring in my pocket
But there was a note
And my heart it jumped into my mouth
It read, "Darlin', I'm sorry to hurt you.
But I have no courage to speak to your face.
But I'm down in Virginia with your cousin Lou
There be no wedding today."
So help me, please doctor, I'm damaged
You can put back my heart in its hole
Oh mama, I'm cryin'
Tears of relief
And my pulse is now under control
“Dear Doctor (Official Lyric Video)”
Directed by: Lucy Dawkins and Tom Readdy at Yes Please Productions
Producers: Julian Klein, Robin Klein
(C) 2018 ABKCO Music & Records, Inc.
@khalidshaikh6511
71 yrs old and I still go back to 1968. Awesome album.
@MJ-ix7wm
Born in 77 but so do I!!!!!
@lilajagears8317
@M J Great music never gets old!
@wildhias6195
@Lila Jagears born 1983 discovered Stones in 1991 and still go back especially to this album
@lilajagears8317
@wildhias Your a person who knows great music, ROCK ON!
@poptart4260
It’s only gonna get better to comparisons every era !!
@BeefheartLynch
I absolutely love Keith's backing vocals in this song. Plus I absolutely love this song and album
@philnoble2218
My favourite Stones LP too. Every song is stompin!
@bebebrez-kal9136
@Vincent H. rip jimmy♡
@iamthemooon
@Vincent H. In your attempt to appear more sophisticated than all else, you forgot to mention Brian Jones. Also, your comment just seems out of place. No one claimed to be a hardcore stones fan and nobody said anything that eluded towards them overlooking Jimmy Miller's work. Just calling it how I see it slim jim.