The Song: Don’t You Worry Child
Main Point of Discussion: Our heavenly Father cares deeply for us, so we can take our earthly worries to Him.
Vital Info Before You Get Started: The following info should help you contextualize this very popular song so you can have a great discussion about it with your kids.
- Swedish House Mafia is a rather interesting group. Unlike other bands, this European conglomerate is comprised of three DJs named Axwell, Steve Angello, and Sebastian Ingrosso.
- This song is not their first release, but it is their first tune to really go mainstream. Don’t You Worry Childfeatures John Martin and peaked at #7 in the US.
- Don’t You Worry Child touches on a widely held epidemic in our society: relieving stress. It talks openly about the confrontations we face as we get older, for instance, dealing with heartbreak, etc.
- The song was inspired by Swedish House Mafia’s admiration of Sydney, Australia. “We were at this amazing house in Sydney by the water and we were trying to take in all the amazingness of Sydney. So we took out a couch and sat in the garden with the ocean view there. And we were like, ‘OK, let’s make something that sounds how this looks.’” The song they generated as a result of that experience tries to do just that.
IMPORTANT NOTE TO PARENTS: We at The Source for Parents believe that certain elements in our youth culture can serve as good discussion jump starters with teenagers. At the same time, we would never hope to introduce students to a negative influence that they haven’t already encountered. This balance is a delicate one. In our experience most students, churched and unchurched, keep pretty current with music and music videos. Thanks to YouTube, MTV.com, and iTunes, the most popular music videos and songs are free to access only a click away.
This song is quite popular, which means your kids have probably already heard it, and may be very familiar with it. Compared to other music, this song is fairly clean. The biggest point to remember going into your conversation is to not appear as if you have a “canned” discussion in your head and rattle off questions like a teacher giving a pop quiz. This is a guide, primarily—not a verbatim script. Just familiarize yourself with the content here and start a conversation in the most natural, unforced way you know how.
The Music Video:
The music video can be played for free at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1y6smkh6c-0.
Song Lyrics:
Don’t You Worry Child
There was a time
I used to look into my father’s eyes.
In a happy home
I was a king, I had a golden throne.
Those days are gone, now the memories are on the wall.
I hear the songs from the places where I was born.
Upon the hill across the blue lake,
That’s where I had my first heartbreak.
I still remember how it all changed.
My father said,
“Don’t you worry, don’t you worry, child.
See heaven’s got a plan for you.
Don’t you worry, don’t you worry now.”
Yeah!
“Don’t you worry, don’t you worry, child.
See heaven’s got a plan for you.
Don’t you worry, don’t you worry now.”
Yeah!
There was a time
I met a girl of a different kind.
We ruled the world,
I thought I’d never lose her out of sight.
We were so young, I think of her now and then.
I still hear the songs reminding me of a friend.
Upon the hill across the blue lake,
That’s where I had my first heartbreak.
I still remember how it all changed.
My father said,
“Don’t you worry, don’t you worry, child.
See heaven’s got a plan for you.
Don’t you worry, don’t you worry now.”
Yeah!
Oh, oh, oh!
Oh, oh, oh!
See heaven’s got a plan for you
See heaven’s got a plan for you
See heaven’s got a plan for you
“Don’t you worry, don’t you worry, child.
See heaven’s got a plan for you.
Don’t you worry, don’t you worry now.”
Yeah!
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh! [3x]
Yeah!
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
Q: What are some of the reasons the singer references in the song that make him recall the words of his father “not to worry child”?
A: He talks about growing up; we all face new challenges as we get older. He also talks about getting his heart broken by a girl. It can be devastating when we’ve invested so much into someone else and have to pick up the pieces because it didn’t work out.
Q: Why do you think the song’s chorus comes from the perspective of a father?
A: First, it was what the singer remembers his dad saying to him as a boy. But, as it relates to you and I, our fathers are older and wiser than we are, and so they know how life tends to be.
Q: What is the main reason the father gives for telling his son not to worry?
A: Because Heaven has a plan for you (and me).
Where to Take It from Here:
Wherever it feels natural. If these questions lead to a longer discussion on the topic, wonderful! (There’s a guide just after this paragraph that helps you do just that.) If your kids are barely uttering grunts, don’t get discouraged—the next time it feels right, try out another song. Keep engaging them.
For Deeper Discussion: (If your kids seem into diving in deeper, the following discussion guide can help take you there.)
CLICK HERE if you want to look at a quick training article on small groups and drawing questions out of young people—you may find much of the information applicable as you go through this subject with your family members.
Transitional Statement:
If I asked you to finish the statement “Sometimes I worry about ______________”, you would have no trouble coming up with at least one or two areas of life that cause stress. “Don’t You Worry Child” is a great reminder from a Biblical perspective that originates in Jesus’ teachings: our heavenly Father cares deeply for us, so we can take our earthly worries to Him. Let’s take a few moments to look at the Bible so we can ground ourselves in this truth before we return to our regular lives of worry and regret and stress.
More Discussion Questions:
- HAVE ALL YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS ANSWER: Has your stress level and your worries changed as you’ve gotten older? If so, how?
- HAVE ALL YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS ANSWER: What are the main sources of your worries?
- ASK A FEW FAMILY MEMBERS: Is there a relationship between ‘heaven has a plan for you’ and ‘don’t you worry child’? If so, what is it?
- ASK A FEW FAMILY MEMBERS: How do you typically handles stress and/or worry?
Read the following passage from the Bible:
-
-
- Matthew 6:25-34
-
“Therefore, I say to you, don’t worry about your life, what you’ll eat or what you’ll drink, or about your body, what you’ll wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds in the sky. They don’t sow seed or harvest grain or gather crops into barns. Yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth much more than they are? Who among you by worrying can add a single moment to your life?
And why do you worry about clothes? Notice how the lilies in the field grow. They don’t wear themselves out with work, and they don’t spin cloth. But I say to you that even Solomon in all of his splendor wasn’t dressed like one of these. If God dresses grass in the field so beautifully, even though it’s alive today and tomorrow it’s thrown into the furnace, won’t God do much more for you, you people of weak faith?
Therefore, don’t worry and say, ‘What are we going to eat?’ or ‘What are we going to drink?’ or ‘What are we going to wear?’ Gentiles long for all these things. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them. Instead, desire first and foremost God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, stop worrying about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
- ASK A FEW FAMILY MEMBERS: Are there some parallels between “Don’t You Worry Child” and Jesus’ teachings? If so, what are they?
- ASK A FEW FAMILY MEMBERS: Why does Jesus define a person who worries as someone with ‘weak faith’?
- ASK A FEW FAMILY MEMBERS: How does worry take our eyes off what is important in life?
- ASK A FEW FAMILY MEMBERS: Can God be trusted with our physical, emotional, financial, and spiritual needs? Why or why not?
- HAVE ALL YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS ANSWER: Have you ever taken a worry/stress to Jesus in prayer? If so, how did it turn out?
- HAVE ALL YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS ANSWER: What do you need to trust Him with right now?
Wrap Up:
We all know that life has a way of throwing stress and worry at you. There are plenty of things to be fearful about as we go through our days. Worry has been around since the beginning of time, but isn’t it great to be reminded both by Swedish House Mafia and the teachings of Jesus that we have a Father that loves us and promises to take care of us?
Jesus knew that we would face worry and fear and stress, so in His Sermon on the Mount, He gave us a few ideas that would help us keep our focus on Him instead of doubt.
He begins by telling us that our Heavenly Father loves us. We are very valuable to God – much more so than the birds of the air – so He will take care of us. But He also tells us to be on guard against worry and doubt and fear because it means we have weak faith. Finally, Jesus tells us to make sure our focus is always on the Father and His Kingdom. If we do that, life will not necessarily be free of worry, but we will stay on track.
As we close in prayer, let’s all take a moment to pray for one another. A moment ago we all shared what we “needed to trust God with right now.” Let’s each pray for the family member on our left as we close our discussion.
Close in Prayer
Jonathan McKee
Jonathan McKee is the author of over twenty books including the brand new The Guy's Guide to FOUR BATTLES Every Young Man Must Face; The Teen’s Guide to Social Media & Mobile Devices; If I Had a Parenting Do Over; and the Amazon Best Seller - The Guy's Guide to God, Girls and the Phone in Your Pocket. He speaks to parents and leaders worldwide, all while providing free resources for parents on his website TheSource4Parents.com. Jonathan, his wife Lori, and their three kids live in California.
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