What You Doin' In Here?

DESCRIPTION: "What you doin' in here, ain't got no garments on (x3), Don't you know God's got his eyes on you?" "Some people moaning in the church, ain't got no garments on" "Some people prayin' in the church...." "Some people shoutin' in the church...."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1972 (Killion/Waller-ATreasuryOfGeorgiaFolklore)
KEYWORDS: religious nonballad clothes
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Killion/Waller-ATreasuryOfGeorgiaFolklore, pp. 241-242, "What You Doin' In Here?" (1 text)
Roud #18149
NOTES [160 words]: The theology represented in this song is curious. It is certainly true that the Hebrew Bible is insistent in its condemnation of nakedness; few cultures had such a strong nudity taboo. And the Apocalypse (Book of Revelation) refers at several points to God giving people garments, e.g. 3:5, 25:6). On the other hand, James 2:2 vigorously attacks those who condemn a person for having dirty clothes, and Luke 9:3 and parallels tell the disciples to go out with just one, quite ordinary, garment. There is also a very confusing reference to nakedness in 2 Corinthians 5:3, but the King James Bible glossed over that, so the singers of this song would not have known what it said. Still, the bottom line is, clothes do not commend one to God. God will clearly give new and better garments -- but it is God who makes that judgment, not some narcissist in the pews of the church.
Yes, songs like this *do* make me cranky, and I *am* too academic for my own good. - RBW
Last updated in version 5.2
File: KiWa241W

Go to the Ballad Search form
Go to the Ballad Index Song List

Go to the Ballad Index Instructions
Go to the Ballad Index Bibliography or Discography