What Are They Doing in Heaven?

"What Are They Doing in Heaven Today"
Single by Washington Phillips
A-side	"Jesus Is My Friend"
Format	10" 78rpm single
Recorded	December 5, 1928; Dallas, TX
Genre	Gospel blues
Length	3:15
Label	Columbia 14404-D
Producer(s)	Frank B. Walker [1]
Washington Phillips singles chronology
"Mother's Last Word to Her Son" / "Paul and Silas in Jail" "Jesus Is My Friend" / "What Are They Doing in Heaven Today" "I Am Born to Preach the Gospel" / "Train Your Child"

"What Are They Doing in Heaven?" is a Christian hymn written in 1901 by American Methodist minister Charles Albert Tindley. As of 2015, it has become popular enough to have been included in 16 hymnals.^[2][3]

The song has sometimes been recorded under the titles "What Are They Doing?" and "What Are They Doing in Heaven Today?". The question mark is often omitted. The song may also be known by its first line, "I am thinking of friends whom I used to know".

The song consists of four verses and a refrain, each four lines long. In both the verses and the refrain, the first three lines rhyme, and the fourth is "What are they doing now?" or some small variant of that. The author reflects on friends who were burdened in life by care, or by disease, or by poverty; and wonders what they might now be doing in Heaven, without giving his answer.^[2]

The first known recording of the song is the 1928 one by Washington Phillips (1880–1954; vocals and zither), in gospel blues style.^[4] Phillips' recording was used in the soundtrack of the 2005 film Elizabethtown. The song has since been recorded many times in a wide variety of styles, including gospel and bluegrass; sometimes attributed to Phillips or to "anonymous" or to "traditional".

Recordings

This list of songs or music-related items is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

• 1928 – Washington Phillips,^[5][6][7] 78rpm single Columbia 14404-D
• 1934 – Mitchell's Christian Singers,^[8] 78rpm singles Perfect 326,^[9] Banner 33433,^[10] Conqueror 8431,^[11] and Melotone 13400 ^[12]
• 1938 – Golden Gate Quartet,^[13][14] 78rpm singles Bluebird 7994 ^[15] and Montgomery 7866 ^[16]
• c. 1938 – The Southernaires,^[17] radio broadcast ^[18]
• 1946 – Pilgrim Travelers ^[19]
• 1948 – The Lilly Brothers,^[20][21] 78rpm single Page 505
• 1948 – The Southern Harmonizers,^[22] 78 rpm single Specialty 301 ^[23]
• 1950 – The Mello-Tones,^[24] 78rpm single Columbia 39051 ^[25]
• 1950-53 – Silvertone Singers ^[26]
• 1952 – The Dixie Hummingbirds,^[27] 45rpm single Peacock Records 5-1594 ^[28]
• 1957 – Harry and Jeanie West ^[29][30][31] on the album Favorite Gospel Songs ^[32]
• 1960 – Sister Rosetta Tharpe ^{[33][34][35][36]} on the album Gospels in Rhythm ^[37]
• 1962 – The Fairfield Four ^[38][39][40] on the album The Bells Are Tolling ^[41]
• 1964 – The Staple Singers ^[42] on the album This Little Light ^[43][44]
• 1966–92 – Marion Williams ^[45]
• 1971 – The Downtown Sister New Heaven on the album Gospels And Spirituals ^[46]
• 1983 – Slim & the Supreme Angels ^[47][48] on the album Glory to His Name ^[49]
• 1992 – Tom Hanway ^[50] on the album Tom Hanway and Blue Horizon ^[51]
• 1994 – Martin Simpson ^[52] on the album A Closer Walk with Thee ^[53]
• 1995 – The Pfister Sisters ^[54][55] on the album The Pfister Sisters ^[56]
• 1996 – Michelle Lanchester, Bernice Johnson Reagon and Yasmeen ^[57][58] on the album Wade in the Water: African American Sacred Music Traditions ^[59][60]
• 1996 – Little Jimmy Scott ^[61][62][63] on the album Heaven ^[64][65]
• 2000 – Last Forever ^[66][67] on the album Trainfare Home ^[68][69]
• 2000 – Margaret Allison and the Angelic Gospel Singers ^[70] on the album Home in the Rock ^[71]
• 2002 – Jorma Kaukonen ^[72][73] on the album Blue Country Heart
• 2003 – Bill Gaither feat. Gloria Gaither and Babbie Mason ^[74][75] on the album Heaven ^[76][77]
• 2003 – The Immortal Lee County Killers ^[78] on the album Love Is a Charm of Powerful Trouble ^[79]
• 2003 – Mike "Sport" Murphy ^[80] on the album Uncle ^[81]
• 2006 – Riley Baugus ^[82] on the album Long Steel Rail ^[83]
• 2006 – Joanne Blum ^[84] on the album Even More Love ^[85]
• 2006 – Cabin Fever NW ^[86] on the album The Door Is Always Open ^[87]
• 2006 – Jessy Dixon ^[88] on the album Get Away Jordan ^[89]
• 2006 – Vince Gill ^[90] on the album Voice of the Spirit, Gospel of the South ^[91]
• 2006 – The Be Good Tanyas ^[92] on the album Hello Love
• 2006 – Boxcar Preachers ^[93] on the album Auto-Body Experience ^[94]
• 2006 – Judy Cook ^[95] on the album If You Sing Songs ... ^[96]
• 2006 – The Great Gospel Crew ^[97] on the album The Greatest Gospel Music ^[98][99]
• 2007 – John Reischman and The Jaybirds ^[100] on the album Stellar Jays ^[101]
• 2008 – Murry Hammond ^[102] on the album I Don't Know Where I'm Going but I'm on My Way ^[103]
• 2009 – Jim Byrnes ^[104] on the album My Walking Stick ^[105]
• 2009 – The Habit ^[106] on the album The Habit ^[107]
• 2010 – Buddy Greene ^[108] on the album A Few More Years ^[109][110]
• 2011 – The Bright Wings Chorus ^[111] on the album ' ^[112][113]
• 2011 – Dead Rock West ^[114] on the album Bright Morning Stars ^[115]
• 2013 – The Quiet American ^[116] on the album Wild Bill Jones ^[117][118]
• 2013 – Marcy Marxer ^[119] on the album Things Are Coming My Way ^[120][121]
• 2013 – Mogwai ^[122] on the album Les Revenants^[123]
• 2013 – Mavis Staples ^[124][125] on the album One True Vine
• 2013 – Colin Stetson feat. Justin Vernon ^[126] on the album New History Warfare, Vol. 3: To See More Light ^[127]
• 2014 – Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn ^[128] on the album Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn ^[129]

References

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51. Blue Horizon / Tom Hanway: Tom Hanway & Blue Horizon at AllMusic. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
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61. Little Jimmy Scott: What Are They Doing in Heaven Today?, Composed by Charles Albert Tindley at AllMusic. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
62. Little Jimmy Scott: What Are They Doing In Heaven Today, Composed by C. E. Tindley at AllMusic. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
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66. Last Forever: What Are They Doing in Heaven Today?, Composed by Casey Jones at AllMusic. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
67. Sonya Cohen: What Are They Doing in Heaven Today?, Composed by Dick Connette at AllMusic. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
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69. Sonya Cohen: Last Forever: Trainfare Home at AllMusic. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
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71. Margaret Allison: Home in the Rock at AllMusic. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
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73. Jorma Kaukonen: What Are They Doing In Heaven Today at AllMusic. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
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86. Cabin Fever NW: What Are They Doing in Heaven Today at AllMusic. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
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88. Jessy Dixon: What Are They Doing in Heaven? at AllMusic. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
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102. Murry Hammond: What Are They Doing in Heaven Today? at AllMusic. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
103. Murry Hammond: I Don't Know Where I'm Going But I'm on My Way at AllMusic. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
104. Jim Byrnes: What Are They Doing in Heaven Today?, Composed by George Washington Phillips at AllMusic. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
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