Who's That Knocking
The Genies Lyrics


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Who's that knocking on my door
All last night and the night before
Boom boom boom, bang bang bang
I can't stand this awful thing
Who's that knocking on my door

Who's that partying down in my lane
Tossed that brick through my window pane
Boom boom boom, bang bang bang
Far too hard for me to say
Who's that knocking on my door

All last night, as I lie in bed,
With my lights down low,
I heard her crunching food stamps
Boom boom boom, bang bang bang
On my door

Who's that knocking on my door
Could it be Mable, could it be Flo?
Got myself in an awful fix
When I got involved with those two chicks
Who's that knocking on my door

(Instrumental Break)

Who's that knocking on my door
All last night and the night before
Boom boom boom, bang bang bang
I can't tell most anything
Who's that knocking on my door

Doo-doop, doo-doop, doo wah, bang bang bang
Doo-doop, doo-doop, doo wah, bang bang bang




Doo-doop, doo-doop, doo wah, bang bang bang
All night long

Overall Meaning

The Genies's song, "Who's That Knocking," is a message of frustration and annoyance towards an unknown person who keeps knocking on the singer's door. The lyrics repeat the question "Who's that knocking?" as a form of exasperation at the constant interruption in the singer's life. The singer describes the loud banging and "boom boom boom" sounds that accompany the knocking, making it seem like an imposing and bothersome situation.


The second verse provides more context as to the identity of the person, suggesting that they may be throwing bricks and partying in the singer's lane. The line "Far too hard for me to say" conveys a lack of confidence in identifying the person or persons responsible. The third verse adds a layer of social commentary as the singer hears someone crunching on food stamps, further emphasizing the frustration and hardship of the situation. The last verse reveals that the situation may have resulted from the singer's romantic involvement with two women, Mable and Flo, ultimately landing him in trouble and confusion.


Overall, the song creates a picture of a weary and exasperated individual who can't catch a break due to the constant disturbances of the unknown person knocking on their door. The repetitive chorus and descriptions of the sounds create a sense of annoyance and irritation, while the final verse adds a narrative twist that suggests the underlying cause of the situation.


Line by Line Meaning

Who's that knocking on my door
Someone is knocking on my door and I don't know who it is.


All last night and the night before
The knocking has been happening for two nights in a row.


Boom boom boom, bang bang bang
The knocking is loud and sounds like it is being done forcefully.


I can't stand this awful thing
The constant knocking is irritating and frustrating.


Who's that partying down in my lane
There is a noisy party happening outside in my street.


Tossed that brick through my window pane
Someone threw a brick through my window causing damage.


Far too hard for me to say
It's difficult for me to know or express who is responsible for the commotion.


All last night, as I lie in bed,
The knocking happened when I was trying to sleep.


With my lights down low,
The lights were dimmed or off during the knocking.


I heard her crunching food stamps
I could hear someone eating food purchased with food stamps.


On my door
While they were knocking on my door.


Could it be Mable, could it be Flo?
The person knocking could potentially be one of two people named Mable or Flo.


Got myself in an awful fix
The situation I am in is difficult or troublesome.


When I got involved with those two chicks
The situation I am in is a result of being involved with two women.


Doo-doop, doo-doop, doo wah, bang bang bang
Instrumental sound effects for the knocking.


All night long
The knocking continued throughout the entire night.




Contributed by Mason F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@michaelhancock1863

Who's that knocking on my door
All last night and the night before
Boom boom boom
Bang bang bang
I can't stand this awful thing
Who's that knocking on my door
Who's that calling calling my name
Tossed a brick through my windowpane
Boom boom boom
Bang bang bang
You keep driving me insane
Who's that knocking on my door
All last night as I lie in bed
With my lights down low
I heard approaching footsteps
Boom boom boom
Bang bang bang
On my door
Who's that knocking on my door
Could it be Mable could it be Flo
I got myself in an awful fix
When I got involved with those two chicks
Who's that knocking on my door
Who's that knocking on my door
All last night and the night before
Boom boom boom
Bang bang bang
I can't stand this awful thing
Who's that knocking on my door
Do do do wah
Bang bang bang
Do do do wah
Bang bang bang
Do do do wah
Bang bang bang
All night long
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Claude Johnson / Fred O Jones



All comments from YouTube:

@IamClaudiaJohnson

Happy Birthday (RIP Dad Claude Johnson) 🎉🎉❤️🙏🏽truly missed😢❤️

@hoosierdaddy921

He was one of my favorites! Loved him as Juan of Don & Juan with "What's Your Name" '62

@hoosierdaddy921

Claudia . . . . . . one of my favs from your Dad!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ae8ziVB7Mg

@Risteard-1686

They just don't make music like this anymore I can listen to this night and day 🇺🇸💯🎶🎵👍

@Beyondcraftingwithretta4673

That’s my dad on the right…I miss him so much 💔😢 sleep in peace dad love u always your baby girl 💜🙏🏾

@RBAILEY57

It's one of the outstanding songs of the doo-wop era!

@jlo13800

Oh that compact compact grahite cast iron nickle block UD 2 stroke diesel! 450 CID of uniflow 2 stroke power since the 60's

@williamhighfill539

Yes it was one of the best...Eugene Johnson was a great lead

@domicraft6341

Rest in Peace, Matt

@hoosierdaddy921

My most fav. from the spring of '59 with Claude Johnson on lead!

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