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Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay Lyrics

Artist: Otis Redding
Album: Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay

(SITTIN' ON) THE DOCK OF THE BAY
- written by Otis Redding and Steve Cropper
- lyrics as recorded by Otis Redding December 7, 1967, just three
days before his death in a plane crash outside Madison, Wisconsin
- #1 for 4 weeks in 1968

Sittin' in the mornin' sun
I'll be sittin' when the evenin' come
Watching the ships roll in
And then I watch 'em roll away again, yeah

I'm sittin' on the dock of the bay
Watching the tide roll away
Ooo, I'm just sittin' on the dock of the bay
Wastin' time

I left my home in Georgia
Headed for the 'Frisco bay
'Cause I've had nothing to live for
And look like nothin's gonna come my way

So I'm just gonna sit on the dock of the bay
Watching the tide roll away
Ooo, I'm sittin' on the dock of the bay
Wastin' time

Look like nothing's gonna change
Everything still remains the same
I can't do what ten people tell me to do
So I guess I'll remain the same, yes

Sittin' here resting my bones
And this loneliness won't leave me alone
It's two thousand miles I roamed
Just to make this dock my home

Now, I'm just gonna sit at the dock of the bay
Watching the tide roll away
Oooo-wee, sittin' on the dock of the bay
Wastin' time

(whistle)

Comments/Interpretations

by PHHS Songwriting Class on 5/15/2008 9:19am
We think he's talking about trying to make his life better but it seems like there's no way. Could be about homelessness and unemployment.
by shannon on 5/16/2008 6:58pm
he was a legend actully still is
by bob on 5/22/2008 3:29am
cheap copy, fake!
by Joshua on 5/22/2008 4:25pm
THis song rules its the best
by Danni Rob on 5/23/2008 5:19am
Wow you all got it all wrong. He was relocating out to another area because of his love life. Nothing was in his favor at this time.So this was how he was spending his days
by ben on 5/26/2008 10:46pm
you nailed that one my friend
by KONRAD on 5/30/2008 3:42pm
Great singer, wonderful song R.I.P.
by Bobby D on 6/2/2008 2:21am
It is a great song to listen to - the voice and rhythm and whistle. When I listen to words, I can't find much to be inspired about. Singer has the blues and will "remain the same".
by kassie on 6/4/2008 4:04pm
what a classic
by Andrew on 6/8/2008 3:56pm
I love playing this song on guitar. Great Song
by jessika b on 6/9/2008 11:47am
This song is the best i love it and it was played at my uncle's funral.
by Albert on 6/13/2008 4:19am
I like it. Wonderful song.
by Kinga/pol on 6/15/2008 6:03am
It`s really good song but I don`t understand all because I don`t mean some words..
by Bye bye for me on 6/22/2008 5:06pm
Four popups and a slow loading page.
by Mucis&Lyrics=Sound.. on 6/26/2008 12:30am
He felt like he was being pulled in many different directions and at the same time was unappreciated by thoses in the music industry. He loved his home in Georgia and is buried there..
"Sad but such a beautiful song."
by cheryl on 7/10/2008 12:45am
i think this guy wanted a break, i've sang this song, so many times when i just wanted to get the hell away from everyone, and just sit on the dock of the bay, and let the tides carry it it all away, he may have been a little but home sick , been there to.
by eddie b. on 7/10/2008 4:07pm
to travel two thousands miles because of a problem that is serious. don't jump but i fill you.
by bandon watts on 7/14/2008 3:34pm
i love it when i become a superstar someday i will sing that song
by steve on 7/15/2008 2:52pm
the song has soul. the singer has too. it's great to play on the guitar. if only i could sing like him.......
by Jessica K on 7/21/2008 12:52pm
I love this song, and it it fun to play on the guitar, it's also a pretty easy drum beat.

My band wanted to cover this because i'm always playing it, but i told them no because my voice would never do it justice.

What a wonderful song, sung by a very down to earth guy.

by pissed on 7/24/2008 7:28pm
you shouldn't choose what I listen to. I'm not returning to this sight.
by EL DOTS on 7/31/2008 7:30am
WHAT TYPE OF PUNK WOULD SAY THIS IS A CHEAP COPPY.

FOOLISH BRE

THIS IS A CLASIC

I LOVE PLAYING IT AND KNOW OTIS IS THE KING
by Jorge on 9/10/2008 12:25pm
Ustedes todos me la pelan! Basically just listen and enjoy the song for what it's worth. Thank you Otis Redding for singing such a beautiful song with more soul than a pair of orthopedic shoes.
by charlie on 9/13/2008 11:55am
He's trying to escape the pressures of life and the demands placed on him. He's a lonely man with no real home, waiting for something to change but he doesn't know how to go about it. It's easier to just sit on the dock and do nothing. Well that's my interpretaion. One of my all time fave tracks to chill out to. PERFECT!!!
by Ian on 9/21/2008 12:06pm
The song, written in the 60's, is about a man who's been Jim Crowed to death, left Georgia and can't get a job because he's black so he ends up sitting on a dock. Remember this was written during the Vietnam War, shortly before the assassination of Martin Luther King and after events like the assassinations of Medgar Evers and Malcolm X, after the bloody march from Selma to Montgomery, and the march in Chicago. This was at the height of the fight for civil rights.
by jack on 9/23/2008 8:30am
my dad sang this song i have it on some tapes of his it makes me cry cause i dont see him any more hes gone to another state and i got no way of contacting him
by sasdfds on 9/23/2008 9:03pm
the guy traveled from georgia to san francisco for a gig and had a houseboat in sausalito (an incredibly beautiful peninsula across s.f.). for anyone who hasn't been to frisco, i suggest you go because you will understand what he means. it is incredibly relaxing sitting on a dock of the bay
by WOW on 9/24/2008 2:16pm
god i love this song, not sure about the meaning of it but the song is one of my favourites anyway....beautiful song Otis. R.I.P
by nonbeliever on 10/30/2008 11:21am
poor otis dead and gone, left me here to sing his song, pretty little girl with a red dress on, poor otis dead and gone!!!!!


R.I.P. LEDGEND
by Master Mind on 11/3/2008 9:36am
Best song ever
by Pete on 11/7/2008 8:58am
He's just singing the blues, man.
by Jerry on 11/7/2008 9:20pm
The guy that otis redding collaborated with for the lyrics of the song said that it was simply when he played at The Fillmore he used to love watching the ships come in, and he obviously left his home in georgia to perfom in san francisco.
by rick on 11/13/2008 2:47pm
water, the ocean, rivers, they are typically used as an archetype for life - so the setting here is just a device used to reinforce the theme that life and time go by and you can't stop it. Also, though details continuously change, the fundamental dynamics of life never do.
by Bee on 11/25/2008 5:22pm
I hope people write comment knowing what they are saying. Enjoy the song and appreciate it. You have your own feeling... do not expect everyone is the same with you.
by nops1 on 11/25/2008 11:31pm
This song is a true memorial to the times. Otis sang it with more soul than any other mortal could. Not only could you hear it. You felt it. It simply expressed the sickness of the era. A long sad time. What way to turn? Which way to go? Or just sit in a pretty place........
by gilbert. on 12/3/2008 3:00pm
This song reminds me of San Q
by Caroline on 12/7/2008 7:43am
Love this song! I heard Robin Bengtsson singing it in the Swedish Idol (the swedish version of american ido) and he was assume!
by Pepe on 12/18/2008 9:57am
Simplemente, me gusta, una triste, melancólica y bella cancion, gracias Otis.
by Music <33er on 12/25/2008 10:47am
he's sitting and watching others go on, doing their own buisness
which makes him think of his home and what he's gonna do with his life
but thinking about it isn't going to do a thinag

a beautiful song
by xXDRUNKKIDXx =]] on 12/25/2008 10:07pm
Thizz song iz sikk niglets!!
Fukk HaT3R$!!!
by castle on 1/4/2009 2:15pm
when yall put songs under guitar yall should have guitar chords so we can learn how to play the song/.............
by britney layne:) on 1/8/2009 12:11am
this song is like yahh:)
by saxman on 1/13/2009 8:37pm
Did you know there is another verse that never got recorded? Otis started whistling and the sound engineer started fading out because he thought the song was over.
TRUE DAT!
by bob on 1/14/2009 8:33am
This shit is gay as fuckkkkk my number is 404 567 8976
by popeezy on 1/15/2009 4:25am
love it!... Listen to the version by FIJI even better
by LauRiE! on 1/29/2009 8:43am
i loVe that SoNg!
by Baby Bear on 2/6/2009 10:15am
What a beautiful song. I woke up with it playing in my head. Reminds me of childhood. How can something so rich and beautiful be about perceived lack? Much more powerful knowing he passed, days after he wrote the words. What a beautiful soul.
by j on 2/8/2009 9:10pm
great song, if u agree w/ me add meh on stuff[myspc] lol person.alvear@gmail.com.,
by Gun on 2/11/2009 11:26pm
He was a twenty year over night success.........a professional musician on the road, burned out and looking at his options. Sitting in San francisco with one of his best friends, a big white southern guitar playing boy, just getting high and writing about their shared experiences. He was offered many choices of where to take his career, his choice, just being himself a black man in the turmoil of the late sixties.
Staying true to the path that got him to this point in life. The times they were a changin'
by Bob on 2/14/2009 1:20pm
I remember listening to Otis' music when I wasn't walking in the jungles of Vietnam in 67'. I remember the day when my Lieutenant came up to me and said Otis died. Time goes on.
by Rocker Girl on 2/17/2009 5:32pm
I love playing this song on my drums...Has a perfect beat, who does not like this song is a DUMDASS!!! This guy has real soal and know how to sing the blues.... 'Frisco rulz


R.I.P.THE LEDGEND OTIS REDDING
by Park Slopey on 2/20/2009 3:56pm
Sometimes there's nothing left but to sit on the dock of the bay. Have you ever noticed all of the suicide hotlines before you get on a bridge?
by ollie...blad! on 3/12/2009 1:21pm
It's well anoyyin' i can't find this song anywhere i looked all over youtube but there all cover versions......Great song though!
by Simon on 3/17/2009 4:13pm
This is best song in the world. I listen to it all the time.
by lynz on 3/18/2009 11:17am
love this song :D
by celi on 3/26/2009 1:50pm
It's a really lovely song. it's intersting that he sung this one just before he passed.
by mick on 3/28/2009 8:15pm
Truely great song. Years ago I relocated to the opposite end of the world. At that time this song was the only thing to heal my soul when feeling lonely and nostalgic.
Bit hard to explain, but that is what songs are for...
by Mike on 3/30/2009 11:22am
This song will be played at my funeral two weeks from today.. I don't know what he was feeling when he wrote it, but I know how I feel when I listen to it.

Thats the wonderful thing about music. What it means to you is the only true meaning.
by Charleen on 3/31/2009 11:38pm
Ok so I love Oldies music and Im 22 years old. I grew up with it. This song reminded my mom of a dear friend of the family. He was always known as Uncle to me. See my Uncle was a sailer. He served in the US Navy. He was always out to see and gone for long periods of time. He at one time had a wife who left him and a son she took along with her. He pretty much only had him self to live for after that was taken from him. It has always been bought to my mind and my familys mind that the song was about a sailer that had nouthing waiting at port for and so the only thing he had was a hope that when he hit that dock someone or something would be there waiting for him, but theres not. Sorry if this sounds like crap but I lost my dad in 2004 and the other person that was supposed to be there for me was my uncle and he passed away from cancer in 2006 and ever since then when I hear that song my uncle is sitten at the dock of the bay waiting with my old man.
by jake on 4/4/2009 12:09pm
i boy i know a good song its called dirty little secret[clubpenguin]
by jake on 4/4/2009 12:11pm
hi i am 7 i know a good song its called dirty little secret[clubpenguin]
by JACKIE on 4/6/2009 3:40pm
thisiswrong wrong lyrics anywaywhoever wrote thisis blid as helll and deaf
by Djenzou Kouassi Firmin on 4/7/2009 9:15am
cette chanson est très belle. Je l'ai aimé grâce à ma Directrice qui l'écoute autant de fois dans la journée. Merci Houdrouge Mariam
by BornYat on 4/20/2009 12:22am
Some earlier writers seemed angry, critical, and maybe even afraid of that man on the dock with his feelings of lonesomeness and lack of a plan
As an earlier commenter said, "It's the Blues, man". And, so it is. The story teller is going through it and, please don't assume to tell him/her how to or how fast to. The Blues are in the present. And, their hurting rythms tell you your heart is still beating. Get to tomorrow and who knows what the tide might wash in?

No doubt about Otis' artistry.
by Dat gurl on 4/26/2009 2:36am
this song is so good and there should be no remakes cause none can match up too the original
by john on 4/29/2009 11:37am
the best
by maddie on 5/26/2009 3:08am
I reckon it's about him just being himself, being helpless to those around him and the bad things they do. When he sees nothing's gonna change, he sits back and watches. Like life was winding down, or at least he wasn't messing with everyone elses' quarrals, which seemingly made it seem things were winding down.
Almost like a song about realisation.
by steve-o on 5/27/2009 7:17pm
The song kept me together back in the 70s
by Erin on 5/27/2009 11:04pm
Oldie but goodie! Those are the best!!!
by jaane. on 6/6/2009 2:10pm
i'm singing this. and i think it's an amazing song. it's so soulful + you can pretty much be creative with it, changing it in different ways.
by Manpot on 7/16/2009 10:32am
Steve Cropper co wrote the song and will be staying with us here in the Caribbean in a couple of weeks..hoping he plays "Dock of the Bay" here like he did last time..one footnote..Otis and Steve argued about " whatching the ships roll in"..the original lyrics were " watching the ships SAIL in" ..with Steve arguing that if a ship "rolled" it would sink. But when Otis recorded it with Steve on guitar he kept saying " rolled" to mess with Steve..and that's how it stuck..BTW Steve, who also produced it, added the surf and seagulls after Otis died..Atlantic Recods told him to take them out but he refused..
by sam on 7/17/2009 1:03am
FACT - the whistling at the end of the song is because he died halfway though making it.. it isnt actually him whistling.
by Naysayer on 7/21/2009 4:12pm
He sounds like he's pretty confident in his decision. Yup, I'm just going to sit here while you clowns try and get me to do whatever...well it's not going to happen...that means you Steve.
by Marc on 8/5/2009 11:03am
Great song, i love Eddie Vedders version
by Chris on 8/11/2009 1:49am
My understanding is that it is about a friend of his who was sentenced to life and was at Alcatraz. It makes sense!
by AshNichelle on 8/14/2009 10:09pm
perfect.
by Jess on 8/29/2009 10:35am
everyone has a different view on what this song means but tbh i think that he had so much success and was busy working all the time " doing what them people tell me too" that he finally had enough and just wrote about it. I guess where never know what this song is about now...
by benjo on 9/25/2009 10:46am
amazing song, shame he died 3 days later his only hit
by by Monty 9/29/09 9:59pm on 9/30/2009 12:03am
When I'm really feeling loney, down, and out,I think of this song, because to me it means other people besdes me hve had these some down and out feelings!
by Z on 10/12/2009 1:13pm
It is a very good song tho
by Dan McDonald on 10/30/2009 5:04pm
I think the songs about feeling empty even though it's not a sad song. It's actually quite peaceful. And Benjo don't be stupid. He had more hits than that. U make him sound like a one hit wonder. U should listen to some of his albums lol.
by jessica on 11/3/2009 10:43am
Actually, he whistled through a verse because he was thinking about putting in another verse in, but at the time he couldn't think of anything. And he died 3 days after it could be finished.

Its a great song, what a classic!
by Ross on 11/17/2009 4:05pm
What a song!
My 3 year old asks me to sing it every night for him before he goes to sleep! The guy died 12 years before i was born and 38 before my son. Goes to show that this song will continue to be enjoyed by generations to come, and part of the enjoyment is the fasination behind the words.
by a person on 11/20/2009 6:08pm
hey nice song luv it
by Joel on 11/27/2009 4:26pm
Who the fuck cares what it means? He's dead.
by Ilda Kat on 12/1/2009 1:07pm
I love whistling at the end! Love this song :D
by Alan Sanguinetti on 12/8/2009 3:27am
Es un realista...
habla del ciclo de la vida, la lenta fluidez del observar lo observado mil veces, con nostalgia y felicidad...sabiduria que trae estar sentado contemplando, comprendiendo el transcurso de la naturaleza humana, el trabajo, un lugar para vivir (lo efímero)frente a lo tracendente (la naturaleza, el mar). Una especie de recuerdo de otra vida mejor, devenir, ternura, imposibilidad. Rueda la ola, rueda la vida y que...?
by interhacker on 12/12/2009 1:45am
Life,
by carla on 12/30/2009 12:30pm
q fea cancion
by party on 1/13/2010 4:41pm
who would listen to this song? it sucks. Try lisening to some real music like My Chemical Romance or Fall Out Boy to heer a song with real emotion in it.
by MK on 1/22/2010 6:25pm
The whistling at the end was actually where another verse was to go, but obviously with the plane crash the song was actually never completed.
by what on 1/29/2010 10:57am
"party" that's a pretty ignorant statement. Im sorry but those emo bands cant compare to anything like this.

Besides, those type bands are inspired by stuff like this.
by carrie wilson on 1/31/2010 8:41pm
well, I think that all of you have got this all out of porportion . He's making this song about his life . It has never been about his love life , never ever . So all of you just need to shut your freakin mouths up . Get the pictures idiot's. You all are all wrong . Completely wrong . You got that fraeks .
by chantal on 2/2/2010 6:55pm
i really hope "party" is just being facetious. LOL...if not, woooow.

This song has so much soul, i could listen to it on repeat without getting sick of it.

The long and short of it is that we don't know exactly what he meant by the song, word for word, so no need to go tell everyone they're wrong. Just go with the soul of the song, lyrics can speak to everyone in a different way..
by coco on 2/8/2010 3:13am
Since my husband died this song plays in my head.What does he tell me? I miss him
by by Toni on 3/2/10 11;08 pm on 3/2/2010 10:16pm
My MaMa use to say some babies are born old. What she meant was not much older from birth, they thought like someone much older.Only 26 years of age, Otis thought like someone 40 and older,otherwise how could he write such powerful lyrics? MASTER
by David on 4/8/2010 10:50pm
Otis had a great tune to share, I think that is all that needs said. If his song was about his love life or personal reasons, I, for one am darned glad he shared it with the rest of us!!!!
by JepSSe on 4/12/2010 4:40pm
craig david record this song in his voice JepSSe www.myspace.com/jepsse
by classic on 4/14/2010 2:15am
some say it was his suicide song, it took him over a year to write and shortly after he died crashing his plane. they still have no idea what could have been wrong with it.
by skeeter on 4/16/2010 8:25am
Otis left us all to soon fantastic song makes you think about life. for all of you who say nasty things. why don't you go listen to you'r 9 inch nails or metallica or some other head banging shit idiots!
by michaela on 5/15/2010 9:24pm
this songs so cool .back in the day song you can play it over and over again and still like it
by slammin' sammy on 5/18/2010 7:31pm
I love boobs!!!
by nigrub on 5/18/2010 7:32pm
What a classic song. it has great chord progressions and just a fun-loving attitude
by Carlos on 5/25/2010 9:44am
This song just describes the feelings during everybody´s first serious love-crisis.
by Westerleb on 6/16/2010 7:40pm
My favorite song for many years now <3 to bad he died so young :'(
by Coley in GA on 6/17/2010 10:28am
I f'n LOve this song :)
by chris on 7/7/2010 4:24pm
germany just lost the world cop. now I am sitting on the dock of this f.... bay and whatever is left is watching the tide go away :-(
by Leif on 7/28/2010 1:30am
Everyday I drive the causway, look out on Monona where the plane went in, and wonder what might have been.......what a waste of a great talent
by Ginger Boy on 8/10/2010 10:32am
I <3 this song!!!!!!!
by Kara on 8/12/2010 3:07am
just pointing out that this was not otis' only hit. as someone had mentioned before. the rock and roll hall of fame listed three of his songs. (shake, sittin on the dock of a bay, and try a little tenderness.) and rolling stone ranked him #21 on 100 greatest artists of all time and in 2008 ranked him the 8th greatest singer... just because he was recongnized for a grammy only after he died doesnt mean his songs wernt herd.
by jeannette on 8/20/2010 1:04pm
i had this song in my head all day so i stop a man on the street mine age and ask if he remember he could not...i did hear it that night on our local radio station.thank guy!
this is what music does it touches lives enjoy!!!
by Suzanne on 8/27/2010 1:50pm
I was thinkimg about just being with friends, and not worrying about the "real" world, and this song just does it for me. BIG HUG NICKI!!
by charles shaw on 9/12/2010 11:18am
Simply wonderful song. God bless Otis
by john henry on 9/25/2010 1:22am
yes it's obvious there's something goin' on at that point in his life, it's also obvious that he felt he would not see the moment in time when "A change would come","I GUESS I'LL REMAIN THE SAME
by Sandy on 9/26/2010 6:32pm
Otis is a legend! I am amazed at his story. Song was incomplete in his mind. He probably had no clue that the day he whistled to the his unfinished song, he was really putting the finishing touches to a masterpiece! Sometimes being lost for words can bring out the best in us.

~Sandy~
by JakneL on 11/8/2010 10:04pm
beautiful & amazing song from legend.. R.I.P.
by Otislover on 11/27/2010 8:26am
I love this song.. it's so touching. but u have to listen to it over and over again until you actually get the feel for it and really understand what he's singing about. It feels as if he was singing to me <3
i love you otis!
by jt on 12/4/2010 2:47pm
existential nihilism
by Henry Romero on 12/4/2010 9:30pm
this song reminds me of the movie Top Gun and listen listen many time. is a beautiful song
by Ross Durrant on 12/10/2010 5:17pm
best song ever :D <3
by ed on 1/5/2011 7:59pm
wood song
by sotiris on 1/10/2011 2:47am
The true story behind the song is very simple yet noone seems to know it. By that time Otis was already a well reputed musician and his company asked him to write a song but himself had no inspiration. So, he decided to go to the Frisco dock, which he expected would provide him some inspiration. But it didn't. So, finally he simply decided to write about him sitting there "wasting time" (instead of writing the song his company asked from him). But as we all know, he turned that to his advantage writing one of the best songs ever.
by jada stevens on 2/3/2011 8:53am
i love love love this song
by david taylor on 2/10/2011 4:31am
what a legend what a man top tune
by Christian basardo on 2/15/2011 11:23am
Michael Bolton rules!!!
by Angela on 2/24/2011 11:30pm
Love this song!
by Manny on 3/1/2011 7:47pm
Listening to this song is paying a tribute to one of te best artists the world has seen.
Respect the man. This song was recorded 3 days before his death.
What a classic. He is a top legend.
by Taro Pieterson on 3/3/2011 6:16am
He wrote this song and it gives me feelings of life, being a paradox. He is 26 and wise. He will not do what others would think for him to do. Instead he sits with himself and listens what is in his heart. Not in an emotional way...in any way. Try to doubt, try to fear and come out of these feelings with more of your true self coming out. Don't know the guy, but love his words. Inspires me to make my life as I want it to be.....no more, no less.
by jessica on 3/5/2011 5:55pm
i think hes contemplating suicide...
by Mitchell on 3/14/2011 3:19pm
I think im gonna sing this song at my school's "American Bandstand"
by sushilover1 on 3/29/2011 6:59pm
I am dancing to this song... it is so much fun to learn steps to!!!!! I think whoever tried would love it.
by Linda on 4/7/2011 5:22pm
I love this song. His voice & lyrics bring me peace. Could listen to it all day long.
by Lucia on 4/11/2011 10:33am
Whenever I feel down, this song makes me feel good, it's a healing for my soul! What a great gift he gave us, just days before leaving this world.. He'll always live in our souls! :)
by jestina brown on 4/16/2011 8:41pm
i love this song. im really thinking about singing it at my talent show next week........ so just wish me luck
by Elijah Mumford on 4/26/2011 4:58am
wonder how much weed he had on him
by John Battagline on 4/30/2011 2:05pm
the original Kurt Kobain...this guy talks about having nothing left to live for, dies 3 days later in a plane crash--just before his song goes to the top of the charts
by Francis Kavwenje from Malawi Africa on 6/19/2011 6:52am
I used to play Otis Redding songs when I was in college. My late uncle had a good collection of R and B songs. The dock of the bay is a great songM I like to sing it whenever I am depressed
by kitty:3 on 7/3/2011 1:41pm
all my friends told me i should sing this. i agree. my voice fits it perfectly, yet no one could ever do this amazing artist and/or song any justice.....
by Makynlee on 7/8/2011 9:32pm
Such a classic song i <3 it :D
by Ayo on 7/13/2011 11:07am
i was looking up my family history and i was talking to my grandmother and she said that he was her great uncle or uncle one of them and it sad hoew he died and then i went to my great grandmothers house snd she has one of theose record things so i think its super cool that he was part of my familys history its a really great song
by kindred on 9/4/2011 5:44pm
wonderful song ... fun to sing too
by Cgh34 on 9/15/2011 7:50pm
this man had a beautiful voice no one will ever copy and I'm glad i heard this song and I'm only fourteen.
by Kyle R on 9/27/2011 4:11pm
It's a shame that music like this is not still around.. The Motown years will always be my favorite era of music.
by toomuchtime on 9/27/2011 9:17pm
at the end he was planning on adding another verse... a monologue... but he wanted to wait until he got back from a show or something he was going to do... so he did the whistling part as a place holder for the monologue he wanted to add in... he died on the plane ride back... and never got to actually finish the full song... this is not actually his complete vision for this song... i would love to know what he wanted to add....
by christian on 9/29/2011 1:53pm
this song sucks
by Daryl R Merrick on 10/13/2011 6:33pm
was born in march of 68 i literally grew up to that song beauty tune eh!!
yeah i'm canadian.. lol
by Littlemama on 10/27/2011 10:19am
my dad used to sing that to me to get me to sleep when i was younger!
by RideBlackCowboyStudBrett1953 on 12/9/2011 3:26pm
Otis recorded "Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay Dec.7,1967,three days before he and his band,the Bar-Kays,were killed in a Wisconsin plane crash,and in June or July,1968,
it became rock's first posthumous
Number One hit.One of my FAVOURITE EVER SONGS,at 58,44 years after Otis sang it,I can't hear it without getting chills.You're STILL MISSED IN THE MUSIC WORLD,BIG O!!!!
by Abd Alshanti on 12/23/2011 6:00pm
real music !!!!!
to all people dislike this,
you sucks -_-
by TDM on 12/25/2011 8:43pm
Hi from Turkey.
This song is a masterpiece.
by Sai on 12/28/2011 8:46am
Such a gift Otis had. One-one could ever personify soul like he did... the music ran through his veins and resonated through his being. No other singer could captivate his audience lile that....Otis Ridding had SOUL. May the blessings be.....
by Alex on 1/6/2012 1:48pm
Wow! That is quite the melody that I was looking for.
by Phoebe on 1/11/2012 10:52am
Cant change others and difficult to change self! How to find ones own integrity without selling out to what others want you to be. So just sit and watch and not get pulled into despair! Tough job for sure!
by jjk on 1/23/2012 2:50pm
kkl
by Nan on 1/28/2012 6:32pm
Am I the only person that thinks he was contimplating suicide
by HWKiller on 1/30/2012 9:52am
I just think this song wasn't made to be described, but to be felt.
by Matt-Attack on 2/9/2012 2:38pm
It's about Otis. And he played a great show in frisco. And had a house boat. And that's where he got the lyrics of watching the ships coming and going. Otis didn't not write the whole song because he never sang songs about himself. But Steve Cropper did. And that's who wrote most of the lyrics. Has nothing to do with love life or drugs or anything like that. Just a simple song about living in frisco on the bay.
by michele on 2/10/2012 2:42am
I heard it the first time in 1967 and I'm still moved.Great Otis!
by ChuckBlog on 2/16/2012 7:25pm
TooMuchTime is the closest. The take we hear is the 2nd of two. He did, in fact die 3 days later. He wasn't whistling because he wanted to wait. He is whistling because he FORGOT the lyrics to the last verse. FACT. MY favorite saong of all time. RIP, OTIS!
by Sean Rudd on 2/21/2012 8:18am
I really love this song, and now thanks to lyrics depot and can really learn all of the lyrics and find a deeper meanng to the song.
by Sandra.. on 3/3/2012 9:16am
Beautiful mellow song!
by Morris on 3/4/2012 12:28pm
love this song reminds me of Georgia
by natania on 3/7/2012 1:33am
best song ever,love it every time i hear it.i can stop singing it.awesome!
by Billy B on 3/9/2012 11:07pm
Glenn Campbell does it waaaaaayyyyy better!!!

by Quziahy on 3/25/2012 8:55pm
You was so great I'm a big fan of your song.
by Great American 1 on 3/29/2012 11:38am
He's retired and it sounds great!
by Ms. G on 4/4/2012 9:01pm
For the peeps with so much negativity .. If all u have to say is negative then please respect the folks who truely appreciate something good. He was a great Singer then & great things live on forever!
by Debbie M. 61 on 4/10/2012 8:55am
Thank God for talent utilized and recognized. Thanks for giving me something in common Ken. T., let's make music together xoxo
by Gala on 4/12/2012 9:34am
My song
by Ruiz on 4/13/2012 8:19pm
Beast
by riley on 4/17/2012 7:57pm
im 12 but i believe this jim croce, the eagles, and the blues brothers cant be beat.
Who cares about rap
by james on 5/5/2012 4:15pm
riley thats your opinion about rap relax man!

this song is wonderful!

but raps is still my favourite genre
by Dave C. on 5/12/2012 2:41pm
Sad day today. It is Mother's Day tomorrow and my Ex wife and daughter are traveling out of state to visit my (thankfully) ex mother in law. But I still grieve the loss of my family and today feels sad.
I am in Woods Hole sitting on a floating dock singing the song to myself. I think we have all been sitting on the dock of the bay at one time or another.
This string of comments goes back several years....it is nice to be connected with all of you.
by Clarissa on 6/25/2012 11:48am
No one will ever sing like Otis. His voice was unique and powerful. I wish people still made music like this today. If Otis was here today, no one could touch his sound.
by Murray T. on 6/27/2012 6:10am
One of greatest songs ever written & sung by one of the greatest singers to grace this earth. OTIS REDDING YOU ARE THE LEGEND.
by Max on 7/4/2012 9:16pm
One of the best singers of this song is karise eden THE VOICE AUSTRALIA :)
by Twink on 7/7/2012 7:43am
I love this song our boys choir sung it the other day and now i cant get it out of my head!!!
by Rashid on 8/15/2012 11:20pm
I love this song and this is the first time I read the lyrics and understand the song very well thank you
by Jeff"The Breeze"Jones on 8/31/2012 8:53am
I think it's a great song, Love it! R.I.P. Otis
by dessy on 9/17/2012 6:01pm
going to sing this in the talent show for sure see wat they think........peace
by glenn lofton on 10/1/2012 1:18pm
I really love this song,i had just arrived in viet nam when i heard this song,it always bring back memories.
by amanda mason 27/10/12 on 10/27/2012 4:14pm
thank you otis redding you ware the greatest soulmanto to sing this lovely song you are my alltime greatest iever came across thanks for all the timelees songs
by low places on 12/2/2012 11:41pm
Pla
by claire on 12/9/2012 5:15pm
the song sadly forshadows his sudden death
by Brittany Spears on 12/27/2012 5:22am
can i sing this at my other concert?(please!)
by Hollywoodlog on 1/24/2013 10:53pm
Great and timeless, Heart felt
by lovie on 1/31/2013 3:51am
omg i love this song so much
by Louis on 2/9/2013 4:33am
Sitting on a cock 'cause I'm gay...
by The Kid on 2/11/2013 11:44am
this song is one the wonders of the music world...how such a normal words that we use everyday life can be turn into an incredibly masterpiece and beautiful piece of art..R.I.P legend
by old soul on 2/23/2013 12:58am
all the greats died shortly after recording songs similiar to this i.e. johnny taylor who also died in a plane crash shortly after 'soul heaven' where he dreamed he was at a concert with all the great legends who'd passed away. anyway i love otis and all his music and i'm only 23. you have to appreciate good music. the stuff these ppl make these days is pure garbage..... i think i was born into the wrong era
by undeniablytalented on 2/23/2013 1:03am
wrong info in last comment johnny died of a heart attack at age 66 in 2000 but soul heaven was his last recorded song...still a legend nonetheless as well as otis redding
by Timeless on 3/8/2013 5:35am
What a beautiful song.. Embrace those moments when you are sitting on the dock.. It's great we have a peaceful, restful song.. I've enjoyed all the comments.. :)
by Viviana on 4/17/2013 6:30pm
I love this song I am singing this at school for a connert
by ZeUs on 4/26/2013 9:20am
Les recomiendo esta canción en la versión "Playing for a change" en youtube.
Increíble!
by Thomas K. on 6/6/2013 6:33am
...my favourite song!
by Don on 6/21/2013 3:09pm
Awesome song, love to whistle it!
by Hotel california on 7/6/2013 7:22pm

by jonah yslas on 8/29/2013 5:56pm
this song is actually about a man who has traveled to San Francisco for work and has worked very hard and the only place he can find peace and rest is by watching the tides on the dock of the bay
by jonah yslas on 8/29/2013 6:36pm
but not just that life has beat him senseless and this is how he rests and relaxes...a place to rethink his thoughts and enjoy life
by Wills Fargone on 10/25/2013 4:08pm
You is a racialist.
by ... on 11/14/2013 1:43am
Watch the ronnie wood show the guy that writ the song with Otis is being interviewed by ronnie wood and it tells you everything you need to know about this song.
by amanda mason 1/12/13 on 12/1/2013 4:58am
i did not know that someone told me that you had left me in tears again ian ellingham i had known this for a long time as donna told me i was to jump of the roof i said yes.
by bla on 12/3/2013 12:12pm
this song is about leaning back and simply chilling and enjoying one's life; it's about the joy of life, relating to the small things in life like watching the tide (for which he doesn't need the money he hasn't got anyway)
by amanda mason 25/1/14 on 1/25/2014 8:19am
donna thank you very much for your kind words about ian ellingham yes i did love him and i still do.
by amanda on 2/6/2014 7:57am
i love this song amazing song like this should be still made like this
by nick on 6/23/2014 3:32am
I recon he was sitting on a doc,and
It was his favorite place to think
About life we all have a place like
That. The lerics could have been from from past and present, its just what came to him at the time, so easy to mix new and old emotions...
But either way ,what a great song.
by A man in pain on 7/6/2014 11:25am
love will make you do some strange things. Same that makes you laugh makes you cry!!!!!
by deanie on 7/15/2014 5:14pm
his songs will live on forever in the hearts of his fans
by judi on 8/6/2014 8:22pm
life is a tide...and it rolls away...
by Norma Sherry on 8/10/2014 11:04am
As I listened to this song, I felt so sad for Otis, I think he was searching for something for more than what to do with his life. I think he was searching for Eternal Life through Jesus Christ and he didn't know how to find Jesus who gives Eternal Life.
by jimmy on 5/15/2015 9:21am
hi








Related:
Otis Redding Lyrics
Otis Redding Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay Lyrics

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Otis Redding - Fa Fa Lyrics
Otis Redding - I Love You More Than Words Can Say Lyrics
Otis Redding - Ive Been Loving You Too Long Lyrics
Otis Redding - Knock On Wood Lyrics
Otis Redding - Respector Lyrics
Otis Redding - These Arms Of Mine Lyrics
Otis Redding - Try A Little Tenderness Lyrics