I left my home in Georgia
And I headed for the Frisco Bay
‘Cause I’ve got nothin’ to live for
Looks like nothin’s gonna come my way
As you can read above, the narrator left his home in Georgia for San Francisco, and it turns out it isn’t all it was cracked up to be. So now what? He is just going to sit around, hang out and watch the ships and the tide. This is a great song about doing nothing, wasting time and resting your bones. Nothing wrong with that! Though Otis admits, a bit of loneliness does begin to creep in.
This song is probably most famous for its choice of solo instruments…the whistle solo. It fits the theme of the song perfectly. We can imagine Redding chilling on the dock just whistling away. I think the only other song we hear that in is Lennon’s Jealous Guy.
The song sounds simplistic, but it has a couple nuances that make it special. Obviously, number one is Redding’s voice. It is so smooth. The other is the rhythm section of the band. The bass and drums drive the song along at a good pace. I could imagine this song coming out slower, and it would be worse for it. The bassline is fairly complicated and adds a bit of lead instrumentation to the song. When a good bassline can pull this off, it is often a treat.
Sittin on the Dock of the Bay Lyrics
Sittin’ in the mornin’ sun
I’ll be sittin’ when the evenin’ comes
Watching the ships roll in
Then I watch ’em roll away again, yeah
I’m sittin’ on the dock of the bay
Watchin’ the tide roll away, ooh
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 nothin’ to live for
It look like nothin’s gonna come my way
So I’m just gon’ sittin’ on the dock of the bay
Watchin’ the tide roll away, ooh
I’m sittin’ on the dock of the bay, wastin’ time
Look like nothin’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 restin’ my bones
And this loneliness won’t leave me alone, listen
Two thousand miles, I roam
Just to make this dock my home
Now I’m just gon’ sit, at the dock of the bay
Watchin’ the tide roll away, ooh yeah
Sittin’ on the dock of the bay
Wastin’ time
Songwriters: Steve Cropper / Otis Redding