Sittin' in the morning sun
I'll be sittin' when the evening comes
watching the ships roll in
and then I watch them roll away again, yeah

I'm sittin' on the dock of the bay
watching the tide roll away
I'm sittin' on the dock of the bay
wasting time

I left my home in Georgia
headed for the Frisco Bay
because I've had nothin' to live for
and look like nothin's gonna come my way

So I'm just gonna sit on the dock of the bay
watchin' the tide roll away
I'm sittin' on the dock of the bay
wasting time

Looks 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

Sitting here resting my bones
And this loneliness won't leave me alone
It's 2,000 miles I've roamed
Just to make this dock my home now

I'm just gonna sit at the dock of the bay
watchin' the tide roll away
I'm sittin' on the dock of the bay
wasting time



Lyrics submitted by elnino

Track duration: 02:44


(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay song meanings
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45 Comments

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  • 0
    My Interpretation:"Sitting here resting my bones
    And this loneliness won't leave me alone
    It's 2,000 miles I've roamed
    Just to make this dock my home now"

    He was explaining how he left Georgia to escape loneliness and the hard life but; now that he's 2,000 miles away, he's still lonely despite having an easy life. He realizes that running from his problems won't solve anything.
    Flag SPC9000on December 26, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:he's been going through life, looking for himself, but he'll never be anything but himself (he is all he really has in life). The ships represent the different possibilities he can still end up taking in formulating himself as a person, but he's coming to terms with who he is, and realizing he doesnt want to be what anybody else tells him to be, or that the work it took him to realize this has been overly exerting, despite everywhere he's been, he's always just gonna be Otis, and rather than searching for something else, he's realized the best thing he can do is just live in the moment and proceeds to observe the rest of life go around (possibly enjoying watching others uptake the same search for identity or purpose he has)
    Flag thomarison November 07, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Read ho-ju's comment... At least, someone who gets it right!
    Not sad, not happy song. Or maybe a bit of both. But mostly - meditative. "I can't be a follower anymore. I know myself. I don't need to accomplish things in order to be happy. I'll just waste my time contemplating the world, the simple things of life, like the dock of the bay, that's all I need to be happy".
    Flag BrokenDickon June 02, 2012   Link
  • -2
    General Comment:Otis was a god. And this is one of my favorite tunes from my childhood. I was blessed with a musically-inclined neighbor who would sit with me for hours on end listening to records on the floor of his bedroom. His parents would give him money to go to the record stores weekly so I got to enjoy the latest songs to hit the radio. This song is just a feel-good tune that relaxes me and has me dreaming of sitting near the water's edge at dusk, which is my favorite time of day. I'd love to find "my own way" to the dock of the bay, but it's best when it's done hand-in-hand with someone special.
    Flag ASweetPeaon September 27, 2011   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:Or....
    He's been all around the world, but he still wants to find his own way. Hence, he is going to relax and wait for it come at the bay.

    This song can have a lot of meanings.
    Flag icyhotnesson September 11, 2011   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:Very beautiful song...

    He's gone all around the world, but it really doesn't feel like much has changed or gotten better. He still finds he is lonely, and only wants to rest at the bay, where he reflects on what his life has become. It seems like he only wants the simple things in life, cuz the lavish things leave him feeling empty, anyway.

    I don't think it's a sad song. More of a song that represents a longing for a sense of peace.
    Flag icyhotnesson September 11, 2011   Link
  • -1
    General Comment:My favorite song of all time.
    Flag Kerouac2002on January 05, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:to add to the people who said this song was happy and positive :

    "sitting in the morning sun
    sitting on the dock of the bay"

    is a very pleasant and peaceful image...and they are the opening lines to the song, the first impression you get of it.

    and i certainly get really happy when i hear this song come on the radio :-)

    the song has a lot of meaning and soul though, very beautiful, and you can definitely hear the despair in parts of it.
    Flag hydrophillicon May 20, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:It's quite a sad song, but it has so much soul. Steve Cropper's guitar playing is so tasteful. One of my favorites no matter how I feel, but usually when I'm down.
    Flag roushsn95on November 20, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:The song is about being down and out. The whistiling at the end was to fill the space that he didnt have lyrics for when he recorded it. He was going to go back and write words for it and rerecord it. Knowing that makes the song even more powerful. A depressing song that he couldn't even get properly finished.
    Flag Spudlyon October 14, 2008   Link

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