A song that was met with initial pushback from his label, Redding never knew that it would become his most iconic single. At the time of his death, Redding still didn’t feel like the song was finished.
The lines to follow are where tones of sadness could be interpreted, though Cropper recalls them as "hitt the masses." Redding moves from oceanic imagery to a quick reflection of "I can't do what ten people tell me to do / So I guess I'll remain the same, listen." Interpretations range from Otis feeling stalled in his career to a slow-moving Civil Rights Movement. "So the rest of the song, where I said, you know, 'I left my home in Georgia, headed for the Frisco Bay,' it was just about him going out there to perform at the Fillmore." "He had just left San Francisco, where he played at the Fillmore," Cropper recalled. Become A Better Singer In Only 30 Days, With Easy Video Lessons 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. Cropper ended up fleshing out Redding's outline.
"Otis was just bigger than life," he explained. According to Cropper, Redding was reluctant to write about himself, but for Cropper, it was easy. Cant post for 18 days Thinking heavy on all the philosophical concepts, & thinking about all the killer Memes that I have yet to even unleash. Cropper suggested that it was he, not Redding, who was most responsible for adding the biographical references. Sitting on the dock of the bay Lyrics: Sittin' in the morning sun / I'll be sittin' when the evening comes / Watching the ships roll in / Then I watch 'em roll away again / I left my home in. Sitting on the dock of the bay - The Something Awful Forums. He completed the song later with co-writer Steve Cropper. This picture book imagines a lonesome cat. In 1967, while performing in San Francisco, he stayed on a houseboat in Sausalito and began writing "Dock of the Bay." Author: Otis Redding, Steven Lee Cropper, Illustrator: Kaitlyn Shea OConnor. Otis Redding was born in Dawson, Georgia, and moved with his family to Macon when he was five.