It is in the second stanza that we find out how Redding came to sit on the dock of the bay. Looks like nothin's gonna come my way, so Instead, he feels that he is “wastin’ time.” Although an overworked populace often fantasizes about wasting time, the rest of the song makes clear that the dock of the bay is not a paradise but a prison. Redding does not prescribe sitting as joyful or relaxing or rejuvenating. Yet, the chorus also provides the first hint of resentment.
Much like the ships, here the tide rolls in and out. A world where the ships come and go, the sun rises and sets, and Redding, moored to the dock, sits and watches the world circle around.įirst, the chorus continues the description of the cyclical nature of Redding’s dock life. In embracing repetition, Redding juxtaposes the cyclical nature of the surrounding world with his own stagnation and lack of momentum. I have taken the liberty of bolding all phrases and words that Redding repeats in the song. It is striking how often Redding repeats his words, particularly when describing his own actions.
Through repetitiveness and minute adjustments to common verses, the song conveys a spiralling into oblivion. And although highlighting a few choice lines would get that point across, there is a more subtle lyricism at play. Despite its simple, poppy melody, the lyrics betray a moroseness so deep. Rather, the song chronicles a broken man mired in loneliness and depression.
It is an amazing song but also one that is often interpreted as an ode to relaxation, to melancholy. A work in progress, the song nonetheless became the first posthumous single to reach #1 on the Billboard Charts. In the days before a fatal plane crash, Redding was still in studio recording (Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay. The most famous song recorded by Redding is also the most tragic.
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