Doc played guitar in both flatpicking and fingerpicking style, but was best known for his flatpick work. His virtuosity combined with his authenticity as a mountain musician made him a highly influential figure during the folk music revival. He pioneered the fast and flashy bluegrass lead guitar style which has been adopted and extended by others such as Clarence White and Tony Rice. He was also an accomplished banjo player and in the past had accompanied himself on harmonica as well.
In 1986 he received the North Carolina Award and in 2000 he was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor. In 1997, Doc received the National Medal of the Arts from President Clinton.
He was generally joined on stage by his grandson and Merle's son Richard as well as his musical partner of twenty years, Jack Lawrence.
He was host to the annual MerleFest music festival held every April at Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. The festival features a vast array of acoustic style music focusing on the folk, bluegrass, blues and old time music genres. It's named in honor of Merle Watson and is one of the most popular acoustic music festivals in the world, drawing over 85,000 music fans each year.
In late May 2012, Watson was listed in critical condition but was responsive at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, after undergoing colon surgery. Watson had fallen early in the week. Watson did not break any bones, but an underlying condition prompted the surgery. Watson died on May 29, 2012 at the medical center at the age of 89.
Sitting on Top of the World
Doc Watson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One sunny day
My sweetheart left me
Lord, she went away
And now she's gone
And I dont' worry
Lord, I'm sitting
She called me up
From down in Al Paso
She said "Come back, daddy
Ooh, I need you so"
And now she's gone
And I dont' worry
Lord, I'm sitting
On top of the world
(break)
If you don't like my peaches
Don't you shake my tree
'n Get out of my orchard
Let my peaches be
And now she's gone
And I dont' worry
Lord, I'm sitting
On top of the world
And don't you come here runnin'
Holding out your hand
I'm gonna get me a woman
Like you got your man
And now she's gone
And I dont' worry
Lord, I'm sitting
On top of the world
't Was in the spring
One sunny day
My sweetheart left me
Lord, she went away
And now she's gone
And I dont' worry
Lord, I'm sitting
On top of the world
The lyrics to Doc Watson's song "Sitting on Top of the World" describe the singer's experiences with heartbreak and moving on. In the first stanza of the song, it is revealed that the singer's love interest has left him, and he is initially distraught. However, the chorus of the song shows that he has moved on and is now content with his life, "sitting on top of the world". The second and third stanzas convey the singer's response to his former love interest reaching out to him. He refuses to take her back and is now looking to find someone new.
The lyrics of the song can be interpreted in different ways. On one hand, it shows the resilience of the human spirit and how people are able to move on from bad situations. On the other hand, it can also be seen as an indictment of how people use others for their own pleasure or convenience and discard them when they are no longer needed. The upbeat melody and rhythm of the song reinforce this, offering a cheerful presentation of a potentially negative situation.
Line by Line Meaning
Was in the spring
It happened in the spring season
One sunny day
The particular day was sunny
My sweetheart left me
The singer's lover broke up with him
Lord, she went away
The lover has gone away
And now she's gone
The singer is acknowledging the current situation of him being deserted
And I dont' worry
The singer no longer worries about the lost lover
Lord, I'm sitting
Currently, the singer is content and peaceful
On top of the world
The singer is in a happy and contented state of being on top of the world
She called me up
The lover got in touch with him
From down in Al Paso
The lover called from the town of Al Paso
She said "Come back, daddy
The lover wanted the singer back
Ooh, I need you so"
The lover missed the singer and wanted him back
If you don't like my peaches
If someone doesn't enjoy singer's offerings
Don't you shake my tree
The singer is requesting to leave his properties alone if you do not like them.
'n Get out of my orchard
The singer does not want others to disturb his peaches trees.
Let my peaches be
The singer wants others to leave his peaches alone.
And don't you come here runnin'
Requesting a person not to beg, ask or return for forgiveness/mercy
Holding out your hand
The person holding out their hand is requesting salvation, forgiveness, mercy or anything else from the singer.
I'm gonna get me a woman
The singer is going to look for a romantic partner
Like you got your man
The tone of the singer is sarcastic, making fun of the lover and her choice for having someone else in her life.
't Was in the spring
The events of the song started in the spring
One sunny day
The specific day referred to in the song was sunny
My sweetheart left me
The singer's lover left him
Lord, she went away
Again, the singer refers to his lover leaving him
And now she's gone
The current situation is that the singer's lover has left him
And I dont' worry
The singer is no longer worried about the fact that his lover has left him
Lord, I'm sitting
The singer is currently in a calm state
On top of the world
Despite the recent event, the singer feels happy and contented.
Contributed by Isabella N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Steve Barrett
Your sadly missed, Doc. Thankfully Billy Strings has picked up the torch and ran with it.
Diego Hernandez
Doc passed it to Grateful Dead then they passed it to Strings . 🎸
Purple
Love this song
Betty Smithey
😢loved his music
Yancy Yates Songwriter
Thank you Doc! 🙏
Dew Man
Awesome 👍😁
Bac
I'm just finding this gold ✨️ 💛 help me get by In life recently
Danielle Ayala
💯💯🙌🏼🙌🏼🤠🤠
Betty Smithey
Love this kind of mus ic
troy brown
To my dad Watt A Gee