Redding was born in Dawson, Georgia, and at the age of 2, moved to Macon, Georgia. Redding quit school at age 15 to support his family, working with Little Richard's backing band, the Upsetters, and by performing in talent shows at the historic Douglass Theatre in Macon. In 1958, he joined Johnny Jenkins's band, the Pinetoppers, with whom he toured the Southern states as a singer and driver. An unscheduled appearance on a Stax recording session led to a contract and his first single, "These Arms of Mine", in 1962.
Stax released Redding's debut album, Pain in My Heart, two years later. Initially popular mainly with African-Americans, Redding later reached a wider American pop music audience. Along with his group, he first played small gigs in the American South. He later performed at the popular Los Angeles night club Whisky a Go Go and toured Europe, performing in London, Paris and other major cities. He also performed at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967.
Shortly before his death in a plane crash, Redding wrote and recorded his iconic "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" with Steve Cropper. The song became the first posthumous number-one record on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B charts. The album The Dock of the Bay was the first posthumous album to reach number one on the UK Albums Chart. Redding's premature death devastated Stax. Already on the verge of bankruptcy, the label soon discovered that the Atco division of Atlantic Records owned the rights to his entire song catalog.
Redding received many posthumous accolades, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In addition to "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay," "Respect" and "Try a Little Tenderness" are among his best-known songs.
Redding has been called the "King of Soul", an honorific also given to Brown and Cooke. He remains one of the genre's most recognized artists. His lean and powerful style exemplified the Stax sound; he was said to be "the heart and soul of Stax", while artists such as Al Jackson, Dunn and Cropper helped to expand its structure. His open-throated singing, the tremolo/vibrato, the manic, electrifying stage performances and perceived honesty were particular hallmarks, along with the use of interjections (such as "gotta, gotta, gotta"), some of which came from Cooke. Producer Stewart thought the "begging singing" was stress-induced and enhanced by Redding's shyness.
Artists from many genres have named Redding as a musical influence. George Harrison called "Respect" an inspiration for "Drive My Car". The Rolling Stones also mentioned Redding as a major influence. Other artists influenced by Redding include Led Zeppelin, Grateful Dead, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Doors, and virtually every soul and R&B musician from the early years, such as Al Green, Etta James, William Bell, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye and Conley. Janis Joplin was influenced by his singing style, according to Sam Andrew, a guitarist in her band Big Brother and the Holding Company. She stated that she learned "to push a song instead of just sliding over it" after hearing Redding.
The Bee Gees' Barry Gibb and Robin Gibb wrote the song "To Love Somebody" for him to record. He loved it, and he was going to "cut it", as Barry put it, on his return from his final concert. They dedicated the song to his memory.
I'm Sick Y'all
Otis Redding Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's raining, children
Gettin' soaking wet
And it's raining, y'all
Been put out, y'all
Nowhere to go, children
People all ask me, son
Tell me what's wrong with you
Tell 'em I've been sick, y'all, yeah
Yes, I've been sick, children, yeah
My baby got me
In a terrible shape
Lord, she got me sufferin'
With a headache, yeah
Lord, pain in my heart workin'
Dragging my feet, y'all
Twelve long days, children
Had a bite to eat now
y'all want to know, yeah
Tell me what's wrong with me
Said I've been sick, y'all, yeah
Tell you I'm sick, y'all, yeah
Now no doctor's medicine
Will do me no good
Lord have mercy, children
I wished it would, yeah
Somebody, sick, bad shape
Pain, children, tremblin', y'all
Legs are tremblin', Lord
Hands are tied
Feel like I got a headache
Right here in my side
Heart's turning over
Beating like a drum, y'all
Tom tom tom, yeah
Heart's keep a beating, baby
Now what's wrong with me
Tell y'all I'm sick, y'all
Said I'm sick, y'all
Got me in a terrible shape
Yeah honey
Sufferin', children
Lord, I'm tired of it, honey
Rain is cold, children
Burnin' my side, y'all
Standing on the outside
Water in my shoes, children
She got me suffering, baby
Oh that's bad news, man
She got me moaning, y'all
Troubles out calm, yeah
She got me startin' to think
Where did I come from, y'all
Tell you I've been sick, y'all
Yeah, I've been sick, y'all
Everybody want to know.
The song "I'm Sick Y'All" by Otis Redding is about the singer's emotional and physical state after being dumped by his lover. In the first verse, he stands outside in the rain, alone and with nowhere to go, and people ask him what's wrong. Otis responds that he's been sick, physically and emotionally. He has been suffering from a headache caused by the pain in his heart, and he’s been dragging his feet while his legs are trembling. The song’s chorus emphasizes the singer’s poor condition, revealing that no doctor or medicine can help him. He’s just sick, and he needs to deal with it.
The second verse deepens Otis' distress. He says that he’s been in this terrible shape for twelve long days, had barely eaten, and is experiencing great pain. As he struggles to deal with his condition, he starts to question himself and his own origin. The rain that's burning his side provides a symbol of his pain, along with the headache in his side that symbolizes the ongoing heartache he feels. Otis is so sick; he cannot do anything but moan and think.
Overall, "I'm Sick Y'all" is a raw, emotional song that perfectly captures the feelings of heartbreak and sickness that anyone who has been dumped by a lover can relate to.
Line by Line Meaning
Standin' outside, y'all
I am standing outside in the rain, y'all
It's raining, children
The rain is falling heavily, children
Gettin' soaking wet
I am getting wet from the rain, y'all
And it's raining, y'all
It just keeps on raining, y'all
Been put out, y'all
I have been evicted, y'all
Nowhere to go, children
I have nowhere to go, children
People all ask me, son
People keep asking me, son
Tell me what's wrong with you
They want to know what's wrong with me
Tell 'em I've been sick, y'all, yeah
I tell them that I've been sick, y'all, yeah
Yes, I've been sick, children, yeah
I have been feeling sick, children, yeah
My baby got me
My lover has caused me
In a terrible shape
To be in a terrible condition
Lord, she got me sufferin'
I am suffering terribly because of her, Lord
With a headache, yeah
One symptoms of my suffering is a headache, yeah
Lord, pain in my heart workin'
I am experiencing physical pain in my heart, Lord
Dragging my feet, y'all
I am walking very slowly, y'all
Twelve long days, children
This has been going on for twelve long days, children
Had a bite to eat now
I have finally eaten something now
y'all want to know, yeah
You all want to know what is wrong, yeah
Said I've been sick, y'all, yeah
I tell them that I have been sick, y'all, yeah
Tell you I'm sick, y'all, yeah
I am telling you that I am sick, y'all, yeah
Now no doctor's medicine
Even medicine from the doctor
Will do me no good
Will not help me
Lord have mercy, children
I ask for the mercy of the Lord, children
I wished it would, yeah
I wish it could help, yeah
Somebody, sick, bad shape
I am physically sick and in a bad condition
Pain, children, tremblin', y'all
I am experiencing pain and trembling, children, y'all
Legs are tremblin', Lord
My legs are trembling, Lord
Hands are tied
I feel powerless and helpless
Feel like I got a headache
I feel like I am having a headache
Right here in my side
On the right side of my body
Heart's turning over
I am feeling a strong sensation in my heart
Beating like a drum, y'all
It is beating rapidly like a drum, y'all
Tom tom tom, yeah
It is beating loudly and continuously, yeah
Heart's keep a beating, baby
My heart keeps beating, baby
Now what's wrong with me
Now you want to know what is wrong with me
Tell y'all I'm sick, y'all
I tell you all that I am sick, y'all
Said I'm sick, y'all
I told you I am sick, y'all
Got me in a terrible shape
My condition is terrible because of this illness
Sufferin', children
I am suffering, children
Lord, I'm tired of it, honey
I am tired of this suffering, Lord
Rain is cold, children
The rain is very cold, children
Burnin' my side, y'all
It is burning my side, y'all
Standing on the outside
I am standing outside
Water in my shoes, children
My shoes are completely wet, children
She got me suffering, baby
She is the reason behind my suffering, baby
Oh that's bad news, man
This situation is very bad, man
She got me moaning, y'all
I am moaning because of the suffering she caused me, y'all
Troubles out calm, yeah
All my troubles are coming out and nothing is calming me down, yeah
She got me startin' to think
She is making me start to think
Where did I come from, y'all
Where did I come from, y'all
Tell you I've been sick, y'all
I am telling you that I have been sick, y'all
Yeah, I've been sick, y'all
Yes, I have been sick, y'all
Everybody want to know.
Everyone wants to know what is wrong with me.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: OTIS REDDING, STEVE CROPPER, DAVID PORTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jeffreywhitlock4882
The bass line of this song is killer.
@stephaniegs
I love Otis ❤
@reddeserted13
Lost at 26 ffs. Imagine if he had lived another 30 years.
@stephaniegs
I wish
@TBmuch
Otis singing I'm sick y'all with feeling, that's why I just love Otis!
@stephaniegs
True SOUL singer!! ❤
@snookalafagus
where 4real music started
@minkmack81
Magnificent!
@mosesmurphy9158
I've been there Otis
@clintonsmith189
The best there ever was the big o