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.
Mary Had A Little Lamb
Otis Redding Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
His bleeks was white as snow
everywhere that Mary went
The lamb was sure to go
He followed her to school one day
And that was against the rules
He made the children laugh and play
Oh that lamb in school
Oh Mary
Listen let me tell you something
Ever since I was four years old
I hated a silly rule
Ever since they ran Mary's lamb
Oh all the way home from school
You should have seen Mary cry
When she waved to her lamb goodbye
The teacher said Mary come inside
Come on and dry, oh, dry your eyes
Oh, oh, oh Mary
Wait a minute
Mary don't you be so blue
And bring that lamb back to school
And Mary don't you be no fool
You see the lamb daily through
When you go, oh, home today
You and your lamb can play
You can even do the twist
And then it goes
Something like this
oh, oh, oh Mary
oh, oh, oh Mary
Come on Mary
Don't you be such a moaner
Don't moan no more
Hey, hey, hey Mary, hey, hey
Come on Mary, oh
Come on Mary.
In Otis Redding's song "Mary's Little Lamb," the lyrics tell the story of Mary's beloved lamb who follows her everywhere, including to school where he causes a stir among the children. The lyrics evoke a sense of childlike innocence and playfulness as Mary and her lamb go about their daily routine. However, their happiness is cut short when the lamb is taken away due to school rules. Mary is left heartbroken and cries when she has to part with her lamb. Otis Redding's message is clear, he hates silly rules that interfere with people's happiness, and he urges Mary to bring the lamb back to school and not be a fool by losing touch with what is important.
The lyrics of "Mary's Little Lamb" are a playful and whimsical ode to childhood innocence and carefree days. The lamb is a symbol of pure goodness and loyalty, while Mary represents the joy and happiness of youth. The song also highlights the absurdity of rules and regulations that prevent people from enjoying themselves and the importance of staying true to what makes us happy.
Line by Line Meaning
Mary had a little lamb
Mary owned a small adorable lamb
His bleeks was white as snow
The lamb had a completely white fleece just like snow
everywhere that Mary went
Wherever Mary went, the lamb would follow
The lamb was sure to go
The lamb never hesitated to follow Mary
He followed her to school one day
One day, the lamb followed Mary to school
And that was against the rules
Bringing a lamb to school was against the regulations
He made the children laugh and play
The lamb brought joy and entertainment to the children
You've seen that lamb
The lamb was noticeable and impossible to miss
Oh that lamb in school
The lamb was in school and causing a stir
Oh Mary
An exclamation directed at Mary
Listen let me tell you something
An attention-grabbing statement, addressing Mary
Ever since I was four years old
Since the artist was a young child, they disliked certain rules
I hated a silly rule
They had intense dislike for a particular, trivial regulation
Ever since they ran Mary's lamb
The undesired rule was invoked when the lamb was taken away from Mary
Oh all the way home from school
Mary experienced sadness all the way back from school due to the loss of her lamb
You should have seen Mary cry
Mary cried a lot and it was quite visible
When she waved to her lamb goodbye
Mary was saying goodbye to her beloved lamb
The teacher said Mary come inside
The teacher instructed Mary to go inside
Come on and dry, oh, dry your eyes
The teacher encouraged Mary to dry her tears
Oh, oh, oh Mary
A repeated expression to grab Mary's attention
Wait a minute
Requesting a brief pause
Mary don't you be so blue
Don't be sad, Mary
And bring that lamb back to school
Bring the lamb to school again
And Mary don't you be no fool
Don't make a silly mistake, Mary
You see the lamb daily through
You can see the lamb every day if you bring it to school
When you go, oh, home today
When you go home today
You and your lamb can play
You can spend time together and play with the lamb
You can even do the twist
You can dance the Twist
And then it goes
And this is how you do it
Something like this
used to give instructions on how to do any given thing
oh, oh, oh Mary
A repeated expression to grab Mary's attention
Come on Mary
An expression encouraging Mary to act
Don't you be such a moaner
Don't be so negative and complain too much
Don't moan no more
Stop complaining
Hey, hey, hey Mary, hey, hey
An expression calling out to Mary
Come on Mary, oh
Please, come on Mary
Come on Mary.
An appeal to Mary for action
Lyrics © Royalty Network
Written by: OTIS REDDING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
TheFinlander21
I was also born in 1966 and I too love Otis. And my son is now 25 and he loves Otis!!! We sing this song in the car together.
C Spencer
King Otis, often imitated but never bettered - gone way too soon!
greatgamer313
Anyone who can take a nursery rhyme and sing it this good has got to be great that who Otis Redding was.
Timothy Joyner
Otis was amazing.
L Lake Williams
An infantile song made for adults. I remember the day. Old school still poppin' it!
Dino Morell
My second favorite Otis track! The first-A Change Is Gonna Come!
Travis Snow
The baddest to ever do it right here! Aint not nobody else can sing Mary lil lamb n it b no1 for weeks!
ALAIN DEWAELE
GREAT TRACK
Kevin Williams
only Otis could do this i agree. Big O from Macon Ga.
trampantojo 48
guitar is the best!!!