Percy Sledge worked in the fields in Leighton before he worked as an orderly at Colbert County Hospital in Sheffield. By the mid-1960s, Sledge was touring the Southeast with the Esquires Combo on weekends and working at the hospital. A former patient who was a friend of producer Quin Ivy introduced the two, an audition followed, and Sledge was signed to a recording contract.
Sledge's smooth voice was perfect for the series of soul ballads produced by Ivy and Marlin Greene, which rock critic Dave Marsh called "emotional classics for romantics of all ages."
"When a Man Loves a Woman" was the first song recorded under the contract (released in 1966), and it became not only an international hit (it reached #1 in the US) but was also the first gold record released by Atlantic Records. The magnificent soul anthem became the cornerstone of Sledge's career and was followed by "Warm and Tender Love," "Take Time to Know Her," and "Cover Me."
Sledge charted with "I'll Be Your Everything" and "Sunshine" during the 1970s, and has become an international concert favorite throughout the world, especially in the Netherlands, Germany, and on the African continent.
His career enjoyed a renaissance in the 1980s when "When a Man Loves a Woman" re-entered the Top 10 in the UK after being used in a Levi's commercial.
Sledge was an inaugural Rhythm and Blues Foundation Pioneer Award honoree in 1989. In 2005, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Dock of the Bay
Percy Sledge Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'll be sittin' when the evenin' comes
Watchin' 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) sitting on the dock of the bay, wastin'
Time
Headed for the Frisco Bay
I had nothin' to live for
Looks like nothin's gonna come my way
(So,) I'm just gonna sittin'on the dock of the bay
Watchin' the tide roll away,
Ooh, I'm (just) sitting on the dock of the bay, wastin'
Time
Looks like nothin's gonna change;
Everything, everithing remains the same
I can't do what ten people tell me to do
So I guess I'll remain the same
Looks like nothin's gonna change;
Everything, everithing remains the same
I can't do what ten people tell me to do
So I guess I'll remain the same
I'm sittin' here restin' my bones
And this loneliness won't leave my alone
Two thousand miles, I roam
Just to make this dock my home
Now, I'm just gonna sit, on the dock of the bay
Ooh, I watch the tide
No, I'm gonna watch the tide roll away
On the dock of the bay
Ooh wastin', wastin', Ooh no, no no no
Percy Sledge’s “The Dock Of The Bay” is a soulful ballad with melancholic lyrics that showcase a sense of aimlessness and loneliness in life. The singer sets a scene of sitting on the dock of the bay early in the morning, and he intends to remain sitting till the evening comes. He finds himself watching ships roll in and then roll away again. The song's upbeat and catchy tune beautifully contrasts with its depressing lyrics. The opening lines of the chorus show that the singer is sitting on the dock of the bay, watching the tide roll away, which is symbolic of him feeling like his life is wasting away. He left his home in Georgia and headed to the Frisco bay because he felt he had nothing to live for, and it seems that no good thing is going to come his way.
As the song progresses, the singer becomes despondent and sings that nothing ever changes, and everything remains the same, indicating that he has lost all hope for the future. He is nobody's puppet and is unwilling to do precisely what ten people tell him to do. He chooses to remain the same. He is trying to find solace in the fact that he is at least sitting on the dock of the bay, watching the tide roll away, and nothing lasts forever. However, he is struggling with loneliness that won't leave him alone, and he's been roaming for two thousand miles just to make that dock his home. The song ends on the same note it started, with the singer watching the tide and wasting time, indicating that he is still waiting for something to change, but it never will.
Line by Line Meaning
Sittin' in the mornin' sun
I am sitting and enjoying the warmth of the morning sun
I'll be sittin' when the evenin' comes
I will still be sitting when the evening arrives
Watchin' the ships roll in
I am observing the ships coming to the dock
Then I watch 'em roll away again
I also watch the ships leave the dock as well
(Yeah,) I'm sittin' on the dock of the bay
I am sitting on the dock by the bay
Watchin' the tide roll away,
I am witnessing the tide washing away from the dock
(Ooh, I'm just) sitting on the dock of the bay, wastin',
I am sitting on the dock aimlessly and wasting my time
Left my home in Georgia
I left my Georgia home
Headed for the Frisco Bay
I was going towards the Frisco Bay
I had nothin' to live for
I had no purpose in life
Looks like nothin's gonna come my way
It seems like nothing good is going to happen to me
(So,) I'm just gonna sittin'on the dock of the bay
Therefore, I am going to continue sitting on the dock by the bay
Watchin' the tide roll away,
Still, I am observing the tide rolling away
Ooh, I'm (just) sitting on the dock of the bay, wastin',
I am still just sitting on the dock aimlessly and wasting my time
Looks like nothin's gonna change;
It seems nothing is going to change
Everything, everithing remains the same
Everything remains constant
I can't do what ten people tell me to do
I cannot do what ten people ask or instruct me to do
So I guess I'll remain the same
Therefore, I will stay the way I am
Looks like nothin's gonna change;
It seems nothing is going to change
Everything, everithing remains the same
Everything remains constant
I can't do what ten people tell me to do
I are unable to do what ten people ask or instruct me to do
So I guess I'll remain the same
Therefore, I will stay the way I am
I'm sittin' here restin' my bones
I am seated and relaxing my bones
And this loneliness won't leave my alone
But this loneliness is not leaving me alone
Two thousand miles, I roam
I roamed for around two thousand miles
Just to make this dock my home
Only to turn this dock into a place to call home
Now, I'm just gonna sit, on the dock of the bay
Now, I'll simply continue sitting on this dock by the bay
Ooh, I watch the tide
I observe the ebb and flow of the tide
No, I'm gonna watch the tide roll away
No, instead I am going to watch the tide washing away
On the dock of the bay
From my position by the bay
Ooh wastin', wastin', Ooh no, no no no
Just wasting my time aimlessly, oh no, no, no
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Steve Cropper, Otis Redding
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kristina Kay
First time hearing this
Amazing. I absolutely love the "oldies"
Makes me think of when times were simpler and family and love actually meant something
Tonjol House
Great performance i liked very much, thanks
Morne Otto
Last year, when I hit rock bottom, I literally spend 3 days sitting at the docks looking over the waters feeling helpless until I was dragged out of my misery.
ReddCrow
love this cover
Kat Campbell
Beautiful.
AXEL gaming and vlogging
He could've sang the phone book!!
Robert Martin
Real Music
Brian Graham
for real ? thats Percy . Better than otis redding ever thought .
robcockay ne
Not maybe, definitely.
keisha williams
this is music