"(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay"
Steve Cropper/Otis Redding

Otis Redding's only record that went to the top of both the pop and R&charts was, sadly, only realized after his untimely passing. The song itself gave birth after Redding's breakout at the Monterey International Pop Festival. After the performance, Redding took a well-deserved break and laid low in a houseboat that he rented on the Monterey Peninsula. The song's easy groove and calm feel no doubt reflected Redding's state of mind at the time. It's an [bad word] of folk, soul, and country, but it works like a charm. Lyrically, the pain of artistry and the rigors of the entertainment industry were wearing on him, and it's to his credit that he was able to convey this so poetically. Steve Cropper lovingly embellished the track after Redding's death, and it ends up being a tribute to his artistry. Brilliant.

Sittin in the morning sun,
I`ll be sittin' when the [bad word] 
Watching the ships roll in,
And I'll watch 'em roll away again, yeah,
I'm sittin' on the dock of the bay,
Watching the tide roll away, ouh,
I'm just sittin' on the dock of the bay,
Wasting time.

I left my home in Georgia,
Headed for the Frisco bay
I have nothing to live for,
Look like nothings [bad word] my way,

So I'm just go sit on the dock of the bay
Watching the tide roll away,
I'm sittin' on the dock of the bay,
Wasting time

Look like nothings gonna change,
Everything still remain the same,
I can't do what ten people tell me to do,
So I guess I'll remain the same, yes,

Sittin' here resting my bones,
And this loneliness won't leave me alone, yes,
Two thousand miles I roam
Just to make this dock my home

Now I'm just go sit at the dock of the bay
Watching the tide roll away, ooh
Sittin' on the dock of the bay
Wasting time