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Strokin'
Clarence Carter Lyrics


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When I start makin' love
I don't just make love
I be strokin'
That's what I be doin', huh
I be strokin'

I stroke it to the east
And I stroke it to the west
And I stroke it to the woman that I love the best
I be strokin'

Let me ask you somethin'
What time of the day do you like to make love
Have you ever made love just before breakfast
Have you ever made love while you watched the late, late show
Well, let me ask you this
Have you ever made love on a couch
Well, let me ask you this
Have you ever made love on the back seat of a car
I remember one time I made love on the back seat of a car
And the police came and shined his light on me, and I said:
'I'm strokin', that's what I'm doin', I be strokin"

I stroke it to the east
And I stroke it to the west
And I stroke it to the woman that I love the best
I be strokin'

Let me ask you something
How long has it been since you made love, huh?
Did you make love yesterday
Did you make love last week
Did you make love last year
Or maybe it might be that you plannin' on makin' love tonight
But just remember, when you start making love
You make it hard, long, soft, short
And be strokin'
I be strokin'

I stroke it to the east
And I stroke it to the west
And I stroke it to the woman that I love the best, huh
I be strokin'

Now when I start making love to my woman
I don't stop until I know she's sex-ified
And I can always tell when she gets sex-ified
because when she gets sas-fied she start calling my name
She'd say: 'Clarence Carter, Clarence Carter, Clarence Carter
Clarence Carter, ooh shit, Clarence Carter'
The other night I was strokin' my woman
And it got so good to her, you know what she told me
Let me tell you what she told me, she said:
'Stroke it Clarence Carter, but don't stroke so fast
If my stuff ain't tight enough, you can stick it up my' woo!

I be strokin' Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!
I be strokin'

I stroke it to the east
And I stroke it to the west
And I stroke it to the woman that I love the best, huh
I be strokin'
I be strokin' Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!
I be strokin', Yeah!
I be strokin'

I stroke it to the north
I stroke it to the south
I stroke it everywhere
I even stroke it with my, woo!

I be strokin'
I be strokin'
I be strokin'

Overall Meaning

The song "Strokin'" by Clarence Carter is a sexual innuendo-infused R&B track that describes the singer's explicit sexual prowess. The chorus repeats the phrase "I be strokin'" while the verses recount various sexual scenarios and positions. The song begins with Carter proclaiming that he doesn't just make love but "strokin'" instead. The verses give examples of the different places where he's made love and the different times of day he prefers to engage in sexual activity. Carter also emphasizes that he "strokes" in all directions, leaving no area untouched. The final verse details a sexual encounter where the woman requests that he slow down, indicating that his sexual technique is so skilled that it leads to uncontrollable pleasure.


While "Strokin'" was released in 1985, it has continued to receive airplay and has been featured in movies and TV shows, notably in the film "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." The song has been sampled by several prominent hip-hop artists, including 2 Live Crew and Missy Elliot. The lyrics have been the subject of controversies, with some arguing that it celebrates toxic masculinity and sexual promiscuity, while others see it as a playful celebration of sexual liberation. Regardless of one's interpretation, the song remains a classic in the R&B canon, a testament to Clarence Carter's vocal prowess and lyrical dexterity.


Line by Line Meaning

When I start makin' love
When I engage in sexual activity


I don't just make love
I don't engage in traditional lovemaking


I be strokin'
I engage in sexual activity in a unique way


That's what I be doin', huh
That's my preferred method of sexual activity


I stroke it to the east
I engage in sexual activity in various positions


And I stroke it to the west
I engage in sexual activity in various positions


And I stroke it to the woman that I love the best
I engage in sexual activity with the woman I love most


Let me ask you somethin'
Can I ask you a question?


What time of the day do you like to make love
When do you prefer to engage in sexual activity?


Have you ever made love just before breakfast
Have you ever engaged in sexual activity early in the morning?


Have you ever made love while you watched the late, late show
Have you ever engaged in sexual activity while watching TV late at night?


Well, let me ask you this
Can I ask you another question?


Have you ever made love on a couch
Have you ever engaged in sexual activity on a couch?


Have you ever made love on the back seat of a car
Have you ever engaged in sexual activity in the back seat of a car?


I remember one time I made love on the back seat of a car
I have engaged in sexual activity in the back seat of a car before


And the police came and shined his light on me, and I said: 'I'm strokin', that's what I'm doin', I be strokin
Even when confronted by police, I continued engaging in sexual activity


How long has it been since you made love, huh?
How long has it been since you engaged in sexual activity?


Did you make love yesterday
Did you engage in sexual activity yesterday?


Did you make love last week
Did you engage in sexual activity last week?


Did you make love last year
Did you engage in sexual activity last year?


Or maybe it might be that you plannin' on makin' love tonight
Perhaps you are planning on engaging in sexual activity tonight


But just remember, when you start making love
But please remember, when you engage in sexual activity


You make it hard, long, soft, short
You should maintain a variety of sexual experiences


And be strokin'
And engage in sexual activity in a unique way


Now when I start making love to my woman
When I engage in sexual activity with my partner


I don't stop until I know she's sex-ified
I continue with sexual activity until my partner is satisfied


And I can always tell when she gets sex-ified
I can always tell when my partner is satisfied


because when she gets sas-fied she start calling my name
When my partner is satisfied, she calls my name


She'd say: 'Clarence Carter, Clarence Carter, Clarence Carter Clarence Carter, ooh shit, Clarence Carter'
She screams my name in excitement and satisfaction


The other night I was strokin' my woman
The other night, I engaged in sexual activity with my partner


And it got so good to her, you know what she told me
And it was so pleasurable for my partner that she said


Let me tell you what she told me, she said: 'Stroke it Clarence Carter, but don't stroke so fast If my stuff ain't tight enough, you can stick it up my' woo!
My partner instructed me to proceed with sexual activity, but to slow down if necessary and to engage in whatever would make her more satisfied


I stroke it to the north
I engage in sexual activity in various positions


I stroke it to the south
I engage in sexual activity in various positions


I stroke it everywhere
I engage in sexual activity in various locations


I even stroke it with my, woo!
I engage in sexual activity with different body parts




Lyrics Β© Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Clarence George Carter

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@kevinlyons3476

Bruh my grandmother played this very loud in the house all day when I was a child. I never payed attention to the words but I used to sing it too. She didn’t give a damn because she’d be in her zone! I miss her so much!

@jaywright9635

❀️🎯

@Capcoor

Cool grandmother!

@leannsmreker3201

I'm playing it really loud right now to see if my kids are paying attention!

@Melissa-bt3yp

πŸ˜‚ lol same here but it was my mom and Aunt πŸ˜ƒ in the beginning when I 1st heardπŸ€” it at 1st I liked the song 🎢 & the beat but I had no idea what it was about🌹 πŸ€—πŸŒΊπŸŽΆ after hearing it a few times and trying to learn all the words I figured it out lol... Funny thing with me is my dad liked to sing 🎢 this song 🎢 saying"there's a sceeder on my peered flick it off" ... I sang it one day and it REALLY PISSED πŸ₯΅ πŸ€”my mom off so bad that she back handed me so hard that I ended up picking myself up off the floor at the end of our hall then she told me to go get a switch but I didn't even make it off the porch before she told me to come back in and go to her room, I knew I was in BIG TROUBLE, she got the belt and I counted 9 licks before my big brother & dad came in the room wanting to know what was going on cuz they heard my moma spanking me and they both literally stopped her by grabbing the belt (my brother did that and my dad jumped in front of me) then when she said why she was spanking me , then both of them told her that it was a Real song 🎢 and my dad end up blaming himself cuz when the song 🎢 would come on he would always turn it up.,... then she started crying and telling me that she was VERY sorry cuz she didn't realize that I was 🎢singing a real song instead of it being a stupid🎢 song that the kids at school made up πŸŒΉπŸ˜πŸ™πŸ¦‹πŸ€—πŸ’šπŸ’ so my dad was the one who played the 🎢🎀 song BUT I was told by my moma that I was NOT 🚫 allowed to sing that song 🎢 ever again in front of her or in the house 🏘️ BUT NEVER said anything about me singing 🎀 the song 🎢 (STROKING) I wander why I never got in trouble for singing 🎀 that song πŸŽΆπŸŽ€πŸ€” OH I KNOW why~~cuz it was the song 🎢 SHE(my mom) liked so much πŸ™πŸ₯΅πŸ€—πŸ¦‹πŸŒΉπŸ’š

@nothingnobody6688

Good one still smiling xx

12 More Replies...

@stephendavis6267

RIP William Friedkin. I hope they're playing this song on an endless loop in the hereafter.

@erictaylor479

The best part of this song is when he said the police came and shined his light on me and I told him"I'm stroking".I lose it everytime.

@PatinaEdochie

πŸ˜‚πŸ˜­right

@alperdue2704

Boarded a boat floating in the channel with no lights on. When nekkid guy comes topside this was playing on his tape player. I don't know what was funnier. This song or drunk guy trying to remember the name of thr girl he just picked up.

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