Carlton George Douglas (born Oct 10th 1942) is a Jamaican-born, UK-resident… Read Full Bio ↴Carlton George Douglas (born Oct 10th 1942) is a Jamaican-born, UK-resident singer. He is most famous for his song "Kung Fu Fighting", which hit number one on both the US Billboard Chart and the UK Singles Chart in 1974. In the wake of his #1, Douglas released other hit tracks including "Dance The Kung Fu" and "Run Back", but the fame of his homage to martial arts films overshadowed the rest of the singer's career.

Kung Fu Fighting has been the subject of numerous remixes,and Carl has made appearances on cover versions of the song. He now resides in Germany where he runs a publishing company that co-ordinates films, documentaries, and advertisements. As of 2005, his website said he is in the process of recording new material to release, but could not tour due to injuries sustained in an auto accident.

When Douglas first arrived in the U.K. around 1964, he hit the UK charts in 1964 with the single Crazy Feeling that went to #21. He also cut the Northern Soul classic, Serving A Sentence For Life. This is, indeed, the same Carl Douglas as the man who recorded Kung Fu Fighting.

http://carl-douglas.com

serving a sentence of life
Carl Douglas Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Before the world were mine
I wouldn't give nothing to you girl
You been, wasting my time
And I didn't need ano'thing to (something)
I try so hard, to make it for you girl
I paid you all my love but you (something) my world
And I'm serving a sentence of life for loving you, oh yes I am notched out
I'm serving a sentence of life for loving you, and it's drivin me wild, yes it's driving me wild

From beauty of loving you
I ain't that man at defense nah
You said you love me too
I gonna use that and dance my dance now
You said, you said you really have tears in your eyes
I just can't help thinking, of all those other lies
I'm serving a sentence of life for loving you, oh yes I am notched out
I'm serving a sentence of life for loving you, and it's drivin me wild, yes it's drivin me wild, there we go
Yes I'm serving a sentence of life for loving you, oh yes I am notched out

I'm serving a sentence of life for loving you, (something)
I'm serving a sentence of life for loving you

Overall Meaning

The song "Serving a Sentence of Life" by Carl Douglas is a tale of unrequited love and the pain that comes with it. The lyrics speak of a man who gave his all to a woman but was met with nothing but waste and betrayals. The opening lines of the song show that the man would not have even bothered giving her anything if he had known her true nature from the beginning. He accuses her of wasting his time and not appreciating his love for her. The man tried his best to make it work between them, but she kept causing him pain.

The chorus shows that the man feels trapped and stuck, unable to move on from his love for her. He compares his love to a life sentence, which he must serve and endure, "I'm serving a sentence of life for loving you, and it's drivin me wild, yes it's driving me wild." He feels helpless, unable to escape from the pain and suffering that his love has brought upon him.

The second verse of the song expresses the man's dismay at the woman's lies and manipulations. He had believed her when she said she loved him, but now he sees it as just another lie. He feels trapped, unable to move on, and can't stop thinking about the pain that his love has brought him. The song captures the pain and desperation that comes with unrequited love, and it is a testimony to Douglas's fantastic songwriting skills.

Line by Line Meaning

Before the world were mine
Before I had everything, before I was successful

I wouldn't give nothing to you girl
I wouldn't give anything to you, I didn't see you as important

You been, wasting my time
You have been wasting my time

And I didn't need ano'thing to (something)
And I didn't need anything to feel complete

I try so hard, to make it for you girl
I tried really hard to make you happy

I paid you all my love but you (something) my world
I gave you all of my love, but you ruined my life

And I'm serving a sentence of life for loving you, oh yes I am notched out
And I'm stuck with the consequences of loving you forever, it's taking a toll on me

I'm serving a sentence of life for loving you, and it's drivin me wild, yes it's driving me wild
I'm stuck with the consequences of loving you forever, it's making me feel crazy

From beauty of loving you
From the beauty of loving you

I ain't that man at defense nah
I'm not the man to defend myself

You said you love me too
You said you love me too

I gonna use that and dance my dance now
I'm going to use that and move on with my life

You said, you said you really have tears in your eyes
You said that you were really upset and crying

I just can't help thinking, of all those other lies
I can't help but think about all the other lies you told me

I'm serving a sentence of life for loving you, (something)
I'm stuck with the consequences of loving you forever

Writer(s): pierre tubbs

Contributed by Penelope D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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