Carter's earliest releases were as half of the duo Clarence And Calvin. Also known as the "C And C Boys", the blind duo made seven singles, the last of which was recorded at Fame's Muscle Shoals studio. When his partner, Calvin Thomas (aka Scott), suffered serious injuries in a car accident in 1966, Carter became a solo act (Calvin himself later reappeared as a solo act to record two Dave Crawford-produced Atco Records singles in 1969/70 and a Clarence Paul-produced 1971 album for Stax Records, I'm Not Blind ... I Just Can't See, from which two singles were also taken). "Tell Daddy", released in January 1967, began a fruitful spell of Fame-produced hits by Carter, released on the Atlantic Records label. Noteworthy were "Thread The Needle", "Looking For A Fox" and "Slip Away", where the singer combined his outstanding voice with his skill as an arranger and musician.
"Patches", first recorded by Chairmen Of The Board, was a UK number 2 and a US number 4 in 1970, but despite further strong offerings, Clarence was unable to sustain the momentum. He remained with Fame until 1973, where he also helped guide Candi Staton, who was now his wife, before moving to ABC Records the subsequent year.
Further recordings on Venture and Big C took Carter's career into the 1980s and later the artist found a sympathetic outlet with the Ichiban Records label. Despite being blinded as a child, he developed a distinctive guitar style that complemented his earthy delivery, and was just as comfortable on keyboards, writing songs or arranging sessions. The first two albums, This Is Clarence Carter and The Dynamic Clarence Carter show off his versatile talent to good effect.
Clarence returned in the late Eighties with the album Dr. CC, which spawned the bawdy, comedic single "Strokin'", which has evolved into a favorite at clubs and weddings. He later followed it up with a sequel, "Still Strokin'", in 1989.
Everybody Plays the Fool
Clarence Carter Lyrics
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You're sitting around mopin', mopin', mopin', cryin', cryin'
You say you're even thinking about dying
Well, before you do anything rash, baby, listen to this
Everybody plays the fool, sometime
There's no exception to the rule, listen baby
It may be factual, it may be cruel, I ain't lying
Fallin' in love is such an easy thing to do
But there's no guarantee that the one you love, is gonna love you
Oh, loving eyes they cannot see a certain person could never be
Love runs deeper than any ocean, it clouds you're mind with emotion
Everybody plays the fool, sometime
There's no exception to the rule, listen baby
It may be factual, it may be cruel, I ain't lying
Everybody plays the fool
How can you help it, when the music starts to play
And your ability to reason, is swept away
Oh, heaven on earth is all you see, you're out of touch with reality
And now you cry, but when you do, next time around someone cries for you
Hey, everybody plays the fool, sometime
Use your heart just like a tool, listen baby
They never tell you so in school, I wanna say it again,
Everybody plays the fool
Everybody plays the fool, sometime
There's no exception to the rule, listen baby
It may be factual, it may be cruel, I ain't lying
Everybody plays the fool
Every plays the fool, sometime
There's no exception to the rule, listen baby
It may be factual, it may be cruel, I wanna say it again
Everybody plays the fool
The song "Everybody Plays the Fool" by Clarence Carter is a reminder that heartache is an inevitable part of life. The lyrics speak to someone who is down on their luck after a failed romance and thinks that they are alone in their pain. The song acknowledges that everyone has gone through similar experiences and no one is exempt from heartbreak. The chorus tells the listener that “Everybody plays the fool, sometime. There’s no exception to the rule” meaning that everyone falls in love, makes mistakes, and gets hurt in the process. The verse, “falling in love is such an easy thing to do. But there’s no guarantee that the one you love, is gonna love you” speaks to the fact that love is never guaranteed, and it's just a part of life that we all go through. The song also touches on how love can cloud our judgment and make us blind to certain situations. In the end, the message of the song is to use love and heartbreak as a tool to grow and learn from our experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
Ok, so your heart is broken
I understand that your heart is broken
You're sitting around mopin', mopin', mopin', cryin', cryin'
You are sad and crying all the time
You say you're even thinking about dying
You have contemplated suicide
Well, before you do anything rash, baby, listen to this
Before you make any drastic decisions, listen to my advice
Everybody plays the fool, sometime
Everyone experiences heartbreak at some point in their lives
There's no exception to the rule, listen baby
No one is exempt from going through heartbreak
It may be factual, it may be cruel, I ain't lying
It is a harsh reality but I am telling the truth
Fallin' in love is such an easy thing to do
It is easy to fall in love with someone
But there's no guarantee that the one you love, is gonna love you
However, there is no guarantee that they will feel the same
Oh, loving eyes they cannot see a certain person could never be
Sometimes, even if you love someone, they might not be right for you
Love runs deeper than any ocean, it clouds you're mind with emotion
Love can cloud your judgement and emotions run deep
How can you help it, when the music starts to play
It's hard to resist falling in love when you are listening to romantic music
And your ability to reason, is swept away
You become irrational and your reasoning abilities are compromised
Oh, heaven on earth is all you see, you're out of touch with reality
You are so in love that it seems like heaven on earth, but you are out of touch with reality
And now you cry, but when you do, next time around someone cries for you
You may be crying now, but in the future someone else will cry for you
Use your heart just like a tool, listen baby
Use your heart to make decisions, but also use your head
They never tell you so in school, I wanna say it again,
They don't teach you this in school, but it's important to remember
Every plays the fool, sometime
Everyone goes through heartbreak at some point in their lives
It may be factual, it may be cruel, I wanna say it again
It's a harsh reality, but it's worth repeating
Everybody plays the fool, sometime
Everyone experiences heartbreak at some point in their lives
There's no exception to the rule, listen baby
No one is exempt from going through heartbreak
It may be factual, it may be cruel, I ain't lying
It is a harsh reality but I am telling the truth
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CARLIN AMERICA INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Kenneth Williams, Ralph Bailey, Rudy Clark
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Gail Waterbury
on Strokin
I remember the first time hearing this from my friend 20 years ago. Me being me fell in love with not only this but many other nasty songs. He'll I raised my kids on this s*** . Alongwith David Allen coe Even played this for my Grandma who almost died of laughter