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.
I'm Easy
Clarence Carter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I just can't stand the pain
Girl I'm leaving you tomorrow
Seems to me girl
You know I've done all I can
You see I begged, stole
And I borrowed
I'm easy like sunday morning
That's why I'm easy
I'm easy like sunday morning
Why in the world
Would anyboddy put chains on me?
I've paid my dues to make it
Everbody wants me to be
What they want me to be
I'm not happy when I try to fake it!
No!
Ooh,that's why I'm easy
I'm easy like sunday morning
That's why I'm easy
I'm easy like sunday morning
I wanna be high, so high
I wanna be free to know
The things I do are right
I wanna be free
Just me, babe!
That's why I'm easy
I'm easy like sunday morning
That's why I'm easy
I'm easy like sunday morning
Because I'm easy
Easy like sunday morning
Because I'm easy
Easy like sunday morning
In Clarence Carter's song "I'm Easy," the lyrics describe a man who is leaving his relationship because he cannot tolerate the pain any longer. Despite his efforts to save the relationship, he recognizes that his partner is not satisfied with who he truly is. He emphasizes that he wants to be free and true to himself rather than conform to the expectations of others. The lines "Why in the world would anybody put chains on me? I've paid my dues to make it" depict the singer's frustration with the constraints placed upon him by the expectations of others. He is tired of pretending to be someone he's not and wants the freedom to be himself.
The chorus, "That's why I'm easy, I'm easy like Sunday morning," emphasizes the peace of mind that the singer desires. The comparison to Sunday morning, a day of rest and relaxation, implies that the singer wants a life free of stress and pain. Moreover, the line "I wanna be high, so high" may imply that the singer wants to experience a sense of euphoria or achieve something that gives him true satisfaction.
Line by Line Meaning
Know it sounds funny
I know what I'm about to say may sound weird or unexpected
But I just can't stand the pain
But I can no longer endure the emotional distress caused by our relationship
Girl, I'm leaving you tomorrow
I have come to the decision that I'm ending this relationship tomorrow
Seems to me girl, you know I've done all I can
It appears that you already know that I have done everything in my power to make this relationship work
You see I begged, stole, and I borrowed
In my attempts to make this work, I've pleaded and even resorted to desperate measures
Ooh, that's why I'm easy
All of these things I've done to try and save this relationship have taken a toll on me
I'm easy like Sunday morning
Now that I've made the decision to leave, I feel at peace and relaxed, just like an easy Sunday morning
Why in the world would anybody put chains on me?
I don't understand why people would try to limit my freedom or happiness
I've paid my dues to make it
I have worked hard and made sacrifices to get to where I am
Everybody wants me to be what they want me to be
Despite my efforts, people still try to control what I do or who I am
I'm not happy when I try to fake it! No!
I have come to realize that pretending to be someone I'm not or suppressing how I feel is making me unhappy
I wanna be high, so high
I want to experience the feeling of ecstasy or liberation
I wanna be free to know the things I do are right
I want to have the freedom to determine my own path and know that what I do aligns with my own moral compass
I wanna be free, just me, babe!
I want to be free to be myself without the influence of anyone else
Because I'm easy, easy like Sunday morning
All of these realizations have made me feel a sense of ease and tranquility, just like an easy Sunday morning
Contributed by Brooklyn Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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