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.
Strokin
Clarence Carter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
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'
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 © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Clarence George Carter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Gail Waterbury
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