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' (Long
Clarence Carter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
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 sas-ified
And I can always tell when she gets sas-ified
´Cause when she gets sas-fied she start calling my name
She´d say: ´Clarence Carter, Clarence Carter, Clarence Carter
Clarence Carter, ooooh 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´ Ha! Ha!
I be strokin´
The lyrics to Clarence Carter's "Strokin'" depict sexual acts and are considered explicit. The song and lyrics are a celebration of sexual pleasure and exploration. The repeated line "I be strokin'" is a euphemism for sexual activity, and the various scenarios mentioned in the song suggest a wide range of sexual experiences and preferences.
The first verse sets the tone, with the singer stating that he "strokes it" in all directions and for the woman he loves the most. He then proceeds to ask the listener a series of questions about their sexual preferences, including what time of day they enjoy making love, if they have ever made love on a couch or in a car, and how long it has been since they last had sex.
The latter half of the lyrics continue to explore sexual activities, with the singer boasting about his prowess and indicating that he does not stop until his partner is satisfied. The inclusion of the line "I even stroke it with my... WOO!" is a clear indication of the explicit nature of the lyrics and the singer's willingness to explore all aspects of sexual pleasure.
Overall, the lyrics to "Strokin'" are meant to be lighthearted and celebratory of sexual exploration and pleasure, although they may not be suitable for all listeners.
Line by Line Meaning
I stroke it to the east
I pleasure myself in one direction
And I stroke it to the west
I pleasure myself in another direction
And I stroke it to the woman that I love the best
I pleasure myself while thinking of my favorite woman
I be strokin'
I am pleasuring myself
Let me ask you somethin'...
Can I ask you a question?
What time of the day do you like to make love
What time of day do you prefer to have sex?
Have you ever made love just before breakfast
Have you had sex early in the morning?
Have you ever made love while you watched the late, late show
Have you had sex 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 had sex on a couch?
Have you ever made love on the back seat of a car
Have you had sex in the back seat of a car?
I remember one time I made love on the back seat of a car
I once had sex in 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''
The police interrupted me, but I told them I was pleasuring myself
How long has it been since you made love, huh?
When was the last time you had sex?
Did you make love yesterday
Did you have sex yesterday?
Did you make love last week
Have you had sex in the last week?
Did you make love last year
Have you had sex in the last year?
Or maybe it might be that you plannin' on makin' love tonight
Maybe you are planning to have sex tonight?
But just remember, when you start making love
Remember that when you have sex,
You make it hard, long, soft, short
Do it at different speeds and intensities
And be strokin'
And enjoy the pleasure
Now when I start making love to my woman
When I have sex with my partner
I don't stop until I know she's sas-ified
I continue until she is satisfied
And I can always tell when she gets sas-ified
I know when she is satisfied
Cuz when she gets sas-fied she start calling my name
She calls out my name when she is satisfied
She'd say: 'Clarence Carter, Clarence Carter, Clarence Carter, Clarence Carter, ooooh shit, Clarence Carter'
She calls out my name multiple times in pleasure
The other night I was strokin' my woman
One night I was pleasuring my partner
And it got so good to her, you know what she told me
It felt so good to her that she said
Let me tell you what she told me, she said: 'Stroke it Clarence Carter, but don't stroke so fast
She told me to slow down while pleasuring her
If my stuff ain't tight enough, you can stick it up my... WOO!
If it doesn't feel tight enough, you can put it inside me
I be strokin' Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!
I am pleasuring myself and laughing
I stroke it to the north
I pleasure myself in one direction
I stroke it to the south
I pleasure myself in another direction
I stroke it everywhere
I pleasure myself all over
I even stroke it with my... WOO!
I even pleasure myself with my genitals
I be strokin'
I am pleasuring myself
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Roba Music
Written by: CLARENCE GEORGE CARTER
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