[Intro]
This groove is so serious, yeah
It's a stroke thang, baby, ah yeah
It's a strokin' thang, oh baby
Come on

[Verse 1]
I never claimed to be an angel or a saint (Nah)
I never claimed to be the devil 'cause I ain't
I never thought that I could even make it back
I visit hell sometimes, and all I found was crack (Lots of crack, baby)
I spent some time inside a penitentiary (Folsom)
And all I did was think and eat and watch TV
(And lift weights, and play cards, and talk shit)
When I got out, I did just what I had to do (Took care of my business)
Went in the studio and wrote some funk for you

[Chorus]
I got up (I got up, I got up)
I was strokin' (Strokin', yeah baby, yeah)
So serious (o serious, so serious)
It was no joke
(Oh no, yeah, it wasn't no joke, man)

Dance! Groove ain't no joke, y'all
Dance, come on!
Yeah, dance your ass off
[Verse 2]
And now I'm laying back and just taking my time
A little older but at least I'm doing fine
All of the young O.G.'s I meet from day to day
Tell me how they grew up on music that I play
But what they just don't know is that I'm still alive (I'm still alive)
Players gonna play and only the strong survive ('Cause I'm groovin')
And if I have to take my life and write it down (What would you say?)
You see a man who lived his life on shaky ground (You know what?)

[Chorus]
I got up (I got up)
I was stroke (Strokin', strokin', yeah baby)
So serious (So serious, so serious)
It was no joke
(It was no joke, it was no joke, it was no joke)
(I almost died)
I got up (I got up)
And I ain't mad (I ain't mad about it, no)
I will be back again (I'ma be back again, baby)
And just as bad (Just as bad, just as freaky bad, yeah)

Dance!
Dance, muthafucka! Uh-huh, come on

[Verse 3]
I spent some time inside a penitentiary (Doing nothing)
And all I did was think and eat and watch TV
When I got out, I did just what I had to do (Took care of my business)
Went in the studio and wrote some funk for you
[Chorus]
I got up (I got up)
I was stroke (I was strokin', strokin', baby)
It was serious (Serious, so serious)
It was no joke
(It wasn't no joke, it wasn't no joke, it wasn't no joke)
I got up (I got up)
And I ain't mad (I ain't mad about it, oh no)
I will be back again (Gonna be back with you, baby)
And just as bad (Just as bad, just as bad)

[Outro]
Come on, get on up, on the stroke
Get on up, on the stroke

Dance! Groove ain't no joke, y'all
Dance, come on!
Yeah, dance your ass off

Dance! Groove ain't no joke, y'all
Dance, come on!
Yeah, dance your ass off