CLEAR_RECORD built-in fails

 I have a non-database multi-record block.  I used TEXT_IO to read text lines in from a text file to populate the rows in the block.  After that's done, I read thru the list and if a row doesn't meet my requirements, I like to CLEAR_RECORD and move the rows underneath up.  For some reason that built-in fails as the non-qualified row doesn't get cleared and just stays on the list.  I thought CLEAR_RECORD applied to all types of block, table-based or not.