Killing Me Softly

I think this has got to be one of my favorite songs, not just because of what the lyrics are saying, but because of the emotion you can feel when she sings.

The story of the song is quite simple: She hears of this young performer and his talents, so she goes to see him perform to see if he is as talented as she has heard. When she gets there, his songs are describing all of her emotions and feelings, almost as if he had somehow read a journal or diary of hers (I felt he found my letters; And read each one out loud).

I think the last verse describes the song entirely: "He sang as if he knew me In all my dark despair And then he looked right through me As if I wasn't there But he was there, this stranger Singing clear and strong"

I think the song is very straight forward. She went to a concert of someone she had not heard much by. He sang and she related so well she became emotional, it hit home. Everyone at one point hears a song and it just really hits them, and this is what happened to Roberta Flack when she went to a Don McClain concert. When he sang a certain song (not sure on what song it was) she became very emotional and this is what she wrote about. And I think that the Fugees did a wonderful cover with much emotion and they owned the song.

penny-lane has almost gotten it. The song is indeed about a moving performace at a Don McLean concert. Although the tune was made popular by Roberta Flack, it was actually written and first performed by a woman named Lori Lieberman:

http://www.lorilieberman.com/music/killingmesoftly.wma

The "song" that she is referring to is Empty Chairs. Give it a listen; it is actually a very moving composition by one of the most under-appreciated American writer-performers of our time.

No one has another view of this song?

How bout a more abstract, sinister interpretation of an abusive relationship, one who controls his partner, forcing her into situations and making choices for her. Someone who doesn't have the self esteem to live his own life with his own personality, instead taking a woman's over. "strumming my pain with his fingers, telling my life with his words."

how bout dat shit

This song is my all time fav. It's deffinatly one of the best songs, next to Peaches'n'Creme.

this song was written about Don McClean

bigjerty, hav you even read the lyrics beside the chorus cus its pretty obviously about a song by don mclean that reflected her experiences or a situation she had been in in her life

My school jazz choir is doing this song... It's good to sing it, but the harmony...

Roberta Flack did the original version

I love this song.. I'm singing it in a competition in three weeks.. the words and pitches are awesome.. it's one of my favs.