Strumming my pain with his fingers
Singing my life with his words
Killing me softly with his song
Killing me softly with his song
Telling my whole life with his words
Killing me softly with his song

(Ha) (yo) (yeah yeah)
This is Wyclef, Refugee Camp (L-Boogie up in here)
Praswell (Praswell up in here, haha)
Lil' Base sittin' up here on the bass (Refugees up in here)
While I'm on this, I got my girl L (ah, ah)
One time (one time), one time (one time)
Ayo, L, you know you got the lyrics

I heard he sang a good song, I heard he had a style
And so I came to see him, and listen for a while
And there he was, this young boy, stranger to my eyes

Strumming my pain with his fingers (one time, one time)
Singing my life with his words (two times, two times)
Killing me softly with his song
Killing me softly with his song
Telling my whole life with his words
Killing me softly with his song

I felt all flushed with fever, embarrassed by the crowd
I felt he'd found my letters and read each one out loud
I prayed that he would finish, but he just kept right on

Strumming my pain with his fingers (one time, one time)
Singing my life with his words (two times, two times)
Killing me softly with his song
Killing me softly with his song
Telling my whole life with his words
Killing me softly with his song

Yo, L-Boog, take me to the bridge

Whoa
Woah-oah-ah-ah-ah uh, uh
La-la-la, la, la, la
Whoa, la
Whoa, la (ha, ha, ha, ha)
La-ah-ah-ah-ah

Strumming my pain with his fingers (yes, he was singing my life)
Singing my life with his words
Killing me softly with his song
Killing me softly with his song
Telling my whole life with his words (whole life, with his words)
Killing me softly with his song

Yo, put your hands together for L-Boogie (strumming my pain)
From the Refugee Camp (yeah, yeah)
(Singing my life) up in here, you know how we do, L-Boogie up in here
Wyclef, Praswell, said L-Boogie up in here
Wyclef up in here
My man Lil' Base (Praswell up in here)
Jerry one time
T Rocks up in here, we got Warren up in here
This is how we (Warren up, up in here, Outsiders up here)
We got Fallon up in here, Mulaney, Mulaney's up in here
(Refugee Camp, Refugee Camp, yeah)

Everybody got a breakin' point kid
And they'll rat on you
The family niggas will rat on you
That's why we gotta be prepared to take whoever out we need to


Lyrics submitted by goodriddance

Killing Me Softly With His Song Lyrics as written by Charles Fox Norman Gimbel

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Killing Me Softly song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

11 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment

    great song

    thegreatbob15on October 15, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    this song was originally done by Roberta Flack, and the song is about Don McClean

    xheartbreakerxon January 15, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    you really want people to know that, huh xheartbreakerx?

    ha

    DarkAntiCristaon September 03, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    this song reminds me of friends who have died.. i dont know why but it does. and every time i have to sing it for either vocal training or even a show i find it hard not to cry as this is one of the songs that i would listen to if i thinking of those people. but also it is a kind of release for me and puts me at ease if i am feeling upset about the friends of mine who have before passed.

    x-miss-blonde-xon August 24, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    "I heard he sang a good song, I heard he had a style." -she is talking about how she goes to lik a poetry place,and everyone was telling her about this poet and how good he was

    "And there he was this young boy, a stranger to my eyes" -she is talking about how she had never met this guy b4

    "Strumming my pain with his fingers, singing my life with his words, killing me softly with his song, killing me softly with his song, telling my whole life with his words, killing me softly with his song." -she is talking about how she was hearing his poem,and she related to the poem so much,she knew that poem was talking about her

    "I felt all flushed with fever, embarrassed by the crowd, I felt he found my letters and read each one out loud. I prayed that he would finish but he just kept right on" -she was shocked by how much she related to the poem,that she felt he found her diary and read all her pages.she felt almost embarresed by it.

    "He sang it as 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" -she felt like he new her inside and out.she felt that he was there through all the good and bad times,yet she new he was just a stranger.she felt as if they new each other but he looked at her lik a stranger also

    overall one of my favorites!!!!

    14ballason February 22, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i don't understand what the song is about but everytime i hear/sing it, i want to cry.

    Linda.Love.on June 02, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    this is my fav song of all time. i love to write poems and songs and get all my feelings out and this song meansto me that he is killing her softly because he knows her inner most secrets and feelings yet she has never seen him in her life. omg, i olve this song and her rendition of it and i get goosebumps everytime i hear it. or sing it.

    nicnadon October 28, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Actually this song was originally written and sung by Lori Lieberman. Roberta Flack covered it, and it became a hit.

    Insurance Fireson July 29, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I love this sooooong!!!!....its just one of a kind..its my all time favorite song.....this is a song I just want to sing along with....I luv it!!!!

    jessthemesson October 22, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i love this song so much. i have been listening to it nonstop for like 3 days.

    dcmscheer12on October 10, 2009   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him. There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Album art
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere. In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Album art
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve. The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future. Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere" The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Album art
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988. "'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it." "There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Album art
Magical
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.