Killing Me Softly With His Song
Afro Blue Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

One, two, three and up
Yo, put your hands up
Yo, one time, one time, one time

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

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

Killing me softly, killing me softly

Telling my whole life with his words
Killing me softly with his song

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Afro Blue's song Killing Me Softly With His Song tell the story of the singer's intense emotional reaction to a musician's performance. She had heard about this boy's talent and style, and decided to go see him perform. As she listened to him play and sing, she was deeply moved by the way he was able to capture and convey her own experiences and emotions. She felt as though he was "strumming my pain with his fingers" and "telling my whole life with his words" - in other words, he was able to express her own personal struggles and joys better than she ever could.

The song is not just about the singer's experience, however - it's also about the power of music to connect people and to touch them on a deep emotional and personal level. The repeated refrain of "killing me softly with his song" speaks to the intensity of this connection, and suggests that music has the power to move us in profound and sometimes painful ways.

Line by Line Meaning

One, two, three and up
Counting off before starting the song.

Yo, put your hands up
Encouraging the audience to participate and show enthusiasm.

Yo, one time, one time, one time
Asking for the audience's attention and participation on this particular occasion.

I heard he sang a good song, I heard he had a style
The singer had heard about someone who was known for their musical talent.

And so I came to see him to listen for a while
The singer decided to see this person perform in order to hear their music.

And there he was this young boy, a stranger to my eyes
When the singer saw this talented musician, they did not know him and he was unfamiliar to them.

Strumming my pain with his fingers
The musician played their guitar in a way that reflected the singer's own emotional pain.

Singing my life with his words
The musician's lyrics resonated with the singer's own life experiences.

Killing me softly with his song
The emotional connection the singer felt with the musician's performance was so strong that it was affecting them deeply.

Killing me softly with his song
Repeating the previous line to emphasize the intense emotional impact of the musician's performance.

Telling my whole life with his words
The musician's lyrics were so relatable to the singer's own experiences that it felt like they were telling their entire life story.

Killing me softly with his song
Repeating the refrain to emphasize the overwhelming emotional impact of the musician's performance.

Contributed by Annabelle N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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