Killing Me Softly with His Song
Cassandra Wilson Lyrics


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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

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.

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.

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 just came to singing, singing clear and strong.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Cassandra Wilson’s “Killing Me Softly with His Song” convey a raw and emotional experience of being moved by music. The opening lines “Strumming my pain with his fingers, singing my life with his words” create a vivid image of the power of music and its ability to tap into our deepest emotions. The second line, “killing me softly with his song,” suggests that the sheer intensity and profound resonance of the music is so strong that it can be overwhelming, even unbearable.


As the song progresses, it tells a story of a woman who goes to hear a musician play in hopes of finding solace in his music. She’s struck by the power of his performance and the poignant way he’s able to convey human emotion through his music. The lines “I felt all flushed with fever, embarrassed by the crowd, I felt he found my letters and read each one out loud” suggest that the music was so powerful and evocative that it felt like the musician was reading her personal diary out loud to a room full of strangers.


Despite feeling exposed and vulnerable, the woman can’t help but continue to listen to the musician’s performance because it feels like he’s telling her life story through his lyrics. The final lines “But he just came to singing, singing clear and strong” encapsulate the catharsis and emotional release that can come from being moved by music.


Line by Line Meaning

Strumming my pain with his fingers,
He's playing the guitar in a way that resonates with the emotions I'm feeling


Singing my life with his words,
He's singing about my experiences and emotions in a way that feels personal to me


Killing me softly with his song,
His performance is causing me to feel extreme emotional pain


Telling my whole life with his words,
He's singing about all of the experiences and emotions that have defined my life so far


Killing me softly with his song
His performance is still causing me intense emotional pain


I heard he sang a good song, I heard he had a style.
I've heard that he is a talented musician with a distinctive style


And so I came to see him to listen for a while.
I decided to go to one of his shows to check out his music


And there he was this young boy, a stranger to my eyes.
When I saw him in person, I didn't recognize him because he was so young and I had never met him before


I felt all flushed with fever, embarrassed by the crowd,
His performance made me feel overwhelmed and uncomfortable in front of the audience


I felt he found my letters and read each one out loud.
His lyrics felt like they were based on personal letters I had written, even though he couldn't possibly have read them


I prayed that he would finish but he just kept right on.
I wanted his performance to end because it was causing me so much pain, but he didn't stop


He sang as if he knew me in all my dark despair
His performance felt like it was speaking directly to my innermost feelings of sadness and hopelessness


And then he looked right through me as if I wasn't there.
Despite how personal the performance felt, he didn't actually see me as a person and wasn't paying attention to my reactions


But he just came to singing, singing clear and strong.
He was just doing what he loved and performing his music to the best of his abilities




Lyrics © Royalty Network, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Robin Spielberg, Norman Gimbel, Charles Fox

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Dawud Abdullaah

Man, what a great arrangement. The only link to the original is the melody she's singing...and the 2nd part of the chorus. Awesome.

Godfather CHUUUCH

She slick with it 🎤

davielove11

Really nice take on this CLASSIC!

Mr. F Wright

I love this

Luis Alejandro Pėrez

Me gustaría un dúo con Buika, tienen ese color de voz parecido.

Fernando Castaño

La exquisitez hecha mujer !! Negra mi amor

Natalie vermoit

nice smooth sensual voice

Genesis Gunn

Agreed

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