Killing Me Softly With His Song - Roberta Flack
Music by Charles Fox, Lyrics by Norman Gimbel, in collaboration with Lori Lieberman
Single released Jan 1973
Title track of her album "Killing Me Softly" released Aug 1973
Grammy Award for Record of the Year 1973
Arrangement for one acoustic guitar
Standard guitar tuning, standard chord shapes (see end)
Capo on 1 to match album recording
m7 chords gives jazzier feel, but can be played without the 7
[Chords]
A X02220
Am7 X02010
B7 X21202
C X32010
D XX0232
D7 XX0212
E 022100
Em 022000
Em7 020030
F 133211 (can also play Fmaj7 XX3210)
G 320003
***********************************
| / Slide up
| Slide down
| h Hammer on
***********************************
[Intro Chorus 1] 0:00
(play single quiet strum for each chord)
Em7 Am7 D7 G
Strumming my pain with his fingers, Singing my life with his words,
Em A D C
Killing me softly with his song, Killing me softly with his song,
G C F F E E
Telling my whole life, With his words, Killing me softly, With his song. (tacet)
[Interlude] 0:31
Ooooh
e|------------------|------------------|
B|----5-3-----5-3---|--5-3-------------|
G|----0-0-----0-0---|--0-0-------------|
D|-2--2-2-----2-2---|--2-2-------------|
A|-0----------------|---------0h2--0h2-|
E|------------------|------------------|
(^snare) (^snare)
(louder) Dooo Dooo ooo ooo
e|------------------|------------------|
B|--3-5-3-----5-3---|--5-3-------------|
G|--0-0-0-----0-0---|--0-0-------------|
D|--2-2-2-----2-2---|--2-2-------------| (repeat 2 more times)
A|-0----------------|---------0h2--0h2-|
E|------------------|------------------|
(^snare) (^snare)
[Verse 1] 0:48
Am7 D G C
I heard he sang a good song, I heard he had a style,
Am7 D Em Em
And so I came to see him to listen for a while,
Am7 D7 G B7
And there he was this young boy, A stranger to my eyes.
[Chorus 2] 1:11
Em7 Am7 D7 G
Strumming my pain with his fingers, Singing my life with his words,
Em A D C
Killing me softly with his song, Killing me softly with his song,
G C F F E E
Telling my whole life, With his words, Killing me softly, With his song. (tacet)
[Verse 2] 1:39
Am7 D G C
I felt all flushed with fever, Embarrassed by the crowd,
Am7 D Em Em
I felt he found my letters and read each one out loud,
Am7 D7 G B7
I prayed that he would finish, But he just kept right on.
[Chorus 2] 2:03
Em7 Am7 D7 G
Strumming my pain with his fingers, Singing my life with his words,
Em A D C
Killing me softly with his song, Killing me softly with his song,
G C F F E E
Telling my whole life, With his words, Killing me softly, With his song. (tacet)
[Verse 3] 2:31
Am7 D G C
He sang as if he knew me, In all my dark despair,
Am7 D Em Em
And then he looked right through me as if I wasn't there,
Am7 D7 G B7
And he just kept on singing, Singing clear and strong.
[Chorus 3] 2:55
Em7 Am7 D7 G
Strumming my pain with his fingers, Singing my life with his words,
Em A D C
Killing me softly with his song, Killing me softly with his song,
G C F F E E
Telling my whole life, With his words, Killing me softly, With his song. (tacet)
[Chorus 4] 3:22
Em7 Am7 D7 G
Ohh Ohh Ohh, Ohh Ohh Ohh, Ohh Ohh Ohh Ohh Ohh,
Em A D C
La La La La La La, Ohh Ohh Ohh, Ohh Ohh Ohh,
G C F F E E
La Ahh Ahh, Ahh Ahh Ahh, Ah AhAh AhAh/AhAh
[Chorus 5] 3:49
Em7 Am7 D7 G
Strumming my pain with his fingers, Singing my life with his words,
Em A D C
Killing me softly with his song, Killing me softly with his song,
G C F F E E
Telling my whole life, With his words, Killing me... (tacet)
[Chorus 5] 4:16
Em7 Am7 D7 G
He was strumming my pain, Yeah he was singing my life,
Em A D C
Killing me softly with his song, Killing me softly with his song,
G C F F E
Telling my whole life, With his words, Killing me softly, With his song.
[End] 4:45