Killing Me Softly With His Song - Valerie: A Tribute To Amy Winehouse - Art Boutiki Music Hall

We had an incredible time performing "Killing Me Softly With HIs Song" in San Jose at our last show! 🎶
"Killing Me Softly with His Song" is about the profound emotional impact of hearing a song that resonates deeply with the listener’s personal feelings and experiences. The song’s narrator describes the experience of hearing a singer perform a song that seems to tell her own story, as though the singer knows her inner thoughts and emotions. This connection between the listener and the music is so powerful that it feels both intimate and overwhelming.
Key lines like "Strumming my pain with his fingers" and "Singing my life with his words" reflect how the song taps into the listener’s personal struggles and memories, evoking a strong emotional response. The metaphor of being "killed softly" suggests the intensity of these feelings, as the song stirs up vulnerabilities and emotions in a gentle yet deeply affecting way.
Originally performed by Roberta Flack (and later popularized by The Fugees), the song is a reflection on the universal experience of feeling seen and understood through music, even when it’s not directly about you. Amy Winehouse might have been drawn to this song because of its emotional depth and connection to themes of love, heartache, and introspection, which align closely with her own style.
Watch the full show here: • Valerie: Art Boutiki M...
Stay Connected:
Instagram: @valerieamyband
TikTok: @valerieamyband
Facebook: @valerieamyband
Website: ValerieAmyBand.com
Lyrics:
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
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