Chords for Lori Lieberman comes to terms with Killing Me Softly
Tempo:
90.1 bpm
Chords used:
G
Ab
D
C
Em
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
What is it for you, because you wrote many songs, [Ab] you've done several recordings, and [Gm] this song is [Em] maybe your
Claim to fame?
[Am]
I heard [D] he sang a good [G] song, I [C] heard he had a star,
[G] [Am] And so [D] I came to see him, [Em] to listen for a while.
[C] In the very beginning I [G] felt a little bit, maybe [Cm] embarrassed by it, somehow.
[G] I felt like it was hard for me to say this song was [Ab] written about Don McLean, I felt like, that's kind of corny.
And [Bb]
[Ab] then when Roberta Flack had the big hit, after hearing my version, I felt a little, you know, kind of happy about it,
But then there was this feeling of [Bb] a little [Ab] bit, a little jealous, a little, you know,
And then there was this, in the States at that time, there was this sort of a fight between,
I [Bbm] like Roberta's version better, I like Laurie's [Db] version better, it was this [Eb] big silly thing.
[Ab] Pictures in the paper of Roberta, me, and then Don, you know, she stole my song, it wasn't that at all.
She made it something I wouldn't have, you know, ever have done.
I never would have [G] done this kind of a two-feel that she did.
You know, she was [Ab]
really very brilliant, and I never would have added the, [F] you [Dbm] know, [Ab] ever.
And she, you know, was very creative with it.
Mine was a very [Db] simple, you know, folk song.
[F] [Bbm] And [Eb] he just kept on singing, [Ab] [C] singing clear [Dm] and [C] strong [Fm] with [Bbm] his fingers.
[Eb]
That's when [Abm] music for me was [Eb] changing from, [Fm] you [N] know, James Taylor, Carole King, what I did to disco.
[G] It was really a hard time for me.
I couldn't relate to the business at all.
[Ab] I didn't know where to turn.
My kind of music really wasn't the kind that people [Db] were playing.
And that, you know, [D] people were enjoying at all.
In fact, it was a little embarrassing to be a long-haired singer-songwriter with a [Db] guitar.
He [Gb] sang softly with his [F] song.
[Eb]
[Bbm] I finally [N] had the last straw when I went into this office.
And I was, you know, I had a meeting, and I had some desperation, I imagine, about my career myself.
I'm walking, and the guy's on the phone, you know, and he sees me walk in.
I've never met him before, and he's like, hey.
And he just keeps talking, you know, I don't know, you want to try this restaurant for dinner?
Maybe we [Abm] should.
And he was on the phone for like five minutes.
I'm looking at my watch, and I'm just [Eb] thinking, okay, I'm going to give him about like 30 more seconds.
And he [Em] still is on the phone.
[G] And I just walked out, got in my car, [D] drove off, and I said, [Bm] I am done.
[G] I'm so done [B] with this, and I never look back.
[Em] He's strumming my guitar with [Am] his fingers, [G] [D] singing my life [G] with his words,
[Em]
killing me softly [A] with his song, killing [D] me softly [C] with his song,
[G] telling my whole life [C] with his words, killing [F] me softly.
[B] [F]
[Ab] As the [E] years went by, I kind of [Ab] disclaimed it as though [Abm] it wasn't a part of me.
And then, as I said, Lauryn Hill recorded it, [Fm] and my kids thought I was cool.
And now, I [Ab] recorded it again on this record because I'm not proud of it.
I now go, you know, I heard he sang a good song, and it's like, that's me.
[F] [Db] I'm very [G] proud of it, actually.
He's strumming my [D] pain with his fingers, singing my life with his words,
[G] killing me softly [N] with his song, killing me softly.
When [Db] was the transition completely for you?
[N]
Lauryn Hill, or maybe years after this?
Yeah, a few years after that, a few [Fm] years after Lauryn Hill.
When [Ab] I realized that I could then again talk about [Db] the song with [Ab] a [C] new [Eb] perspective,
I sing the song now with [N] compassion for who I was back then.
[D] [C]
Was it 40?
I think it is.
72?
Is that [Db] 40 years?
Almost.
[Abm] I swear, I never thought I'd live past 10 years old.
I can't believe it's already that.
It's [N] crazy.
70, yeah.
Yeah, God.
I do, I remember exactly feeling that way.
But more than that now, I feel, [Eb]
[Ab] you know, you'll see when you get to [Abm] be my age,
it's almost like you'd want to say to your younger self, it's [B] not so serious.
[Em]
[Am] [G] [D] Singing my life [G] with his words, [Em] killing me softly [A]
with his song,
[D] killing me softly [C] with his song, telling [G] my whole mind with [C] his words.
Courage
[Dm] wasn't the huge things that we do.
It's [Ab] not the [B]
gigantic acts of courage, but it's the small things.
[D] It's getting on a [G] bike to come here, it's sitting at a table, it's having an [C] interview,
it's walking [G] through a storm, [Gm] it's giving up, [C] giving in and [F] grieving,
all these [Dm] things that take courage, it's the small acts of courage [G] that we display as [E] human beings every day.
And [N] how brave we all are every single [Bb] day.
How brave.
I think for you, it was [Ab] brave for you to return to the music scene.
[D] [Bb] [Em] Yeah, you're [Ab] right.
I think it was brave.
Claim to fame?
[Am]
I heard [D] he sang a good [G] song, I [C] heard he had a star,
[G] [Am] And so [D] I came to see him, [Em] to listen for a while.
[C] In the very beginning I [G] felt a little bit, maybe [Cm] embarrassed by it, somehow.
[G] I felt like it was hard for me to say this song was [Ab] written about Don McLean, I felt like, that's kind of corny.
And [Bb]
[Ab] then when Roberta Flack had the big hit, after hearing my version, I felt a little, you know, kind of happy about it,
But then there was this feeling of [Bb] a little [Ab] bit, a little jealous, a little, you know,
And then there was this, in the States at that time, there was this sort of a fight between,
I [Bbm] like Roberta's version better, I like Laurie's [Db] version better, it was this [Eb] big silly thing.
[Ab] Pictures in the paper of Roberta, me, and then Don, you know, she stole my song, it wasn't that at all.
She made it something I wouldn't have, you know, ever have done.
I never would have [G] done this kind of a two-feel that she did.
You know, she was [Ab]
really very brilliant, and I never would have added the, [F] you [Dbm] know, [Ab] ever.
And she, you know, was very creative with it.
Mine was a very [Db] simple, you know, folk song.
[F] [Bbm] And [Eb] he just kept on singing, [Ab] [C] singing clear [Dm] and [C] strong [Fm] with [Bbm] his fingers.
[Eb]
That's when [Abm] music for me was [Eb] changing from, [Fm] you [N] know, James Taylor, Carole King, what I did to disco.
[G] It was really a hard time for me.
I couldn't relate to the business at all.
[Ab] I didn't know where to turn.
My kind of music really wasn't the kind that people [Db] were playing.
And that, you know, [D] people were enjoying at all.
In fact, it was a little embarrassing to be a long-haired singer-songwriter with a [Db] guitar.
He [Gb] sang softly with his [F] song.
[Eb]
[Bbm] I finally [N] had the last straw when I went into this office.
And I was, you know, I had a meeting, and I had some desperation, I imagine, about my career myself.
I'm walking, and the guy's on the phone, you know, and he sees me walk in.
I've never met him before, and he's like, hey.
And he just keeps talking, you know, I don't know, you want to try this restaurant for dinner?
Maybe we [Abm] should.
And he was on the phone for like five minutes.
I'm looking at my watch, and I'm just [Eb] thinking, okay, I'm going to give him about like 30 more seconds.
And he [Em] still is on the phone.
[G] And I just walked out, got in my car, [D] drove off, and I said, [Bm] I am done.
[G] I'm so done [B] with this, and I never look back.
[Em] He's strumming my guitar with [Am] his fingers, [G] [D] singing my life [G] with his words,
[Em]
killing me softly [A] with his song, killing [D] me softly [C] with his song,
[G] telling my whole life [C] with his words, killing [F] me softly.
[B] [F]
[Ab] As the [E] years went by, I kind of [Ab] disclaimed it as though [Abm] it wasn't a part of me.
And then, as I said, Lauryn Hill recorded it, [Fm] and my kids thought I was cool.
And now, I [Ab] recorded it again on this record because I'm not proud of it.
I now go, you know, I heard he sang a good song, and it's like, that's me.
[F] [Db] I'm very [G] proud of it, actually.
He's strumming my [D] pain with his fingers, singing my life with his words,
[G] killing me softly [N] with his song, killing me softly.
When [Db] was the transition completely for you?
[N]
Lauryn Hill, or maybe years after this?
Yeah, a few years after that, a few [Fm] years after Lauryn Hill.
When [Ab] I realized that I could then again talk about [Db] the song with [Ab] a [C] new [Eb] perspective,
I sing the song now with [N] compassion for who I was back then.
[D] [C]
Was it 40?
I think it is.
72?
Is that [Db] 40 years?
Almost.
[Abm] I swear, I never thought I'd live past 10 years old.
I can't believe it's already that.
It's [N] crazy.
70, yeah.
Yeah, God.
I do, I remember exactly feeling that way.
But more than that now, I feel, [Eb]
[Ab] you know, you'll see when you get to [Abm] be my age,
it's almost like you'd want to say to your younger self, it's [B] not so serious.
[Em]
[Am] [G] [D] Singing my life [G] with his words, [Em] killing me softly [A]
with his song,
[D] killing me softly [C] with his song, telling [G] my whole mind with [C] his words.
Courage
[Dm] wasn't the huge things that we do.
It's [Ab] not the [B]
gigantic acts of courage, but it's the small things.
[D] It's getting on a [G] bike to come here, it's sitting at a table, it's having an [C] interview,
it's walking [G] through a storm, [Gm] it's giving up, [C] giving in and [F] grieving,
all these [Dm] things that take courage, it's the small acts of courage [G] that we display as [E] human beings every day.
And [N] how brave we all are every single [Bb] day.
How brave.
I think for you, it was [Ab] brave for you to return to the music scene.
[D] [Bb] [Em] Yeah, you're [Ab] right.
I think it was brave.
Key:
G
Ab
D
C
Em
G
Ab
D
What is it for you, because you wrote many songs, _ [Ab] you've done several recordings, and [Gm] this song is [Em] maybe your_
Claim to fame? _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [Am] _
I heard [D] he sang a good [G] song, I [C] heard he had a star,
[G] _ [Am] _ And so [D] I came to see him, [Em] to listen for a while.
[C] In the very beginning I [G] felt a little bit, maybe [Cm] embarrassed by it, somehow.
[G] I felt like it was hard for me to say this song was [Ab] written about Don McLean, I felt like, that's kind of corny.
And [Bb] _
[Ab] then when Roberta Flack had the big hit, after hearing my version, I felt a little, you know, kind of happy about it,
But then there was this feeling of [Bb] a little [Ab] bit, a little jealous, a little, you know,
And then there was this, in the States at that time, there was this sort of a fight between,
I [Bbm] like Roberta's version better, I like Laurie's [Db] version better, it was this [Eb] big silly thing.
[Ab] Pictures in the paper of Roberta, me, and then Don, you know, she stole my song, it wasn't that at all.
She made it something I wouldn't have, you know, ever have done.
I never would have [G] done this kind of a two-feel that she did.
You know, she was [Ab]
really very brilliant, and I never would have added the, [F] you [Dbm] know, [Ab] ever.
And she, you know, was very creative with it.
Mine was a very [Db] simple, you know, folk song.
[F] _ [Bbm] _ And [Eb] he just kept on singing, [Ab] _ [C] singing clear [Dm] and [C] strong [Fm] _ with [Bbm] his fingers.
_ [Eb] _
That's when [Abm] music for me was [Eb] changing from, [Fm] you [N] know, James Taylor, Carole King, what I did to disco.
[G] It was really a hard time for me.
I couldn't relate to the business at all.
[Ab] I didn't know where to turn.
My kind of music really wasn't the kind that people [Db] were playing.
And that, you know, [D] people were enjoying at all.
In fact, it was a little embarrassing to be a long-haired singer-songwriter with a [Db] guitar.
He [Gb] sang softly _ _ with his [F] _ song.
_ _ [Eb] _
[Bbm] _ I finally [N] had the last straw when I went into this office.
And I was, you know, I had a meeting, and I had some desperation, I imagine, about my career myself.
I'm walking, and the guy's on the phone, you know, and he sees me walk in.
I've never met him before, and he's like, hey.
And he just keeps talking, you know, I don't know, you want to try this restaurant for dinner?
Maybe we [Abm] should.
And he was on the phone for like five minutes.
I'm looking at my watch, and I'm just [Eb] thinking, okay, I'm going to give him about like 30 more seconds.
And he [Em] still is on the phone.
[G] And I just walked out, got in my car, [D] drove off, and I said, [Bm] I am done.
[G] I'm so done [B] with this, and I never look back.
[Em] He's strumming my guitar with [Am] his fingers, [G] _ [D] singing my life [G] with his words,
_ [Em]
killing me softly [A] with his song, killing [D] me softly [C] with his song,
[G] telling my whole life [C] with his words, killing [F] me softly.
[B] _ _ [F] _
[Ab] As the [E] years went by, I kind of [Ab] disclaimed it as though [Abm] it wasn't a part of me.
And then, as I said, Lauryn Hill recorded it, [Fm] and my kids thought I was cool.
And now, I [Ab] recorded it again on this record because I'm not proud of it.
I now _ go, you know, I heard he sang a good song, and it's like, _ that's me.
[F] _ _ [Db] I'm very [G] proud of it, actually.
He's strumming my [D] pain with his fingers, _ _ singing my life with his _ words,
[G] killing me softly [N] with his song, killing me softly.
When [Db] was the transition completely for you?
[N] _
Lauryn Hill, or maybe years after this?
Yeah, a few years after that, a few [Fm] years after Lauryn Hill.
When [Ab] I realized that I could then again talk about [Db] the song with [Ab] a _ _ [C] new [Eb] perspective,
I sing the song now with [N] compassion for who I was back then. _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[D] _ _ _ _ [C] _ _ _
Was it 40?
I think it is.
72?
Is that [Db] 40 years?
Almost.
[Abm] I swear, I never thought I'd live past 10 years old.
I can't believe it's already that.
It's [N] crazy.
70, yeah.
Yeah, God.
I do, I remember exactly feeling that way.
But more than that now, I feel, [Eb]
[Ab] you know, you'll see when you get to [Abm] be my age,
it's almost like you'd want to say to your younger self, it's [B] not so serious.
_ [Em] _
_ _ _ [Am] _ _ [G] _ [D] Singing my life [G] with his words, _ [Em] killing me softly [A]
with his song,
[D] killing me softly _ [C] with his song, telling [G] my whole mind with [C] his words.
Courage _
[Dm] wasn't the huge things that we do.
It's [Ab] not the [B]
gigantic acts of courage, but it's the small things.
[D] It's getting on a [G] bike to come here, it's sitting at a table, it's having an [C] interview,
it's walking [G] through a storm, [Gm] it's giving up, [C] giving in and [F] grieving,
all these [Dm] things that take courage, it's the small acts of courage [G] that we display as [E] human beings every day.
And [N] how brave we all are every single [Bb] day.
How brave.
I think for you, it was [Ab] brave for you to return to the music scene.
[D] _ [Bb] _ [Em] Yeah, you're [Ab] right.
I think it was brave. _
Claim to fame? _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [Am] _
I heard [D] he sang a good [G] song, I [C] heard he had a star,
[G] _ [Am] _ And so [D] I came to see him, [Em] to listen for a while.
[C] In the very beginning I [G] felt a little bit, maybe [Cm] embarrassed by it, somehow.
[G] I felt like it was hard for me to say this song was [Ab] written about Don McLean, I felt like, that's kind of corny.
And [Bb] _
[Ab] then when Roberta Flack had the big hit, after hearing my version, I felt a little, you know, kind of happy about it,
But then there was this feeling of [Bb] a little [Ab] bit, a little jealous, a little, you know,
And then there was this, in the States at that time, there was this sort of a fight between,
I [Bbm] like Roberta's version better, I like Laurie's [Db] version better, it was this [Eb] big silly thing.
[Ab] Pictures in the paper of Roberta, me, and then Don, you know, she stole my song, it wasn't that at all.
She made it something I wouldn't have, you know, ever have done.
I never would have [G] done this kind of a two-feel that she did.
You know, she was [Ab]
really very brilliant, and I never would have added the, [F] you [Dbm] know, [Ab] ever.
And she, you know, was very creative with it.
Mine was a very [Db] simple, you know, folk song.
[F] _ [Bbm] _ And [Eb] he just kept on singing, [Ab] _ [C] singing clear [Dm] and [C] strong [Fm] _ with [Bbm] his fingers.
_ [Eb] _
That's when [Abm] music for me was [Eb] changing from, [Fm] you [N] know, James Taylor, Carole King, what I did to disco.
[G] It was really a hard time for me.
I couldn't relate to the business at all.
[Ab] I didn't know where to turn.
My kind of music really wasn't the kind that people [Db] were playing.
And that, you know, [D] people were enjoying at all.
In fact, it was a little embarrassing to be a long-haired singer-songwriter with a [Db] guitar.
He [Gb] sang softly _ _ with his [F] _ song.
_ _ [Eb] _
[Bbm] _ I finally [N] had the last straw when I went into this office.
And I was, you know, I had a meeting, and I had some desperation, I imagine, about my career myself.
I'm walking, and the guy's on the phone, you know, and he sees me walk in.
I've never met him before, and he's like, hey.
And he just keeps talking, you know, I don't know, you want to try this restaurant for dinner?
Maybe we [Abm] should.
And he was on the phone for like five minutes.
I'm looking at my watch, and I'm just [Eb] thinking, okay, I'm going to give him about like 30 more seconds.
And he [Em] still is on the phone.
[G] And I just walked out, got in my car, [D] drove off, and I said, [Bm] I am done.
[G] I'm so done [B] with this, and I never look back.
[Em] He's strumming my guitar with [Am] his fingers, [G] _ [D] singing my life [G] with his words,
_ [Em]
killing me softly [A] with his song, killing [D] me softly [C] with his song,
[G] telling my whole life [C] with his words, killing [F] me softly.
[B] _ _ [F] _
[Ab] As the [E] years went by, I kind of [Ab] disclaimed it as though [Abm] it wasn't a part of me.
And then, as I said, Lauryn Hill recorded it, [Fm] and my kids thought I was cool.
And now, I [Ab] recorded it again on this record because I'm not proud of it.
I now _ go, you know, I heard he sang a good song, and it's like, _ that's me.
[F] _ _ [Db] I'm very [G] proud of it, actually.
He's strumming my [D] pain with his fingers, _ _ singing my life with his _ words,
[G] killing me softly [N] with his song, killing me softly.
When [Db] was the transition completely for you?
[N] _
Lauryn Hill, or maybe years after this?
Yeah, a few years after that, a few [Fm] years after Lauryn Hill.
When [Ab] I realized that I could then again talk about [Db] the song with [Ab] a _ _ [C] new [Eb] perspective,
I sing the song now with [N] compassion for who I was back then. _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[D] _ _ _ _ [C] _ _ _
Was it 40?
I think it is.
72?
Is that [Db] 40 years?
Almost.
[Abm] I swear, I never thought I'd live past 10 years old.
I can't believe it's already that.
It's [N] crazy.
70, yeah.
Yeah, God.
I do, I remember exactly feeling that way.
But more than that now, I feel, [Eb]
[Ab] you know, you'll see when you get to [Abm] be my age,
it's almost like you'd want to say to your younger self, it's [B] not so serious.
_ [Em] _
_ _ _ [Am] _ _ [G] _ [D] Singing my life [G] with his words, _ [Em] killing me softly [A]
with his song,
[D] killing me softly _ [C] with his song, telling [G] my whole mind with [C] his words.
Courage _
[Dm] wasn't the huge things that we do.
It's [Ab] not the [B]
gigantic acts of courage, but it's the small things.
[D] It's getting on a [G] bike to come here, it's sitting at a table, it's having an [C] interview,
it's walking [G] through a storm, [Gm] it's giving up, [C] giving in and [F] grieving,
all these [Dm] things that take courage, it's the small acts of courage [G] that we display as [E] human beings every day.
And [N] how brave we all are every single [Bb] day.
How brave.
I think for you, it was [Ab] brave for you to return to the music scene.
[D] _ [Bb] _ [Em] Yeah, you're [Ab] right.
I think it was brave. _
Facts about this song