1971年，美国民谣女歌手Lori Lieberman在一次偶然的机缘下，去听了当时还并不见传的另一位民谣歌手唐麦克林（Don Mclean，曾写出Vincent, America Pie等经典名曲)（刚介绍过,详见 http://web.wenxuecity.com/BBSView.php?SubID=music&MsgID=549609) 在台上以吉他自弹自唱的动人歌声而为之倾倒，她随后写下诗歌“Killing me softly with his blues” 描述他第一次听唐麦克林唱歌的情景。
这首诗后来被Charles Fox 和Norman Gimbel创作成了歌曲“Killing me softly with his song”,并由Lori Lieberman亲自演唱。
Killing Me Softly with His Song -- 一曲消魂
Strumming my pain with his fingers, 他用手指轻抚我的伤痛
Singing my life with his words, 歌词唱出了我的人生
Killing me softly with his song, 他的歌温柔得迷死人
killing me softly with his song, 他的歌温柔得迷死人
Telling my whole life with his words, 歌词道尽了我的一生
Killing me softly with his song. 他的歌温柔得迷死人
I heard he sang a good song, 我听说他歌唱得很好
I heard he had a style, 极具个人风格
And so I came to see him and listen for a while. 於是我特地前来 欣赏他的演唱
And there he was this young boy, 他出现了，这位年轻男孩
a stranger to my eyes, 我眼中的陌生人
Strumming my pain with his fingers, 他用手指轻抚我的伤痛
Singing my life with his words, 歌词唱出了我的人生
Killing me softly with his song, 他的歌温柔得迷死人
killing me softly with his song, 他的歌温柔得迷死人
Telling my whole life with his words, 歌词道尽了我的一生
Killing me softly with his song. 他的歌温柔得迷死人
I felt all flushed with fever, 我感到脸红，全身发烫
Embarrassed by the crowd, 在群众面前觉得不好意思
I felt he found my letters and read each word out loud. 他看到了我写的纸条 大声的读著每一个字
I prayed that he would finish, 我祈祷著他能赶快念完
But he just kept right on 但他却一直念著
Strumming my pain with his fingers, 他用手指轻抚我的伤痛
Singing my life with his words, 歌词唱出了我的人生
Killing me softly with his song, 他的歌温柔得迷死人
killing me softly with his song, 他的歌温柔得迷死人
Telling my whole life with his words, 歌词道尽了我的一生
Killing me softly with his song. 他的歌温柔得迷死人
He said as if he knew me 他唱著，彷佛早就认识我
In all my god's spaer 在我最阴暗沮丧的时候
And then he looked right through me 然後，他看向我这边来
as if I wasn't there. 好像我不存在似的
And he just kept on singing 他继续唱著
singing clear and strong 清晰而有力的唱著
Strumming my pain with his fingers, 他用手指轻抚我的伤痛
Singing my life with his words, 歌词唱出了我的人生
Killing me softly with his song, 他的歌温柔得迷死人
killing me softly with his song, 他的歌温柔得迷死人
Telling my whole life with his words, 歌词道尽了我的一生
Killing me softly with his song. 他的歌温柔得迷死人
但真正让这首歌走红的是美国老牌黑人女歌手Roberta Flack，1973年，Flack凭借“Killing me softly with his song”获得了格莱美三项大奖。
Roberta Flack的曲风为带有流行色彩的“轻柔爵士”，嗓音厚实，略带沙哑，高亢嘹亮，中气十足，同时也蕴藏多变的真假声技巧。现在，Roberta Flack虽然隐退歌坛，但像Madonna、Whitney Houston等后生巨星，均曾经拜她为师，学习唱功。她也会应邀偶然出现在白宫，为总统以及国宾表演。