If I Never Knew You
(deleted scene)

Most Disney movies about romance usually have a love song. Pocahontas had this one, If I Never Knew You, which was written and recorded for the tent scene, with a brief reprise during Pocahontas and John Smith's goodbyes at the finale. But for pacing reasons, the song was axed from the original theatrical release, leaving only the end credits singles version by Shanice and Jon Secada, behind.

The movie version wasn't completely lost, though. First the work-in-progress version was included some initial DVD releases. Then for the 10th Anniversary re-release DVD, the full scenes were fully coloured and restored into the bits they were meant to be, the only exception being that the finale reprise was shortened to two lines. Voila, the song lives!

There are screencaps of the work-in-progress version here.

+ printable version +

John Smith
If I never knew you
If I never felt this love
I would have no inkling of
How precious life can be

If I never held you
I would never have a clue
How at last I’d find in you
The missing part of me

In this world so full of fear
Full of rage and lies
I can see the truth so clear
In your eyes
So dry your eyes

And I’m so grateful to you
I’d have lived my whole life through
Lost forever
If I never knew you

Pocahontas
I thought our love would be so beautiful
Somehow we’d make the whole world bright
I never knew that fear and hate could be so strong
All they’d leave us were these whispers in the night
But still my heart is saying we were right

Pocahontas
For if I never knew you
If I never knew this love
I would have no inkling of
How precious life can be

John Smith
And I’m so grateful to you
I’d have lived my whole life through
Empty as the sky

Pocahontas
Never knowing why

Together
Lost forever
If I never knew you

Finale reprise

Pocahontas
And I’m so grateful to you

John Smith
I’d have lived my whole life through

Pocahontas
Empty as the sky

John Smith
Never knowing why

Together
Lost forever
If I never knew you