If I Never Knew You

If I Never Knew You is the love theme and the second single from Disney's 1995 animated feature Pocahontas. It is the final track on the Pocahontas Soundtrack.

The song was originally developed for the prison scene where Pocahontas visits John Smith before he is to be put to death for the alleged murder of Kocoum, a trusted Powhatan warrior whom Pocahontas was going to marry. The musical number, which was about 90% animated, was to be a duet performed by the pair as they acknowledge their love for each other. Because during test screenings with child audiences their attention "seemed to wander from the film", Alan Menken, the composer of the songs for Disney's Pocahontas, suggested it be cut because he also felt that it slowed the pace of the movie, with another song, Savages, not five minutes after. Though cut from the movie itself, If I Never Knew You was still performed by Jon Secada and Shanice at the end credits and released as a single.

In 2005, Disney released the tenth anniversary edition of Pocahontas, which had the song fully animated and integrated into the film, but was an optional feature that you could refuse and watch the original theatrical version instead, due to seamless branching. It was performed by Mel Gibson (John Smith) and Judy Kuhn (Pocahontas) within the film's narrative. It was recorded for the original film in 1995.

End Title Lyrics
If I never knew you If I never felt this love I would have no inkling of How precious life can be And 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

If I never knew you

I'd be safe but half as real

Never knowing I could feel A love so strong and true I'm so grateful to you

I'd have lived my whole life through

Lost forever

If I never knew you

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

Oh if I never knew you There's no moment I regret

If i never felt this love

Since the moment that we met

I would have no inkling of

If our time has gone too fast

How precious life can be...

I've lived at last...

I thought our love would be so beautiful Somehow we'd make the whole world bright

I thought our love wuold be so beautiful

We'd turn the darkness into light And still my heart is saying we were right We were right

And if I never knew you

If I never knew you I'd have lived my whole life through

Empty as the sky

Never knowing why

Lost forever

If I never knew you

Movie Lyrics
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 For if I never knew you

John Smith: There's no moment I regret

Pocahontas:

If I never knew this love

John Smith:

Since the moment that we met

Pocahontas:

I would have no inkling of

John Smith:

If our time has gone too fast

Pocahontas:

How precious life can be...

John Smith:

I've lived at last...

(Instrumental)

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

John Smith and Pocahontas:

Lost forever

If I never knew you