He Has Forgotten Me Completely

Andersen: O, I implore you to sing this melody before you go If I may be so bold It may be very many years until we meet again So I shall teach you this, my most pitiful refrain “She has forgotten me completely My grief, my grief she does not see So, take these scissors and this paper And cut out any likeness that you have of me” Andersen hallucinates that Lind is present Lind: He has forgotten me, completely My grief, my grief he does not see Would he even raise a hand to greet me? My grief, my grief and my grief, my grief he does not see It only took the briefest of absence To shatter my belief And as wretched as I am Maybe it is better that you don’t remember me And if time may bring forgiveness There will be a day when understanding can return Andersen: O, no that’s not it at all you’ve changed the air and the meaning Though your voice is so endearing and so tender, you have confused the gender Lind: Gentle Brother, just as the French say “vous” for “you” and “tu” for sentimental lovers There is a word that truly must be heard from him and from no other “He has forgotten me, completely My grief, my grief he does not see Would he even raise a hand to greet me? My grief, my grief and my grief, my grief he does not see It only took the briefest of absence To shatter my belief And as wretched as I am Maybe it is better that you don’t remember me And if time may bring forgiveness There will be a day when understanding can return”

He Has Forgotten Me Completely (unreleased song) Written by Elvis Costello Performed by Elvis Costello Background:  Written for Elvis' unfinished chamber opera The Secret Songs. First known performance:  October 8, 2005, Copenhagen, Denmark Last known performance:  June 25, 2008, Liverpool, England      (9 known performances)

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