FORGIVEN

A. A. Milne

Solo 1: I found a little beetle, so that beetle was his name,

I called him Alexander and he answered just the same.

I put him in a match-box, and I kept him all the day—

And Nanny let my beetle out—

All: Yes Nanny let his beetle out—

Solo 1: She went and let my beetle out—

All: And Beetle ran away.

Solo 1: She said she didn’t mean it, and I never said she did,

She said she wanted matches, and she just took off

the lid

She said that she was sorry,

All: But it’s difficult to catch

An excited sort of beetle you’ve mistaken for a match.

Solo 1: She said that she was sorry, and I really mustn’t mind

As there’s lots and lots of beetles which she’s

certain we could find,

If we looked about the garden for the holes where

beetles hid—

All: And they’d get another match-box and write BEETLE

on the lid.

Solo 1: We went to all the places which a beetle might be near,

And we made the sort of noises which a beetle likes

to hear.

All: And he saw a kind of something, and he gave a sort

of shout:

Solo 1: A beetle-house and Alexander Beetle coming out;

It was Alexander Beetle I’m as certain as can be

And he had a sort of look as if he thought it

must be me.

All: And he had a sort of look as if he thought he

ought to say:

Solo 2: I’m very, very sorry that I tried to run away.

Solo 1: And Nanny’s very sorry too, for you know what she did,

And she’s writing ALEXANDER very blackly on the lid.

So Nan and Me are friends,

All: Because it’s difficult to catch

An excited Alexander you’ve mistaken for a match.