Declarative Clause with Interrogative word order

Question

This is a part of a song's lyrics:

... (previous lines in short: I don't like you, but)
Then again it's good to get a call
Now and then, just to say hello
Have I said I hate to see you go
I hate to see you go

I don't understand the clause in bold. It has an interrogative structure, but doesn't seem to be a question, does it? Generally the song says: "Although I don't like you much, give me a call sometimes". But why does that clause have a questioning word order? What is the underlying rule for that?

I have seen changes in the normal order of the words to convey conditional meaning (for example: Had you gone, I would've gone too), or after "neither" (for example: - I don't smoke. +Neither do I), but I don't know what does it mean in the quoted lyrics above.

I'd appreciate it if someone told me for what purposes I can change the common order of declarative clauses.

Thank you in advance.

Answer 1

This is indeed a question: "Have I said I hate to see you go?" means "I hate to see you go. Have I said that before?". (Of course, no answer is really expected.)

A similar musical example is Van Morrison's "Have I told you lately that I love you?".

In everyday speech, I think "Have I mentioned ___?" is a bit more common, as is "Did you know that ___?". In neither case is an answer usually expected.

Answer 2

OK, I'm ready to go out on a limb: 1) It is a question

2) The answer is unwritten

3) The second "[Well then,] I hate to see you go" is in response to the unwritten answer

4) The context/meaning depends on the basic energy of the song. Van Morrison would sing it as a ballad; Pearl Jam [Eddie Vedder] would sing it as grunge frustration; the Grateful Dead would tie it into some darker story with deeper, barely understood meanings.

5) Email the artist and ask. I made a similar request of Kristin Hersh (who?) not too long ago, and she answered my request