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I learned the truth at
seventeen

That love was meant for
beauty queens
And high school girls
with clear skin smiles

Who married young
and then retired.
The valentines I never knew
The friday nights

charades of few
Were spent on one more
beautiful

At seventeen
I learned the truth
And those of us with
ravaged faces

Lacking in the social graces
Desperately remained
at home

Inventing lovers on the
phone
Who'd call to say come
dance with me

And murmur faint
Obscenities
It isn't all it seems at
seventeen

A brown eyed girl in hand
me downs
Who's name I never could
pronounce

Said pity please the one's
who serve
They only get what they
deserve

And the rich relations
hometown marry's
into what she needs
With a guarantee of
company

And haven for the elderly
Remember those who win
the game
Exceeds accounts recieved
at seventeen

To those of us who knew
the pain of valentines that
never came
And those whose names
were never called

When choosing sides for
basketball
it was long ago and faraway
The world was younger
than today

And dreams were all they
gave for free
To ugly duckling girls like
me
We all play the game when
we dare to cheat ourselves
at solitaire
Inventing lovers on the
phone

Repenting other lives
unknown
They call and say come
dance with me, and murmur
vague Obscenities

At ugly girls like me
at seventeen.
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Title
At Seventeen
Artist
Janis Ian
Brand
Sweet Georgia Brown
(12 Other Versions)
Codes
SGB0021-12 SGBFSPD01-14 SGBFSPD1-14
Genres
classic uk pop, folk, folk rock, mellow gold, singer-songwriter