At Seventeen Lyrics

At Seventeen lyrics

I learned the truth at seventeen

that love was meant 4 beauty queens 

and high school girls with clear skinned smiles 

who married young and then retired 

the valentines I never knew 



the Friday night charades of youth 

were spent on one more beautiful 

at seventeen I learned the truth 

and those of us with ravaged faces 

lacking in social graces 



desperately remained at home 

inventing lovers on the phone 

who called to say come dance with me 

and murmured vague obscenities 

it isn’t all it seems at seventeen 



a brown eyed girl in hand me downs 

whose name I could never pronounce 

said - pity please the ones who serve 

they only get what they deserve 

the rich relationed hometown queen 



marries into what she needs 

with a guarantee of company 

and haven for the elderly 

remember those who win the game 

lose the love they sought to gain 



in debentures of quality and dubious integrity 

their small town eyes will gape at you 

in dull surprise when payment due 

exceeds account received 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 far away 

the world was younger than today 



when dreams were all they gave for free 

to ugly duckling girls like me 

we all play the game and when we dare 

to cheat ourselves at solitaire 

inventing lovers on the phone 



repenting other lives unknown 

who call and say - come dance with me 

and murmur vague obscenities 

to ugly girls like me, at seventeen