Chords for Janis Ian - At Seventeen

_ _ _ _ _ _ [Cm] _ _
_ _ [Am] _ _ _ [C] _ _ _
_ _ _ [Am] _ _ [C] I learned the truth at _ [Am] seventeen
[Dm] That love was meant for beauty queens
[G] _ _
And high school girls with clear-skinned [C] smiles
Who married young and then retired _
_ _ _ [Am] _ _ [C] The _ [Am] Valentines I never knew
[Dm] The Friday night charades of [G] youth
Were spent on one more [C] beautiful _
At [Am] _ seventeen I learned [C] the truth
[Am] And _ _ _ [Eb] those of us with ravaged [Dm] faces _
_ [G] Lacking in the social _ [Am] [Cm] graces
_ [Fm] Desperately remained at [Cm] home _
Inventing [Fm] lovers on the [Am] phone
[Ab]
Who called [Eb] to say, come dance with [Cm] _
[C] me
In [Fm] myrmid vague [Dm] obscenities _
It isn't all it seems [G] at seventeen
_ _ _ _ _ [C] A brown-eyed girl in [Am] _ [Dm] handicaps _
Whose name I never could pronounce
_ [G] _
Said, pity please the ones who [C] serve
They only get what they deserve _
The _ _ _ _ rich _ relationed hometown queen
[D] _ [Dm]
Marries [G] into [Dm] what she needs
With [G] a guarantee _ of company
[C] _ _
And haven for the _ elderly _ _
The [Am] _ _ [Eb] men _ must win, _ _ [Dm] lose the love [G] they sought to [A] gain
[Cm] In debentures of [F] _ [Fm] quality
[Cm] And dubious [Fm] _
integrity
[Ab] _ _ Their [G] small-town [Cm] eyes will gape
At you in dull [Fm] surprise
When [F] payment [Dm] due
_ Exceeds accounts received [G] at seventeen
_ To _
_ _ [Eb] _ _ _ _ _ _
[Dm] _ _ _ _ [G] _ _ _ _
[Eb] _ _ _ [Ab] _ _ _ [F] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[Ab] _ _ _ [G] _ _ [Cm] _ [G] _ [Cm] _
_ _ [Ab] _ _ _ _ [Dm] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [G] _ _
_ _ _ [Gm] _ _ _ [C] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [Am] _ _ _ [C] those of us who knew [Am] the pain
[Dm] _ _
Of Valentines that never came
_ [G]
And those whose names were never [C] called _
_ When [Am] choosing sides for [C] basketball _
_ _ _ _ [Am] _ It [C] was long ago and far [Dm] away _
The [Am] world was [Dm] younger then today
[G] _
_ And dreams were all they gave for [C]
free
To ugly duckling girls like me
_ _ _ We [Eb]
all play the game, _ _ _ [Dm] try to cheat _ ourselves
[G] It's our volunteer
[D] _ [Cm]
Inventing [Fm] lovers on the [Cm] phone _
Repenting other [Fm] lives unknown
[A] _ [Ab] They call [G] and say, [Cm] come [G] [Cm] dance with me
In myrmid [Fm] vague obscenities
[Dm] _ _ At ugly girls like me [G] at seventeen _
_ _ _ _ [C] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _