At Seventeen diatonic

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I learned the truth at sev-en-teen

A Brown eyed girl in hand me downs

to Those of us who knew the pain

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That love was meant for beau-ty queens

Whose name I nev- er could pro-nounce

of val- en-tines that nev-er came

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and high school girls with clear skinned smiles

said pity please the one who serve

and those whose names were never called

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Who mar-ried young and then re-tired.

They only get what they deserve

When choosing sides for basketball

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The val-en-tines I nev- er knew

and the rich relationed hometown (queen)

It was long a- go and far a- (way)

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The Fri-day night cha-rades of youth

Maries into what she needs

The world was younger than today

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Were spent on one more beau-ti-ful

With a guarantee of company

And dreams where all they gave for free

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At sev-en-teen I learned the truth.

And haven for the elderly

To ugly duckling girls like me

chorus

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And those of us with rav-aged fa-ces

Remember those who win the game

We will play the game & when we dare

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Lack-ing in the soc-ial gra-ces

Lose the love they sought to gain

To cheat ourselves at solitare

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Des-prate-ly re-mained at home

In debentures of quality

Inventing lovers on the phone

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In-vent-ing lov-ers on the phone

And dubious integrity

Repenting other lives unknown

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Who called to say come dance with me

Their smalltown eyes will gape at you

That call to say come dance with me

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And mur-mured vague ob-scen-i-ties

In dull surprise when payment due

And murmur vague obscenities

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It is n’t all it seems, At sev-en-teen

Exceeds accounts received, At 17

At ugly girls like me, At sev-en-teen