E♭M9 E♭／E♭M7 E♭6／E♭M9 E♭／E♭M7 E♭6／
I lear ned the t ruth at seve nteen
That love was meant for beauty queens
B♭7
and high school girls with
clear- skinned smile s
who m arried young, and then retired
The vale nt ines I neve r knew
The Friday night charades of youth
B♭7
were spent on one more beautiful
At s eventeen, I le arned the truth
And those of us with ravaged faces
lacking in the soc ial graces
des perately remained at home
inven ting lovers on t he 'phone
who called to say 'Come dance with me'
an d murmured vagu e obscenities
It isn't all it seems at seventeen
A bro wn- ey ed girl in hand - me- downs
whose name I never could pronounce
B♭7
said 'Pity please the ones who serve
Th ey only get what they deserve'
The rich - rela tioned home town queen
marries into what she needs
A guarantee of company
and hav en for the elde rly
Remember those who win the game
lose the love they tho ught they gained
in deb entures of quality
and dub ious integr ity
Their small- town eyes will gape at you
in dull surprise wh en payment due
exceeds accounts received at seventeen
E♭M9 E♭／E♭M7 E♭6／E♭M9 E♭／E♭M7 E♭6／
To thos e of u s who knew the pain
of valen- tines that never came
B♭7
and those whose names were
never called
wh en c hoosing side s for basketball
It was long ago , and far away
The world was younger than today
B♭7
and dreams were all they gave for free
E♭M9 E♭ E♭M7 E♭6 E♭M9 E♭ E♭M7 E♭6
to ugl y duckling gir ls l ike me
We play the game, and when we dare
to cheat ourselves at sol itaire
Inven ting lovers on the 'phone
Repen ting other lives unknown
that call and say 'Come dance with me'
an d murmur vagu e obscenities
at ugly girls likes me, at seventeen
