At Seventeen

I leaned the truth at seventeen

That love was meant for 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 the 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



To those of us who know 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's lives unknown

And call to say, "Come on, dance with me"

And murmur vague obscenities

At ugly girls like me at seventeen



[Instrumental]



We all play the game and when we dare

To cheat ourselves at solitaire

Inventing lovers on the phone

Repenting other's lives unknown

And call to say, "Come on, dance with me"

And murmur vague obscenities

It isn't all it seems at seventeen