...AT SEVENTEEN... by Janis Ian
------------------.............
*from 'Between the Lines' (1975)*
Verse 1:
C
I learned the truth at seventeen,
Dm
That love was meant for beauty queens.
G7
And high school girls with clear skinned smiles,
C
Who married young and then retired.
C
The Valentines I never knew,
Dm
The friday nights charades of youth.
G7
Were spent on one more beautiful;
C
At seventeen, I learned the truth.
Chorus 1:
Eb
And those of us with ravaged faces,
Dm G7
Lacking in the social graces,
Cm7 Fm7
Desperatly re-mained at home,
Cm7 Fm7
Inventing lovers on the phone.
Ab G7
Who called and say; "Come dance with me",
Cm7 F7
And murmured vague ob-scenities.
Dm7 G7
It isn't all it seems, at seventeen.
Verse 2:
C
A brown eyed girl in hand-me-downs,
Dm
Who's name I never could pronounce,
G7
Said; "pity please, the ones who serve,
C
They only get what they deserve.
C
The rich relationed home-town queen,
Dm
Marries into what she needs.
G7
A guarantee of company,
C
And haven for the elderly".
Chorus 2:
[ Tab from: https://www.guitartabs.cc/tabs/j/janis_ian/at_seventeen_crd.html ]
Eb
Re-member those who win the game,
Dm G7
Lose the love they sought to gain.
Cm7 Fm7
In debentures of quality,
Cm7 Fm7
And dubious in-tegrity.
Ab G7
Their small town eyes will gape at you;
Cm7 Fm7
In dull surprise, when payment due;
Dm7 G7
Exceeds accounts received, at seventeen.
Verse 3:
C
To those of us who know the pain,
Dm
Of valentines that never came.
G7
And those whose name were never called,
C
When choosing side at basketball.
C
It was long ago and far away,
Dm
The world was younger than today.
G7
And dreams were all they gave for free,
C
To ugly duckling girls like me.
Chorus 3:
Eb
We all play the game and when we dare,
Dm7 G7
To cheat ourselves at solitaire.
Cm7 Fm7
In-venting lovers on the phone,
Cm7 Fm7
Re-penting other lives unknown.
Ab G7
That call and say; "Come dance with me",
Cm7 Fm7
And murmur vague ob-scenities,
Dm7 G7 C, Cmaj7
At ugly girls like me; at seventeen.
CHORD DIAGRAMS:
---------------
C Dm G7 Eb Dm7
EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE
x32010 xx0231 323000 6654xx xx0211
Cm7 Fm7 Ab Cmaj7
EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE
x35343 131111 466544 x32000
Tabbed by Joel from cLuMsY, Bristol, England, 2004
(clumsyband@hotmail.com)
