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 Dm G7
And those of us with ravaged faces, lacking in the social graces,
Cm7 Fm7 Cm7 Fm7
Desperately re-mained at home, 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 Dm
The rich relationed home-town queen, marries into what she needs.
G7 C
A guarantee of company, and haven for the elderly".
Chorus 2:
Eb Dm G7
Re-member those who win the game, lose the love they sought to gain.
Cm7 Fm7 Cm7 Fm7
In debentures of quality, 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 Dm
To those of us who know the pain, of valentines that never came.
G7
And those whose name were never called,
C
When choosing side at basketball.
C Dm
It was long ago and far away, 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 Dm7 G7
We all play the game and when we dare, to cheat ourselves at solitaire.
Cm7 Fm7 Cm7 Fm7
In-venting lovers on the phone, 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:
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C Dm G7 Eb Dm7 Cm7 Fm7 Ab Cmaj7
EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE
x32010 xx0231 323000 x68886 x57565 x35343 131111 466544 x32000
Tabbed by Joel from cLuMsY, Bristol, England, 2004 ([email protected]
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