At Seventeen

I learned 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
 A brown eyed girl in hand-me-downs
 Whose name I never could pronounce
 Said, "Pity please the ones who serve
 They only get what they deserve"
 And the rich relationed hometown queen
 Marries into what she needs
 With a guarantee of company
 And haven for the elderly
 Remember those who win the game
 Lose the love they sought to gain
 In debentures of quality
 And dubious integrity
 The small-town eyes will gape at you
 In dull surprise when payment due
 Exceeds accounts received
 At seventeen
 To those of us who knew 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
 And 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 lives unknown
 That call and say, "Come dance with me"
 And murmur vague obscenities
 And ugly girls like me
 At seventeen
 
 I learned 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
 A brown eyed girl in hand-me-downs
 Whose name I never could pronounce
 Said, "Pity please the ones who serve
 They only get what they deserve"
 And the rich relationed hometown queen
 Marries into what she needs
 With a guarantee of company
 And haven for the elderly
 Remember those who win the game
 Lose the love they sought to gain
 In debentures of quality
 And dubious integrity
 The small-town eyes will gape at you
 In dull surprise when payment due
 Exceeds accounts received
 At seventeen
 To those of us who knew 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
 And 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 lives unknown
 That call and say, "Come dance with me"
 And murmur vague obscenities
 And ugly girls like me
 At seventeen