Chords:
{t:At Seventeen - Alt}
{artist:Janis Ian}
{define: Abmaj7 frets 1 3 3 3 fingers 5234}
{key: C}
{c: Thanks to Caren Park - there is a key change to Eb during song}
[Cadd9] [C] [Cmaj7] [C] x2
I [Cadd9] learned the [C] truth at [Cmaj7] seven-[C]teen
That [Dm] love was meant for [Aaug] beauty [Dm] queens
and [G7] high school girls with [G7sus4] clear-skinned [G7] smiles
who [Cadd9] married [C] young and [Cmaj7] then re-[C]tired
[Cadd9] [C] [Cmaj7] [C]
The [Cadd9] valen-[C]tines I [Cmaj7] never [C] knew,
the [Dm] friday night char-[Aaug]ades of [Dm] youth
were [G7] spent on one more [G7sus4] beauti-[G7]ful
At [Cadd9] seven-[C]teen I [Cmaj7] learned the [C] truth
[Cadd9] [C] [Cmaj7] [C]
And [Eb] those of us with [Ebsus4] ravaged faces,
[Dm] lacking in the [G7] social graces
[Cm] Desperately re-[Fm]mained at home
[Cm] inventing lovers [Fm] on the phone
Who [Abmaj7] called and say "come [G7] dance with me"
and [Cm7] murmured vague ob-[Fm]scenities
[Dm7] It isn't all it seems at [G7] seventeen [G7sus4] [G7]
{c:}
A [Cadd9] brown-eyed [C] girl in [Cmaj7] hand-me-[C]downs,
whose [Dm] name I never [Aaug] could pro-[Dm]nounce
said "[G7] Pity, please, the [G7sus4] ones who [G7] serve,
they [Cadd9] only [C] get what [Cmaj7] they de-[C]serve
[Cadd9] [C] [Cmaj7] [C]
The [Cadd9] rich-[C]relationed [Cmaj7] home-town [C] queen
[Dm] marries into [Aaug] what she [Dm] needs
With a [G7] guarantee of [G7sus4] compa-[G7]ny
and [Cadd9] haven [C] for the [Cmaj7] elder-[C]ly [Cadd9] [C] [Cmaj7] [C]
{c:}
Re-[Eb]member those who [Ebsus4] win the [Eb] game,
[Dm] lose the love they [G7] sought to gain
In [Cm] debentures of [Fm] quality
and [Cm] dubious in-[Fm]tegrity
Their [Abmaj7] small-town eyes will [G7] gape at you
in [Cm] dull surprise when [Fm] payment due
[Dm7] exceeds accounts received at [G7] seventeen [G7sus4] [G7]
[Cadd9] [C] [Cmaj7] [C] x2
To [Cadd9] those of [C] us who [Cmaj7] knew the [C] pain
of [Dm] valentines that [Aaug] never [Dm] came,
and [G7] those whose names were [G7sus4] never [G7] called
when [Cadd9] choosing [C] sides for [Cmaj7] basket-[C]ball
[Cadd9] [C] [Cmaj7] [C]
It was [Cadd9] long [C] ago and [Cmaj7] far a-[C]way
The [Dm] world was younger [Aaug] than [Dm7] today
and [G7] dreams were all they [G7sus4] gave for [G7] free
[Cadd9] to ugly [C] duckling [Cmaj7] girls like [C6] me
[Cadd9] [C] [Cmaj7] [C]
We all [Eb] play the game and [Ebsus4] when we [Eb] dare
to [Dm] cheat ourselves at [G7] solitaire
In-[Cm]venting lovers [Fm] on the phone,
re-[Cm]penting other [Fm] lives unknown
that [Abmaj7] call and say "Come [G7] dance with me",
and [Cm] murmur vague ob-[Fm]scenities
[Dm] at ugly girls like me, at [G7] seventeen [G7sus4] [G7]
[Cadd9] [C] [Cmaj7] [C6] [Cadd9]
