At Seventeen

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[Verse 1]
G G9         G        Gmaj7   G6    G
I learnt the truth at seven - teen,
     A7sus4   Am7       E/A    Am7
That love was meant for beauty queens,
D9/F#
      And high school girls with clear-skinned smiles,
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      Who married young, and then re - tired

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[Verse 2]
G   G9      G       Gmaj7  G6    G
The valen - tines I never  knew,
    A7sus4  Am7         E/A      Am7
The Friday  night cha - rades of youth,
D9/F#
       Were spent on one more beautiful,
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     At seven - teen, I learnt the truth

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[Verse 3]
G   Bb6
And those of us with ravaged faces,
Am7                 D7
     Lacking in the social graces,
Gm7              Cm7                  Gm7            Cm7
Desperately re - mained at home, in - venting lovers on the phone,
    Ebmaj7               D7
Who called to say, "Come dance with me!",
Gm7                          Cm7
     And murmured vague ob - senities,
Am7                               D9/F#
     It isn't all it seems  ...at seventeen

[Verse 4]
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A brown eyed girl in 'hand - me - downs',
      A7sus4 Am7   E/A         Am7
Whose name I never could pro - nounce,
D9/F#
       Said, "Pity please, the ones who serve,
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     They only get what they de - serve!"

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[Verse 5]
G       G9        G        Gmaj7    G6     G
And the rich re - lationed hometown queen,
A7sus4  Am7  E/A      Am7           D9/F#
Marries into what she needs, with a guarantee of company,
    G9    G       Gmaj7   G6  G     G9    G       Gmaj7  G6 G
And haven for the elder - ly     |  /  /  /  /  |  /  /  /  /  |

[Verse 6]
G    Bb6
Re - member those who win the game,
Am7                D7
Lose the love they sought to gain,
   Gm7           Cm7          Gm7          Cm7
In debentures of quality, and dubious in - tegrity,
    Ebmaj7               D7                Gm7
The small town eyes will gape at you ...in dull surprise,
Cm7                  Am7                              D9/F#
    When payment due ...exceeds accounts received, at seventeen

[Verse 7 -Instrumental]
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  Am7                           D9/F#
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[Verse 8]
G  G9       G      Gmaj7    G6   G  A7sus4  Am7        E/A   Am7
To those of us who knew the pain of Valen - tines that never came,
D9/F#
        And those whose names were never called...
G9          G                  Gmaj7  G6   G
    ...When choosing sides for basket ball

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[Verse 9]
G      G9       G       Gmaj7   G6
It was long a - go, and far a - way,
G   A7sus4    Am7     E/A       Am7
The world was younger than to - day,
D9/F#
       And dreams were all they gave for free...
G9            G        Gmaj7 G6    G    G9    G    Gmaj7   G6 G
   ...To ugly duckling girls    ...like me

[Verse 10]
G      Bb6
We all play the game,
                    Am7                D7
And when we dare to cheat ourselves at solitaire,
     Gm7            Cm7                Gm7           Cm7
In - venting lovers on the phone, re - penting other lives unknown,
     Ebmaj7              D7
That call and say, "Come dance with me!",
Gm7                        Cm7
     And murmur vague ob - senities,
Am7                              D9/F#
     At ugly girls like me ...at seventeen

[Coda]
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