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 retiredenter added
The valentines valentine's I never knew
The Friday night charades of youth
Were spent on one more beautiful
At seventeen I learned the truthenter added
And those of us with ravaged faces
Lacking in the social graces
Desperately remained at home
Inventing lovers on the phoneenter added
Who called to say - come
Come dance with me
And murmured vague obscenities
It isn't all it seems at seventeenenter added
A brown eyed girl in hand me downs
Whose name I never could pronounce
Said-pitySaid, "Pity please the ones one's who serve
They only get what they deserve deserve"

The rich relationed hometown queen
Marries into what she needs
With a guarantee of company
And haven for the elderlyenter added
Remember those who win the game
Lose the love they sought to gain
In debentures of quality and
And dubious integrityenter added
Their small town eyes will gape at you
In dull surprise when payment due
Exceeds accounts received at seventeenenter added
To those of us who knew the pain
Of valentines that never came
And those whose names were never called
When choosing sides for basketballenter added
It was long ago and far away
The world was younger than today
When dreams were all they gave for free
To ugly duckling girls like meenter added
We all play the game, game and when we dare
To cheat ourselves at solitaire
Inventing lovers on the phone
Repenting other lives unknownenter added
Who call and say - say, come dance with me
And murmur vague obsceneties obscenities
To ugly girls like me, me at seventeen. seventeen