Lyrks
Lyrks
Lyrks
Cover Art

At Seventeen (Single Version) Lyrics by Janis Ian

Best of Janis Ian: The Autobiography Collection

0

[Verse 1]
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
[Chorus]
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
[Verse 2]
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
[Chorus]
Remember those who win the game
Lose the love they sought to gain
In debentures of quality
And dubious integrity
Their small town eyes will gape at you
In dull surprise when payment due
Exceeds accounts received
At seventeen
[Verse 3]
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
When dreams were all they gave for free
To ugly duckling girls like me
[Chorus]
We all play the game and when we dare
To cheat ourselves at solitaire
Inventing lovers on the phone
Repenting other lives unknown
They call and say, "Come dance with me"
And murmur vague obscenities
At ugly girls like me
At seventeen
Credits
Janis Ian

Janis Ian

About “At Seventeen (Single Version)” by Janis Ian

Read the complete lyrics to "At Seventeen (Single Version)" by Janis Ian from the album "Best of Janis Ian: The Autobiography Collection". On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Pop.

"At Seventeen (Single Version)" is performed by Janis Ian. from the album "Best of Janis Ian: The Autobiography Collection" This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "At Seventeen (Single Version)", explore more songs by Janis Ian using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

View all songs and biography for Janis Ian · Trending lyrics · Billboard Hot 100

Frequently asked questions

"At Seventeen (Single Version)" is credited to Janis Ian. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"At Seventeen (Single Version)" appears on "Best of Janis Ian: The Autobiography Collection".

Visit the Janis Ian artist page at /artist/janis-ian for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.