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At Seventeen

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Dmajor

90BPM

Lyrics & ChordsClick chords to see diagrams

[Intro]
  D    Dmaj7    D6    Dmaj7(x2)
I lDearned the Dmaj7truth D6at seDmaj7venteen      That Emlove was Emmaj7meant for E7beauty Emqueens
and A7high school E5girls Em7with clear A7skinned smiles who Dmarried Dmaj7young  D6and then Dmaj7retired
D  Dmaj7  D6  Dmaj7
The DvalentDmaj7ines  D6I never Dmaj7knew, the Emfriday Emmaj7nights, chE7arades of Emyouth
were A7spent on E5one more Em7beautiful   A7At DseventDmaj7een I  D6learned the Dmaj7truth
D  Dmaj7  D6  Dmaj7
And Fthose of us with ravaged faces, Emlacking in the A7social graces
DDm7esp'rat'ly remGm7ained at home, Dm7inventing lovers Gm7on the phone
BbWho called and say "come A7dance with me" and Dm7murmured vague obsGm7cenities
Em7It isn't all it seems at A7seventeen
DA brown eyed Dmaj7girl in D6hand-me-Dmaj7downs, whose Emname I Emmaj7never   E7could pronoEmunce said
"A7Pity, please, E5the oneEm7s who A7serve, they Donly Dmaj7get what D6they deseDmaj7rve
D  Dmaj7  D6  Dmaj7
The Drich Dmaj7relationed D6home-town Dmaj7queen, Emmarries Emmaj7into what E7she Emneeds
A A7guarantE5ee of Em7company A7and  Dhaven Dmaj7for the D6elderlyDmaj7"
D  Dmaj7  D6  Dmaj7
RemFember those who win the game, Emlose the love they A7sought to gain
In Dm7debentures of Gm7quality and Dm7dubious intGm7egrity
TheBbir small town eyes will A7gape at you in Dm7dull surprise when Gm7payment due
Em7exceeds accounts received at A7seventeen
  D    Dmaj7    D6    Dmaj7(x2)
To Dthose oDmaj7f us who D6know the Dmaj7pain of EmvalentEmmaj7ines    E7that never Emcame
anA7d those whose E5name were Em7never A7called when DchoosDmaj7ing side D6at basketDmaj7ball
D  Dmaj7  D6  Dmaj7
It Dwas long Dmaj7ago and D6far Dmaj7away, the Emworld Emmaj7was younger tE7han Emtoday
and A7dreams wE5ere all Em7they gave A7for free to Dugly Dmaj7duckling D6girls like Dmaj7me
D  Dmaj7  D6  Dmaj7
We all Fplay the game and when we dare to Emcheat ourselves at A7solitaire
InvDm7enting lovers Gm7on the phone, reDm7penting other Gm7lives unknown
that Bbcall and say "Come A7dance with me", and Dm7murmur vague Gm7obscenities
Em7at ugly girls like me, at A7seventeen
D  Dmaj7  D6  Dmaj7

All chords in this song (13)

Open

XXO232

Major chord - Happy, bright sound

✕ Mute Open Press

Skill · find home

D major

This chord is home. When a line ends, land here.

At Seventeen

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At Seventeen

by Janis Ian

Lyrics & chords · Original key

Chords in this song · guitar

Dmaj7

Emmaj7

Em7

Dm7

Gm7

[Intro]

D Dmaj7 D6 Dmaj7

(x2)

D Dmaj7 D6 Dmaj7 Em Emmaj7 E7 Em

I learned the truth at seventeen That love was meant for beauty queens

A7 E5 Em7 A7 D Dmaj7 D6 Dmaj7

and high school girls with clear skinned smiles who married young and then retired

D Dmaj7 D6 Dmaj7

D Dmaj7 D6 Dmaj7 Em Emmaj7 E7 Em

The valentines I never knew, the friday nights, charades of youth

A7 E5 Em7 A7 D Dmaj7 D6 Dmaj7

were spent on one more beautiful At seventeen I learned the truth

D Dmaj7 D6 Dmaj7

F Em A7

And those of us with ravaged faces, lacking in the social graces

Dm7 Gm7 Dm7 Gm7

Desp'rat'ly remained at home, inventing lovers on the phone

Bb A7 Dm7 Gm7

Who called and say "come dance with me" and murmured vague obscenities

Em7 A7

It isn't all it seems at seventeen

D Dmaj7 D6 Dmaj7 Em Emmaj7 E7 Em

A brown eyed girl in hand-me-downs, whose name I never could pronounce said

A7 E5 Em7 A7 D Dmaj7 D6 Dmaj7

"Pity, please, the ones who serve, they only get what they deserve

D Dmaj7 D6 Dmaj7

D Dmaj7 D6 Dmaj7 Em Emmaj7 E7 Em

The rich relationed home-town queen, marries into what she needs

A7 E5 Em7 A7 D Dmaj7 D6 Dmaj7

A guarantee of company and haven for the elderly"

D Dmaj7 D6 Dmaj7

F Em A7

Remember those who win the game, lose the love they sought to gain

Dm7 Gm7 Dm7 Gm7

In debentures of quality and dubious integrity

Bb A7 Dm7 Gm7

Their small town eyes will gape at you in dull surprise when payment due

Em7 A7

exceeds accounts received at seventeen

D Dmaj7 D6 Dmaj7

(x2)

D Dmaj7 D6 Dmaj7 Em Emmaj7 E7 Em

To those of us who know the pain of valentines that never came

A7 E5 Em7 A7 D Dmaj7 D6 Dmaj7

and those whose name were never called when choosing side at basketball

D Dmaj7 D6 Dmaj7

D Dmaj7 D6 Dmaj7 Em Emmaj7 E7 Em

It was long ago and far away, the world was younger than today

A7 E5 Em7 A7 D Dmaj7 D6 Dmaj7

and dreams were all they gave for free to ugly duckling girls like me

D Dmaj7 D6 Dmaj7

F Em A7

We all play the game and when we dare to cheat ourselves at solitaire

Dm7 Gm7 Dm7 Gm7

Inventing lovers on the phone, repenting other lives unknown

Bb A7 Dm7 Gm7

that call and say "Come dance with me", and murmur vague obscenities

Em7 A7

at ugly girls like me, at seventeen

D Dmaj7 D6 Dmaj7

About At Seventeen Chords by Janis Ian

Learn how to play At Seventeen by Janis Ian with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “At Seventeen chords”, “At Seventeen guitar chords”, or “Janis Ian At Seventeen chords” and you will find this page — transpose to any key, tap chords for diagrams, and use auto-scroll while you play. Perfect for beginners looking for easy At Seventeen chords and for experienced players who want accurate At Seventeen lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include D, Dmaj7, D6, Em, Emmaj7, E7.

FAQ — At Seventeen by Janis Ian

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Can I see chord diagrams for "At Seventeen"?

Yes. Tap any chord in "At Seventeen" to instantly see an interactive guitar chord diagram with alternate fingerings.

Is "At Seventeen" easy to play on guitar?

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What key is "At Seventeen" in?

The chords for "At Seventeen" show the original chord names (including D, Dmaj7, D6, Em, Emmaj7, E7). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.