Both as a standalone and as part of the DSOTS album, you can take this lyric as read. As a matter of public record, Jourgensen's drug intake was legendary even in the 1980s. By the late 90s, in his own words, he was grappling with massive addiction issues and had lost almost everything: friends, spouse, money and had nearly died more than once. "Dark Side of the Spoon" is a both funny & sad title for an album made by a musical genius who was losing the plot; and this song is a message to his fans & friends saying he knows it. It's painful to listen to so I'm glad the "Keith Richards of industrial metals" wised up and cleaned up. Well done sir.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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I think this verse is the hardest to interpret...
So 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
In my opinion, this doesn't refer to the beauty queen later in life regretting the choices she made during high school. It's more of an instant karma. She flirts and gets the handsome football star, intending to ride off into the sunset with him and live happily every after. But Prince charming doesn't want to love her, he wants to have sex with her. The relationship is shallow, lacking quality and of dubious integrity. She's taken aback when she realizes that she's putting out (payments due) but not receiving the love she sought (accounts received). This realization occurs not in the far off future - but at seventeen. Hence the last two words.
@palgup:<br /> <br /> Awesome explanation of this verse. I've been looking far and wide to find someone who has a good grip on this verse, and I think you nailed it.<br /> <br /> I agree with you--this verse is the hardest to interpret; "Win the game, but lose the love they sought to gain"; debentures of quality and dubious integrity, Small town eyes gaping at you when payment due exceeds accounts received". <br /> So Janis puts her song into overdrive, casting the seeking of love as an investment in life. I like your term, "instant karma". The girl who thinks she has invested her life into her prince charming finds the relationship shallow, lacking quality and of dubious integrity, her life investment didn't pay off, and she didn't receive the love she sought. (That she invested her life to achieve, and thus accounts received)<br /> <br /> The realization at seventeen that a girl will spend the rest of her life with financial security, but no love in her marriage, that's the girl from the previous verse: " the rich-relationed hometown queen, who Marries into what she needs, With a guarantee of company, And haven for the elderly". <br /> <br /> That rich girl has her needs met--but only her material needs. The TRUE needs of her heart--for affection and love--will never be met--unless she has an affair, and risks her entire financial security.<br /> <br /> It is a lesson for girls not to rush into what seems like financial security at the cost of true love and affection. "Instant Karma" may result, with a very high emotional cost.<br /> <br /> Great job, palgup, I think that Janis would totally agree with your interpretation of that verse. Thanks for posting, and explaining the fine points--I needed someone to reveal that "instant karma" part to me.<br /> <br /> ((((((Hugs))))))<br /> :-)<br /> <br />