At seventeen

I've learned the truth at seventeen
That love was meant for beauty queens
Women with nothing to lose;
That accept and obey all the rules
Women with nothing to give;
But perfect bodies polished and trimmed
Women who swore to love the only one
And still desire a different one
Women that don't speak or raise their voice
Sitting in silence throughout the noise.

I've learned the truth at seventeen
That love was meant for beauty queens
Girls growing up to seek and please
Older men who crave all that is they see
Girls that learn that happiness is achieved
When a man is satisfied beneath the sheets
Girls who trained themselves to speak of nothing
But compliments and praise and shallow words like these.

I've learned the truth at seventeen
That love was meant for beauty queens
Women that raise their girls not to see
The evil to come with every lie a man speaks
Women that raise their girls to be
The perfect image taken out of a man's fantasy
Women that raise their girls to believe
They are worth nothing
Until a man claims them;
They'll no longer be.

I've learned the truth at seventeen
That love was meant for beauty queens
The more you're loved, the unhappier you'll be
The more you're loved, the lonelier you'll feel
No one will know, no one will believe
All beauty queens are broken
By the time they're seventeen.