Shangri-La
Don Henley Lyrics


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Every day's a new day
That's what I've been told
Try to hold your head high
The world runs hot and cold

It's hard to follow footprints
in the shifting sand
Another thirsty rider
Behind the caravan

You had no idea
just what was waiting out there
You never thought you'd carry the weight
of the world
On your pretty blond hair

This ain't no Shangri-La
To you, no Shangri-La
This ain't no Shangri-La
Nobody knows no Shangri-La

Hey! There's a whole lotta people
wonderin' who you are
They think you walk without a care in the world
But they've been wrong so far

This ain't no Shangri-La
To you, no Shangri-La
This ain't no Shangri-La
Nobody knows no Shangri-La

No one can decide
What we all must outrun
Who's gonna carry the weight of the world
Until we learn to stop
and do what must be done?

This ain't no Shangri-La
To you, no Shangri-La




This ain't no Shangri-La
Nobody Knows no Shangri-La

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Don Henley's song Shangri-La are about the struggle to keep one's head up in a world that is constantly changing. The song speaks to the idea that life is full of difficult challenges and that it's hard to keep up with the pace of the world. The first stanza talks about how every day is a new day and how one must try to hold their head high in spite of the world's ups and downs. The second stanza speaks to the difficulty of following in someone else's footsteps, which can be hard in the shifting sands of life. The third stanza talks about the weight of the world and how it can be overwhelming for someone, even someone as pretty and carefree as the person the singer is talking to.


The chorus repeats the refrain that this is not Shangri-La, and nobody knows what that is. Shangri-La is supposed to be a mythical place of peace and tranquility that is inaccessible to the outside world, but this song suggests that it might not really exist. The next verse talks about how people watching the singer might think that they are carefree, but they are wrong. The final verse asks the listener who will carry the weight of the world on their shoulders, suggesting that it is the responsibility of everyone to make the world a better place.


Line by Line Meaning

Every day's a new day
Each day is a fresh start


That's what I've been told
I've been given this advice


Try to hold your head high
Stay positive


The world runs hot and cold
Life has its ups and downs


It's hard to follow footprints
It's difficult to predict the future


in the shifting sand
In a constantly changing environment


Another thirsty rider
Someone else looking for direction


Behind the caravan
Trailing behind others


You had no idea
You were unaware


just what was waiting out there
Of the challenges to come


You never thought you'd carry the weight
You didn't expect to be burdened


of the world
With the problems of society


On your pretty blond hair
As an additional burden


This ain't no Shangri-La
Life isn't perfect


To you, no Shangri-La
You haven't found paradise


Nobody knows no Shangri-La
There's no such thing as a perfect world


Hey! There's a whole lotta people
Many people


wonderin' who you are
Curious about your identity


They think you walk without a care in the world
They believe you have no worries


But they've been wrong so far
They don't know your struggles


No one can decide
There's no clear solution


What we all must outrun
What we must avoid


Who's gonna carry the weight of the world
Who will bear society's problems


Until we learn to stop
Until we create a solution


and do what must be done?
Address the issues at hand




Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc., Cass County Music / Wisteria Music / Privet Music
Written by: DANNY KORTCHMAR, DON HENLEY, STEPHEN K. JORDAN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@hermitthefrog8951

Read the lyrics:

"The Garden Of Allah"

It was pretty big year for fashion
A lousy year for rock and roll
The people gave their blessing to crimes of passion
It was a dark, dark night of the collective soul
And I was somewhere out on riverside by the el royale hotel
When a stranger appeared in a cloud of smoke
I thought I knew him all too well
He said now that I have your attention
I got something I wanna say
You may not wanna hear it, I'm gonna tell it to you anyway
You know I've always like you boy
Cause you were not afraid of me
Things are gonna get mighty rough here in gomorrah-by-the-sea

Ya said it's just like home
It's so damn hot I can't stand it
My fine seersucker suit is all soaking wet
And the hills are burning
And the wind is raging
And the clock strikes midnight in the garden of Allah
In the garden of Allah

Nice car
Ah, I love those bavarians
So meticulous
Y'know I remember when things were a lot more fun around here
When good was good and evil was evil
Before things got so fuzzy
I was once a golden boy like you
And I was summoned to the halls of power in the heavenly courts
And I dined with the deities who looked upon me with favor,
For my talents, my creativity
And we sat beneath the palms
In the warm afternoons and drank the wine
With fitzgerald and huxley
And they pawned the biting phrase from the tongues hot with blood
And drained their pins of bitter ink
Vainly reaching for the bottle full of empty edens
Branded especially for the ones who had come with great expectations
To the perfumed halls of Allah, for their time in the sun

And we were stokin' the fires and oilin' up the machinery
Until the gods found out we had ideas of our own
And war was coming and the earth was shaking
And there was no more ruin in the garden of Allah

Today I made an appearance downtown
I am an expert witness because I say I am
And I said gentlemen, and I use that world loosely
I will testify for you, I'm a gun for hire,I'm a saint, I'm a liar
Because there are no facts, there is no truth
Just data to be manipulated
I can get you any result you like
What's it worth to you?
Because there is no wrong, there is no right
And I sleep very well at night
No shame, no solution, no remorse, no retribution
Just people selling t-shirts
Just opportunity to participate in the pathetic little circus
And winning, winning, winning

It was pretty big year for predators
The marketplace was on a roll
And the land of opportunity
Spawned a whole new breed of men without souls
This year notoriety got all confused with fame
And the devil is downhearted babe, cause
There's nothing left for him to claim

He said it's just like home
It's so low-down I can't stand it
I guess my work around here has all been done

And the fruit is rotten, the serpent's eyes shine
As he wraps around the vine,
In the garden of Allah
In the garden of Allah
In the garden of Allah



@teecee3866

It was a pretty big year for fashion
A lousy year for rock and roll
The people gave their blessings to crimes of passion
It was a dark, dark night of the collective soul
Now was somewhere out on riverside
By the El Royale Hotel
When a stranger appeared in a cloud of smoke
I thought I knew him all too well
He said now that I have your attention
I got somethin' I want to say
You may not want to hear it
I'm gonna tell it to you anyway
You know, I've always liked you, boy
Cause you were not afraid of me
But things are gonna get mighty rough
Here in Gomorrah-By-The-Sea
He said it's just like home
It's so damned hot, I can't stand it
My fine seersucker suit is all soakin' wet
And the hills are burning
The wind is raging
And the clock strikes midnight
In the Garden of Allah
(In the Garden of Allah)
Nice car
I love those Bavarians, so meticulous
You know, I remember a time when things were a lot more
Fun around here
When good was good, and evil was evil
Before things got so, fuzzy
Yeah, I was once a golden boy like you
And I was summoned to the halls of power in the heavenly court
And I dined with the deities who looked upon me with favor
For my talents my creativity
And we sat beneath the palms in the warm afternoons
And drank the wine with Fitzgerald and Huxley
And they pawned a biting phrase
From tongues hot with blood
And drained their pens of bitter ink
Vainly reaching for the bottle full of empty Edens
Branded special for the ones
Who had come with great expectations
To the perfumed halls of Allah
For their time in the sun
We were stokin' the fires
And oilin' up the machinery
Until the gods found out we had ideas of our own
And the war was coming
The earth was shaking
And there was no more room
In the Garden of Allah
(In the Garden of Allah)
Today I made an appearance downtown
I am an expert witness, because I say I am
And I said, gentleman, and I use that word loosely
I will testify for you
I'm a gun for hire, I'm a saint, I'm a liar
Because there are no facts, there is no truth
Just a data to be manipulated
I can get any result you like
What's it worth to ya?
Because there is no wrong, there is no right
And I sleep very well at night
No shame, no solution
No remorse, no retribution
Just people selling T-shirts
Just opportunity to participate in the pathetic little circus
And winning, winning, winning
It was a pretty big year for predators
The marketplace was on a roll
And the land of opportunity
Spawned a whole new breed of men without souls
This year, notoriety got all confused with fame
And the devil is downhearted, baby
'Cause there's nothing left for him to claim
He said it's just like home
It's so low-down, I can't stand it
I guess my work around here has all been done
And the fruit is rotten
The serpent's eyes shine
As he wraps around the vine
In the Garden of Allah
(In the Garden of Allah)
(In the Garden of Allah)



@chucktingstad5636

This is one of my most favorite songs and videos ever. In the late 90's, a great friend of mine from college(mid-80's) who was a musician and I were arguing about some political issue in email, and I said something to the effect of "Look bro, I'm not quoting some some slimy politician, but the experts at the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office." And he lit into me with those lyrics about what an expert is. Pretty good comeback, and I looked up the lyrics and was utterly fascinated with them.

I think I first heard the song by downloading it from Limewire in 2002 or so. Blown away. I read somewhere that there was a video of the song, and started searching, not sure where I found it, some odd site, in maybe 2007 or so? Mind. Utterly. Blown.

Went back to that site a few months later, and video was gone. Couldn't find it anywhere. Then occasionally it would pop back up on YouTube for a few weeks, then disappear. Weird.

I've heard better sounding versions of this video, but still glad to see it back.

The Garden of Allah near West Hollywood on Sunset was absolutely infamous in its celebrity and debauchery, for nearly 40 years. A truly unique place, it was. This article is terrific:
https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/garden-of-allah-the-secret-life-of-celebrities



All comments from YouTube:

@shirleymoore1596

Don Henley must be a prophet, because he is singing about what is going on in American politics today. He's absolutely right. There's people walking around right now today who can't recognize the evil in their midst. So many selling their souls to an absolute conman.

I would love to sit down with Mr. Henley for an hour and ask him what makes him so good with words, making it possible to paint a perfect picture in your mind that corresponds with the words of his songs.

He is a true musical genius.

@fluthyhehim66

Don Henley is a prophet for sure, but you're not gonna get anywhere if you try to sit down and talk with him. He hates doing news presses so much that he wrote "Dirty Laundry".

@hermitthefrog8951

You might want to ask WHY he knew this in advance. Research CIA & entertainment industry.

@Davidblue671

Hello 👋, how are you doing today; how’s everything going; hope it was a blessed day for you Shirley?

@patrickr.300

look into the song long road out of eden...

@MorlokKurak

It has always gone on.

1 More Replies...

@BOBBYBUBLEATRIBUTE1

This song becomes more relevant with each passing year. It is an absolute masterpiece the lyrics and vocals are genius. This is one of Don’s greatest achievements!!!!

@jacksaunders7402

Well said I must agree

@rorymumbauer6493

Absolutely right!

@softhotty

Greatest ? Maybe, hes had so many ex: 'Dirty Laundry' live in Australia...perfectly performed Joe Walsh...oh yea. I do like this one though really cut to the chase commentary...love it.

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