Wherever you go, there you are
There is no escape from your own heart
Time is marching on and all my plans are a memory
I am stranded here but in my mind I can see

Shimnavale, Shimnavale
Where my poor shipwrecked heart longs to dwell
I was young and foolish then
How I long to return to Shimnavale

I went looking for a better life
Make a fortune, find a pretty wife
Some who left before me
Have returned home broken men
But I’ll be rich before I ever set foot there again

Well I know you have to start somewhere
Now I’m lonelier than I can bear
I felt sure success was waiting here for me to find
Now I’m ready to believe that God has changed his mind

Shimnavale, Shimnavale
I was sure in my heart I would prevail
Now I’m gone beyond the pale
But I’d die a happy man in Shimnavale
Shimnavale, Shimnavale
Where my poor shipwrecked heart longs to dwell
I was young and foolish then
How I long to return to Shimnavale