Lyric discussion by bigjb21118 

Cover art for Shangri-La lyrics by Electric Light Orchestra

I always thought this song was about a guy suiciding over his dead daughter/wife. The lyricist keeps referring to his daughter/wife as his shangri-la since she is his source of youth and happiness etc. In the end, the lyricist says that he'll return to his shangri-la, which is him suiciding in order to return to his dead daughter/wife.

My Interpretation