If St. Petersburg Will Ever Let Me Go

Copyright 2026 Stephen Shores. All rights reserved. Read more about this song on Substack: https://mission2nihon.substack.com I swore I’d leave in twenty-eighteen, bags packed by the door Sold what I could, kissed my old life on the Neva shore Chased the highway south, dreamed of Georgia pines and open sky But the white nights pulled me under, and I woke up wonderin’ why Missed my flight in the fog again, train broke down on the way Found myself on Nevsky Prospect at the break of another day If St. Petersburg will ever let me go These bridges and these canals got a hold I can’t outrun or outgrow I keep tryin’ to break free, but the city steals the show Lord, if St. Petersburg will ever let me go If St. Petersburg will ever let me go It’s Groundhog Day in this old town, same story every spring I board that plane to anywhere, but something pulls the strings Customs holds my passport, or the taxi takes a wrong turn Next thing I know I’m drinkin’ vodka where the summer sun won’t burn Met a girl by the Peter and Paul, thought she’d be my ticket out But her laugh mixed with the cathedral bells, now I’m back in the same old doubt If St. Petersburg will ever let me go Your history and your beauty got me deeper than I’ll ever know I swear I’m headed west this time, but deep down I already know If St. Petersburg will ever let me go If St. Petersburg will ever let me go I’ve walked the Winter Palace halls a hundred times or more Chased the Gulf of Finland winds from the Winter to the thaw Every road leads back to you, no matter how I roam This city’s got my soul, and it won’t send me home Now I’m standin’ on the embankment with my old guitar in hand Singin’ one more farewell song to this frozen wonderland The wind off the Baltic knows the truth I can’t deny Some loves you just can’t leave, no matter how you try If St. Petersburg will ever let me go Maybe I’ll stop runnin’ and just let the river flow I keep tryin’ to leave, but my heart says “No” Lord, if St. Petersburg will ever let me go Yeah… if St. Petersburg will ever let me go