On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim, I had to stop for the night
There she stood in the doorway; I heard the mission bell
And I was thinking to myself this could be heaven or this could be hell
Then she lit up a candle, and she showed me the way
There were voices down the corridor, I thought I heard them say
(riff 1)
Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place (sucha lovely place) such a lovely face
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year (any time of the year) you can find it here
Her mind is Tiffany twisted, she got the Mercedes-Benz
She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys that she calls friends
Some dance to remember, some dance to forget
"We haven't had that spirit here since nineteen sixty-nine"
And still those voices are calling from far away
Wake you up in the middle of the night, just to hear them say
Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place, (such a lovely place) such a lovely face
They livin' it up at the Hotel California
What a nice surprise, (what a nice surprise) give your alibis
Mirrors on the ceiling, the pink champagne on ice
And she said "We are all just prisoners here, of our own device"
And in the master's chambers, they gathered for the feast
They stab it with their steely knives, but they just can't kill the beast
Last thing I remember, I was running for the door
I had to find the passage back to the place I was before
"Relax" said the nightman, "We are programmed to receive"
"You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave"