Hotel California
The Eagles - Hotel California Lyrics

On a dark desert highway
The singer is driving alone on a night road in the desert.

Cool wind in my hair
The wind is blowing through his hair.

Warm smell of colitas
The singer smells marijuana in the air.

Rising up through the air
The scent of marijuana is getting stronger.

Up ahead in the distance
The artist sees something shimmering far away.

I saw a shimmering light
He saw the light shining in the distance.

My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim
The singer felt tired and his vision became unclear.

I had to stop for the night
He decides to stop driving and stay for the night.

There she stood in the doorway
The artist sees a woman standing in the hotel's entrance.

I heard the mission bell
He heard the church bell ring in the distance.

And I was thinkin' to myself
The singer is thinking in his mind.

This could be heaven or this could be hell
The place he entered could be either good or evil.

Then she lit up a candle
The woman lights a candle and shows the way.

And she showed me the way
She guides him to his room.

There were voices down the corridor
He hears people speaking.

I thought I heard them say
He thinks he hears their words.

Welcome to the Hotel California
The woman welcomes the artist to the Hotel California.

Such a lovely place (such a lovely place)
The hotel is a lovely and attractive place.

Such a lovely face
The woman who welcomes him has a beautiful face.

Plenty of room at the Hotel California
There are many rooms available at the hotel.

Any time of year (any time of year)
The hotel is available to stay during all seasons of the year.

You can find it here
The hotel is the right place for a stay.

Her mind is Tiffany-twisted
The woman's way of thinking is complicated and twisted.

She got the Mercedes Benz, uh
The woman owns a Mercedes Benz car.

She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys
The woman has many handsome male friends.

That she calls friends
She calls her handsome male friends her friends.

How they dance in the courtyard
Her friends are dancing in the courtyard.

Sweet summer sweat
They are sweating because of the summer heat.

Some dance to remember
The people dancing are doing so to keep memories, thoughts, or feelings alive.

Some dance to forget
Others are dancing to distract themselves from their pain or worries.

So I called up the captain
The singer calls for help from a captain.

"Please bring me my wine"
He asks the captain to bring him his wine.

He said, "We haven't had that spirit here since 1969"
The captain can't bring him the same wine that he drank a long time ago.

And still those voices are calling from far away
He still hears those distant voices again.

Wake you up in the middle of the night
The voices cause the singer to wake up in the middle of the night.

Just to hear them say
The artist wants to hear them speak again.

They livin' it up at the Hotel California
The people staying at the hotel are having a good time.

What a nice surprise (what a nice surprise)
The singer is pleasantly surprised by what he sees and hears.

Bring your alibis
He tells the listener to prepare their stories and excuses.

Mirrors on the ceiling
There are many mirrors on the ceiling of the hotel.

The pink champagne on ice
Pink champagne is served in glasses that are cooled with ice.

And she said, "We are all just prisoners here of our own device"
The woman tells the singer that they are all confined by their own actions and thinking.

And in the master's chambers
The singer goes to the owner's chamber.

They gathered for the feast
People congregate for the celebration and food.

They stab it with their steely knives
The people at the banquet try to destroy something with their knives.

But they just can't kill the beast
They fail to destroy what they're trying to destroy.

Last thing I remember
The last thing the singer remembers.

I was running for the door
He was trying to escape from the hotel.

I had to find the passage back
The singer seeks a way out of the hotel.

To the place I was before
He wants to return to where he was before he came to the hotel.

"Relax", said the night man
An employee tells the singer to relax.

"We are programmed to receive
The hotel's staff are supposed to welcome and attend to guests.

You can check out any time you like
The artist can leave anytime he wants.

But you can never leave"
However, he can't really escape from the psychological imprisonment of the Hotel California.