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 *** 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
Welcome to the heart of California
Such a lovely place
Such a lovely face
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year You can find it here
Her mind is Tiffany twisted She's got the Mercedes Benz
She's got a lot of pretty,
pretty boys She calls friends
How they dance in the courtyard Sweet summer sweat
Some dance to remember Some dance to forget
So I called up the captain Please bring me my wine
He said We haven't heard that spirit here since 1969
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 heart of California Such a lovely place
Such a lovely face Living up at the Hotel California
What a nice surprise Bring your alibis
Mirrors on the ceiling The pink champagne on ice
And she said We are all just prisoners here
Of our own device
In the master's chambers
They gather for the feast
They stab it with their steeling knives
But they just can't kill the beast Last thing I remember
I was running for that door
I had to find the passage back to the place
I was before Relax, said the night man
We are programmed to receive
You can check out any time you like
But you can never leave