On a dark desert highway
Cool wind in my hair
One 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.

Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place
Such a lovely place (background)
Such a lovely face.

Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year
Any time of year (background)
You can find it here (2×).

Her mind is definitely twisted
She's got the Mercedes Benz, uh
She's got a lot of pretty, pretty boys
That 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 had that spirit here since 1969"
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 (background)
Such a lovely face
They're livin' it up at the Hotel California
What a nice surprise
What a nice surprise (background)
Bring your alibies.

Mirrors on the ceiling
They bring champagne on ice
And she said:
"We are all just prisoners here
Of our own device".

And in the master's chambers
They gather 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 any time you like
But you can never leave".