Hotel California

Jared Halley

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 thinkin’ 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

Such a lovely face

Plenty of room at the Hotel California

Any time of year

Any time of year

You can find it here

 

Her mind is Tiffany-twisted

She got a Mercedes-Benz

She 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 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’re livin’ it up at the Hotel California

What a nice surprise

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”

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 any time you like

but you can never leave