Lyrics for Hotel California as interpreted by Demau Senae

Hotel California Lyrics
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...

Welcome to the Hotel 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 got the 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 face
They livin' it 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
And in the master's chambers,
They gathered for the feast
The 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 night man,
We are programmed to receive.
You can checkout any time you like,
but you can never leave!

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Z/28
10-16-2004

Rated 0 
Thak you daffy for you explaination. Befor I had always thought that it was about an asylum in southern california that used to do wierd expierements on its pacients back in the 60s (hence mercedes bends). Surfer guy is an asshole who doesnt know what he is talking about. He didnt even say who the lead singer was.

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Timeaisis
10-06-2004

Rated 0 
I believe TaddyTeddy has the best interpritation so far. In, fact, I was about to post an interpritation of my own along those same lines. I see this song as a description of Hell, and at the beginning of the song the narrator thinks he has died and went to heaven as everything seems like paradise. He soon realizes that this is all fake and when he tries to escape he cannot as is obvious in the last lines. "Prisoner's here of our own device" because of they're sin they have been condemned. As for the line that states "We stab it with our steely knives but we just can't kill the best", I think that the beast represents their "sin" which led them to this place, and they can't get rid of it because it's now too late, and they're all eternally prisoners of this place.

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yellowstar
10-03-2004

Rated 0 
how about... it's about getting sucked into the drug scene of california as aspiring musicians who are being fucked with by labels and going to whorehouses while sometimes stopping at the satanic church? hotel california representing the immorality of the time and place and getting caught up into that lifestyle?
i win.

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sugarmagnolia
09-27-2004

Rated 0 
wow i just spent an upsurd amount of time reading all your crappy explanations----its about a brothel u idiots. it makes more sense than ne thing else---it talks about her tiffany twisted mind etc.---owners of brothels are rich evil women...u can sign out ne time u wnat..but u may never leave--becae the owners are known to blackmail both the women--and the men.

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Lyra
09-24-2004

Rated 0 
A.What's the fun in deleting?Bitching is a rare joy these days...
B.Well sure the interview could be a fake...
It seems credible enough though, and it makes sense, the song seems to cover a wide range of stuff.

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ledskynyrd
09-19-2004

Rated 0 
This is probably one of the top ten greatest solos of all time. thank you

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ledskynyrd
09-19-2004

Rated 0 
This is probably one of the top ten greatest solos of all time. thank you

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ledskynyrd
09-19-2004

Rated 0 
This is probably one of the top ten greatest solos of all time. thank you

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A_Page06
07-01-2004

Rated 0 
I'm with skakayla...although my favorite song is take it to the limit, because it is a great message of how to value everything you have and use your time well...

Anyway, the song is (on the outside) about a guy who gets trapped in a hotel by a hot chick...more or less... :P

The explanation about the LA artist scene is very interesting...but somehow I don't think that's it..

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skakayla
06-19-2004

Rated 0 
I totally disagree with gnr about Hotel California being their best song by far. Maybe their best album, but never their best song. They have TONS of profound soulful songs like The Last Resort, Try and Love Again, Wasted Time... the list goes on.

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asshole_no1
06-17-2004

Rated 0 
Lyra, I like you arguement.....no wait I was thinking bout mines there, sorry yours still sucks donkeys. If u realised you were being really bitchy you could just have deleted it you retard....or was that a coverup because really your always a moany bitch? And, Im sure there are other "interviews" on the internet that support his views aswell, cant you realise that it could be fake?

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Sketch
06-09-2004

Rated 0 
It really is hard to argue with an interview, assuming that it is in fact a real interview and not just someone with a talent for writing dialogue and a creative imagination.

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gnr-acdc-eagles
06-08-2004

Rated 0 
wrion, you suck. I can assure you that this is the case caus im always right, and anyone who disagrees with me is always wrong, and should be shut up. And, what makes you think I need to get over myself? :p

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wrion
06-01-2004

Rated 0 
i'm not going to go into the whole "lyrics can be interpreted however" talk but how could you ASSURE us that it's about anything? People can find lots of things that fit, but that doesn't mean you're right and they aren't. get over yourself and wake up to some other people's opinions.
i hate people that say "this song is about drugs/Hell/Satan so i won't listen to it. i have a kick ass 14 year old drummer in my band and his conservative parents won't let us play this song or they pull him out. even if it about about any on things, it sure doesn't glorify them. no matter how you interpret it, the singer likes it at first, then wants out and can't get out. if it is about drugs or Hell, it discourages them, just like House of the Rising Sun.

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Lyra
05-29-2004

Rated 0 
Do try reading the interview, it's not THAT complicated. I mean the guy clearly states that it is not about drugs ,or frugs for that matter ;). Now if you really think it's about drugs I guess you know better...

-ok totally bitchy, I know, I had a really bad day-

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gnr-acdc-eagles
05-27-2004

Rated 0 
lol, frugs? its late and im tired, dont blame me!!! as you can guess i meant drugs

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gnr-acdc-eagles
05-27-2004

Rated 0 
for f*ck sake, some of you people need serious education.... This song, I can reassure you, is about drugs. It has to be one of the best songs ever written.....a pefect song, and by far their best.
all you need to do is listen to the lyrics, and concentrate on frugs, im sure you will see. if you think hard enough you will realise every line fits in somehow with drugs.

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Wyrm
05-14-2004

Rated 0 
Well, from what I heard at the time. The song wasn't really about anything as such. The Eagles were impressed with Steely Dan's meaningless lyrical sculptures and wanted to do something similar. The Album is to do with the way things were going, not just in the music industry, at the time especially indicated by California. So read what you like into the lyrics, they don't really mean that much though.

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Idi
05-11-2004

Rated 0 
yes, satan hater, satan is already burning in hell. That's where he lives according to your religion. And I've got news for you: you won't hear any satanistic messages by playing the vinyl backwards!

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happybeingdumb
05-03-2004

Rated 0 
The Eagles fan club has an interview with the band. Just go to the page and search for the song. If you prefer the mystery of the song, don't go. If you really want to know, go here:

http://eagles.launch.yahoo.com/band.asp

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ozonethief
04-22-2004

Rated 0 
This song is over two decades old and we all still love it. I think my kids will know this song and I believe they will love it too. I'm not sure what the song is all about, but what I do know is the Eagles made one hell of a song. I wonder if they ever thought it would go this far.

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ozonethief
04-22-2004

Rated 0 
This song is over two decades old and we all still love it. I think my kids will know this song and I believe they will love it too. I'm not sure what the song is all about, but what I do know is the Eagles made one hell of a song. I wonder if they ever thought it would go this far.

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deadradio12
04-22-2004

Rated 0 
JEEEZY CREEZY!!! Some of you people write a shit load, damn. I just read a few of the short ones and one by "Deth", and I agree with Deth. This song is about drugs, and that is it. It isn't about cults or the death of Jackson Browne's wife......it is about drugs.

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Domingo1
04-21-2004

Rated 0 
"the warm smell of colitas"(you tell me)
Colitas, to according to my spanish II teacher, mean's literally "little buds" aka marijuana.

I personally come from the school of thought that the "Hotel California" was a mental hospital. But, That's just my opinion, I could be wrong (Dennis Miller Live)

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quiksilver8935
04-18-2004

Rated 0 
what does colitas mean

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