| Cm | G | Bb | F |
| On a dark desert highway, | cool wind in my hair | Warm smell of colitas, | rising through the air |
| Ab | Eb | Fm | G |
| Up ahead in the distance, | I saw a shimering light | My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim, | I had to stop for the night |
| Cm | G | Bb | F |
| 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 |
| Ab | Eb | Fm | G |
| Then she lit up a candle | and she showed me the way | There were voices down the corridor; | I thought I heard them say: |
| Chorus: |
| Ab | Eb | G | Cm | |
| " | Welcome to the Hotel Califor | nia | Such a lovely place (such a lovely place), such a | lovely face |
| Ab | Eb | Fm | G |
| Plenty of room at the Hotel Califor | nia, any | time of year (any time of year), you can | find it here" |
| Cm | G | Bb | F |
| Her mind is Tiffany twisted, | she got the Mercedes Benz | She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys, | that she calls friends |
| Ab | Eb | Fm | G |
| How they dance in the courtyard, | sweet summer sweat | Some dance to remember, | some dance to forget |
| Cm | G | Bb | F |
| So I called up the captain, " | Please bring me my wine", He said | "We haven't had that spirit here since | nineteen sixty-nine" |
| Ab | Eb | Fm | G |
| And still those voices are calling from | far away | Wake you up in the middle of the night, | just to hear them say: |
| Ab | Eb | G | Cm | |
| " | Welcome to the Hotel Califor | nia | Such a lovely place (such a lovely place), such a | lovely face |
| Ab | Eb | Fm | G | |
| They | livin' it up at the Hotel Califor | nia, what a | nice surprise (what a nice surprise), bring your | alibis" |
| Cm | G | Bb | F |
| Mirrors on the ceiling, | the pink champagne on ice, and she said " | We are all just prisoners here, | of our own device" |
| Ab | Eb | Fm | G |
| 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 |
| Cm | G | Bb | F |
| Last thing I remember, I was | running for the door | I had to find the passage back to the | place I was before |
| Ab | Eb | Fm | G | |
| " | Relax," said the night man, "We are | programmed to receive | You can check out any time you like, but | you can never leave" |
| chorus |