Welcome to the Hotel California:

I've heard many explanations as to the meaning of Hotel California by the Eagles. I've heard it said that it's a reference to Hell. Maybe. But I've also heard it's a reference to a mental institution. Colitas ("warm smell of colitas rising up through the air") is a strong form of cannibis. Apparantly the singer of the song smoked some tainted colitas and ended up in a mental institution. On the line "Relax said the nightman, we are programmed to receive. You can check out any time you like but you can never leave"... if he was dead (a.k.a. being in hell), he couldn't "check out", he'd already be dead. And the line: "Her mind is Tiffany Twisted"... well, that speaks VOLUMES, as far as I'm concerned...