[Verse 1] I came in from the rain With my hat in my hands The lobby was all amber And the floorboards shone like sand You were at the desk in moonlight With a smile so kind and slow You said, "If you're staying here tonight I'll tell the rain to go" [Pre-Chorus] And the bell above the doorway Gave a little silver ring As if the whole old hotel Had just remembered how to sing You laughed and led me onward Past the palms and polished pine Saying, "There's a room for someone And it might as well be mine" [Chorus] Hold me close in the old hotel Where the rain is kind and light Hold me close in the old hotel Till the morning learns the night We can stay where the curtains sway And the warm lamps never fail Hold me close in the old hotel Where love can never pale [Verse 2] There were candles in the hallway Though nobody passed by there And every door was standing open Like a secret in the air You said one room stays occupied At the very top of the stair And I thought you meant a traveler With a trunk and silver hair [Pre-Chorus] But the house was so still, darling Not a cough, not one goodbye Only soft steps overhead And a whistle drifting by You pressed my hand and whispered "Some guests arrive too late" Then you smiled just like a hostess At the edge of a garden gate [Chorus] Hold me close in the old hotel Where the rain is kind and light Hold me close in the old hotel Till the morning learns the night We can stay where the curtains sway And the warm lamps never fail Hold me close in the old hotel Where love can never pale [Bridge] Upstairs, the stairs kept waiting For the touch of someone's shoe And the room at the end of the corridor Kept a little light on too You said, "He likes it quiet And he never leaves alone" Then you straightened my collar gently Like you knew the way I'd gone [Final Chorus] Hold me close in the old hotel Where the rain is kind and light Hold me close in the old hotel Till the morning learns the night We can stay where the curtains sway And the warm lamps never fail Hold me close in the old hotel The room upstairs was mine to spare
