In the DVD "Hell Freezes Over", the Eagles discussed this song's origins. When they were a struggling band in Los Angeles, they saw a lot of beautiful women around Hollywood who were married to wealthy, successful men, and wondered if they were unhappy. One night they were drinking in a bar when they spotted a stunning young woman; two steps behind her was a much older, fat, rich guy. As they were half laughing at them one of the Eagles commented, "Look at her, she can't even hide those lyin eyes!" Immediately, they all began grabbing for cocktail napkins to write down lyrics to go with that great observation.
Lyrics:
City girls just seem to find out early How to open doors with just a smile A rich old man And she won't have to worry She'll dress up all in lace and go in style
Late at night a big old house gets lonely I guess every form of refuge has its price And it breaks her heart to think her love is Only given to a man with hands as cold as ice
So she tells him she must go out for the evening To comfort an old friend who's feelin' down But he knows where she's goin' as she's leavin' She is headed for the cheatin' side of town
You can't hide your lyin' eyes And your smile is a thin disguise I thought by now you'd realize There ain't no way to hide your lyin eyes
On the other side of town a boy is waiting with fiery eyes and dreams no one could steal She drives on through the night anticipating 'Cause he makes her feel the way she used to feel
She rushes to his arms, They fall together She whispers that it's only for awhile She swears that soon she'll be comin' back forever She pulls away and leaves him with a smile
You can't hide your lyin' eyes And your smile is a thin disguise I thought by now you'd realize There ain't no way to hide you lyin' eyes
She gets up and pours herself a strong one And stares out at the stars up in the sky Another night, it's gonna be a long one She draws the shade and hangs her head to cry
She wonders how it ever got this crazy She thinks about a boy she knew in school Did she get tired or did she just get lazy? She's so far gone she feels just like a fool
My, oh my, you sure know how to arrange things You set it up so well, so carefully Ain't it funny how your new life didn't change things You're still the same old girl you used to be
You can't hide your lyin eyes And your smile is a thin disguise I thought by now you'd realize There ain't no way to hide your lyin' eyes There ain't no way to hide your lyin' eyes Honey, you can't hide your lyin' eyes