he sits in front of the radar screen

watching the signal, watching the planes

go pulsing across, leaving their tracks of light

theres a buddy on the line now from Byron Bay

hes probably lonely but hed never say

hes just looking for some kind of comfort

in this twenty-four hour night

they call it defending the country

he calls it saving up money

dont quite know what hes saving for

but as soon as hes got just a little bit more

hell be going outside for good



chorus:

but look out that you dont get caught now

cause some find their way back but some do not

you gotta watch for the warning signs

on the Distant Early Warning Line



oh he hasnt seen a woman in five or six months

not since that night down in Cambridge Bay

she took him by surprise but

oh lord it was all right

well its not the getting laid

that you miss so much

its just someone to hold you,



someone to touch you

ah what hed give to be held now

in this black and frozen night

well theres always the telephone

but whats the use, hed still be alone

he tries to focus on the screen, only to find

that girl is moving like a track of light

across his mind, leaving him blind



chorus



and on leave he heads for the west coast

to the rolling blue Pacific

he lets the waves crash over his body

under a burning summer sky

but at night he dreams of silence

and a vast and frozen ocean

stretching white to the horizon

and he dont know why



and hes scared that he might be caught now

cause some find their way back but some do not

they say dreams are a warning sign

on the Distant Early Warning Line

you gotta watch for the warning signs

on the Distant