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