There I was, just doing what I do, 
Thought I'd listen to the radio-- 
Wasn't it a beautiful morning before the warning came along? 
(Hope I've got enough time to finish this song) 
I was living in a world of my own, but not for long 
When I heard the radio say: 
"Attention, Newsflash, Hey! 
The Nukes are on the way, 
And they will arrive in five minutes, 
That's right, and in five minutes they 
May just blow everything away!" 
 
But of course that's only Science Fiction 
Or the guys kidding around at the radio station, 
(Pretty grim recreation)--but then I saw the trails of smoke 
Those were our own Warheads on their way 
To win the war, to save the day (hooray!) 
I heard the radio shout: 
"Hey, everybody look out 
The Nukes are all about, 
And there's no more than four minutes, 
Within four without a doubt 
There's gonna be Fallout!" 
 
Woah, so helpless, hopeless,nothing we can do, 
Nowhere you can run to, nowhere I can hide 
From the Infinite Light and the Absolute Shock Wave  
Of that Hydrogen Bomb. 
It'll knock this city down, contaminate the ground, 
And I heard the radio cry: 
"O God, I do not want to die, 
But every Nuke that can fly 
Is Free, and in three minutes, 
Just three, the Halocaust is nigh, 
And we're all gonna fry!" 
 
God Damn those Military Industries 
And Superpower Governments and Soldier Boys 
And Scientists and Businessmen and Bureaucrats 
And--hah!--Dentente Diplomats, 
Shit, they've gone and blown the world away! 
Who gave them the Right to Fight, anyway? 
I heard the radio scream: 
"The End of the World is Happening! 
And the Nuke Nightmare Dream  
Will come true in just two minutes, 
Two are all that do remain 
Before the Death and Pain." 
 
 And if, and if, and if you do not Die right away 
 You will know pain, but that will be in vain 
 Beneath the radioactive rain. 
 And there'll be no one to explain 
 Just What anyone had to gain. 
 Just plain insane, 
 Just plain insane. 
 
And everybody knew that it could come to this 
Living in the shadow of the Mushroom Cloud 
But allowed it to happen and accepted our Fate 
As if it were already too late!  Wait!
Looking at the situation we're in, Hell, it's time to rebel-- 
I turned the radio off. 
I think I've heard enough 
About Nukes and all that stuff. 
It's done, and I've got one minute, 
One more minute in which to write one last 
Protest Song before the blast. 
 
And I'm working on the melody, the rhythm and the harmony, 
I haven't got a lot of time to get it right, 
But I might just make it--and then I 
Take a little break to laugh... 
How foolish writing ditties, building cities, 
To the critique of Radiation. 
And the Pride of Civilization 
Is Nukes: the Art of Detonation. 
And everything done by everyone  
Amounts to no more than this song  
Beneath the explosion...

E
There I was, just doing what I do,

                   E7
Thought I'd listen to the radio-- 

A                               E
Wasn't it a beautiful morning before the warning came along? 

           B                  A
(Hope I've got enough time to finish this song) 

      B           A                            E
I was living in a world of my own, but not for long 

                 B7
When I heard the radio say: 

A           A*         A**
"Attention, Newsflash, Hey! 

    E         E7
The Nukes are on the way, 

         A      A*      A**  C
And they will arrive in five minutes, 

       B7         C7*             B7        
That's right, and in five minutes they 

         E               B7
May just blow everything away!"