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The Enemy’s Poised to Attack Lyrics by Leon Rosselson

1983

[Verse 1]
I was sitting on the sofa with the tele set on
And my mind just an empty think-tank
Watching a party political broadcast
On behalf of the national bank
When the lights went out and the tele set exploded
And the armageddon man marched in
With his rocket launcher boots
And his flame thrower eyes
And his reinforced blast-proof skin
And above his mega warhead was a nuclear umbrella
Stamped with a union jack
And a voice boomed out of his megaphone mouth
Said “the enemy's poised to attack”
[Chorus]
Thе enemy’s poised out thеre
The enemy's poised like a dangerous bear
The enemy's poised to catch you unaware
The enemy’s poised to attack
[Verse 2]
Well I wasn't too willing to do any killing
But I knew where my duty lay
Cause they told me
When your country call you to fight for freedom's cause
You know you've got to obey
So I stepped outside where platoons of people
Were cheering for all they were worth
And the bishop said a blessing
And we vowed to follow our leader to the end of the earth
And I fell into line to receive my
Regulation anti-radiation pills and suicide pack
Then I followed the sign which said follow the sign which says
The enemy's poised to attack
[Chorus]
The enemy's poised out there
The enemy's poised like a dangerous bear
The enemy's poised to catch you unaware
The enemy’s poised to attack
[Verse 3]
Soon we came to silent city
Where the house of pity was falling to dust
And the wind was heavy with the stench of sewers
And the sky leaked flakes of rust
At the center of the city was a gaping pit and the crumbling slopes around
Were alive with people scrambling to stop themselves
Falling through the hole in the ground
And an orderly force of uniformed guards
Use electric shock battens to prod them back
“Eyes front” came the order from the armageddon man
“Because the enemy’s poised to attack”
[Chorus]
The enemy's poised out there
The enemy’s poised like a dangerous bear
The enemy's poised to catch you unaware
The enemy's poised to attack
[Verse 4]
So we marched it seemed on the edge of a dream
Through fields that were stained blood red
Where the village's huts were on fire
And the rivers were thick with the swollen dead
And clouds of chopper birds
Dropped orange stars that scarred the sky
And a woman cradling a silent child
Was singing a lullaby
Then I heard a scream and where the woman had been
Was a shroud of skin burned black
It’s all in the plan from the armageddon man
Against the enemy poised to attack
[Chorus]
The enemy's poised out there
The enemy's poised like a dangerous bear
The enemy's poised to catch you unaware
The enemy's poised to attack
[Verse 5]
So we marched on past beggar children
Squatting on a desolate plane
And I saw they were gnawing metal slugs
To kill the hunger pain
And each child's eyes were dead moons
Each child's belly was a hollow drum
Then I saw that the line of children stretched
From here to kingdom come
And I thought my head would burst with a silent scream
And my nerves were beginning to crack
“No wavering now” said the megaphone mouth
“For the enemy's poised to attack”
[Chorus]
The enemy's poised out there
The enemy's poised like a dangerous bear
The enemy's poised to catch you unaware
The enemy's poised to attack
[Verse 6]
Then at last we paused on the edge of a gorge
That was deep and dark as the tomb
And I saw the sun turn black
And I heard a sound
Like the crack of doom
And as I gazed across that gorge
As in a mirror I could see
The identical picture of the armageddon man
And people just like me
And around the turning world the voice howled out
And another voice echoed back
“The enemy's poised
The enemy's poised
The enemy's poised to attack”
[Chorus]
The enemy's poised out there
The enemy's poised like a hawk in the air
The enemy's poised to catch you unaware
The enemy's poised to attack
[Verse 7]
The next thing I knew I was sitting on the sofa
And my brow was bathed in sweat
And the man on the screen was explaining the need
For a balanced nuclear threat
And the words marched out of his elegant mouth
In well drilled disciplined rows
They'd been trained to overrun my brain
And ice it with death till it froze
And every well read word wore a smiling mask
And flew the union jack
Then a voice in my head stood up and said
“It's the enemy poised to attack”
[Chorus]
It said the enemy's poised right here
The enemy feeds on hatred and fear
The enemy hides behind a cultured veneer
The enemy lies without shame
The enemy's ready to murder and maim
The enemy does what he does in our name
The enemy's poised to attack
Credits
Leon Rosselson

Leon Rosselson

About “The Enemy’s Poised to Attack” by Leon Rosselson

Read the complete lyrics to "The Enemy’s Poised to Attack" by Leon Rosselson in 1983. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under British Folk, Pop.

"The Enemy’s Poised to Attack" is performed by Leon Rosselson. in 1983 This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "The Enemy’s Poised to Attack", explore more songs by Leon Rosselson using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"The Enemy’s Poised to Attack" is credited to Leon Rosselson. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

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