I was born in the desert
So I know how it feels there
Well, look up...it's a shooting star
But it's black as night...no stars

Well, this is the first thing
That I've written
Since I wrote about freedom
And then the wall came down
We thought it was a great beginning
People were free to cross the line
But then something happened in the desert
Something broke the stars into pieces

Well, I live below a great, red mountain
In the shape of a great, huge beast
In a place the Indians call Paradise Valley
Well, well, this has always been my sanctuary
I send that to you, too
You're on the other side of the world
In the desert
And we are the Guardians
No black clouds...Just the faces of you

So where is my father
Where has he gone?
And where is my husband -
And where is my son?
Where is my father
Where has he gone?
What is it that happened here
Is this real?  This war?
This can't be happening

Ooh, well, I need to see you
In your far away war
And you should know how much we love you
Well, they call us here Operation Desert Angel
They call us here Operation Desert Angel
In waiting...

Operation Desert Shield
Operation Desert Storm
Operation Desert Angel
Angels in waiting
Come home...just the faces of you
Come home
Operation Desert Angel

---

WEBMISTRESS speculates:

In the liner notes, Stevie writes: "There was something [Phoenix] was doing called 'Operation Desert Angel.' It meant that you could go down to the shopping centers or malls and get a little dog tag with the shape of an angel with the name of someone from Arizona who was in the Gulf [War]...all this time I was still trying to figure out what I could write [in a letter] to the ones in the Gulf who are alone and scared...and I also knew I would write a song called 'Desert Angel'...and I would send them my feeling of sanctuary.

"From the beginning, all the people around me really loved the song, because it meant so much more to all of us than it did just to me. We had lived through it, we had prayed, and my song would make at least all of us...never forget this war...I hope that for all of you that were there, it will always be a lullaby that will remind you that everything will be fine, it is over, you can sleep now. And for us here who felt helpless and scared, a lot of things really do work out for the best in the end." By the way, in the song, she refers to the Berlin Wall going down and how she wrote about it - I belive she is referring to her song Doing the Best I Can.