Hi Jim,
I wrote the words out as I had heard and learned them years ago. I have heard this song sung with "far and distant" and perhaps have sometimes sung it that way myself. I just listened to the recordings of both Hanks and my ear hears "foreign distant" but it is so close as to be subjective. I then checked Cowpie for Locklin's lyrics and Snow's site gor his. Both have "foreign distant" attributed to songwriter Lawton Williams. Either way works fine!
                            Sandy
PS I also misspelled "Where"
Geisha Girl on Cowpie