Draygo's Guilt

(1)

I am the one who gave you a chance in life
How could you try and end my life

Draygo's guilt
Still happens
Draygo's guilt
Still

How long is long in a hellish place?
And dreams today are draining us dry
And I proclaim some loyalty frightened me
Master bold morals get reptiles and ankles

Draygo's guilt
Still apparent
Draygo's guilt
Still

A spiritual king has to rise or perish
And throw away the charity handouts
Blow his nose on last pound note  (2)
Scan window menus and walk away but

Draygo's guilt
Still happens
Draygo's guilt
Still
Still
Sit still 
Sit still
Sit still
Hate from the hills
Hate from the hills
Hate from the hills
Hate from the hills

And all the bands still dream of photo-Draygo 
The county of Lancs dreams of photo-Draygo (3)
Guitars in hands that turn and stab you
And sexy with bass dreams of photo-Draygo
but

Draygo's guilt
Still happens
Draygo's guilt
Still
Still
Still
Still

Hate from the hills
Hate from the hills

How many times do I have to say this
I should not have to say this
But each time the blood was clear like liquid gold

1. The Lancashire band Victor Drago was active between 1979 and 1983. Their singer, Gary Lomax, was apparently friends with Marc Riley (see comments 16 and 17 below). Lomax was later known for his photography (thanks to Bob). Sometime Fall drummer Steve Davis was a band member at some point, and this may make some sense of the lyrics, although there's no evidence his parting from the Fall was anything but mutually amicable.

Dan: The first documented performance of this song was at the Cyprus Tavern, Manchester, on 14 May 1980. The Fall were supported on the night by the band Victor Drago, who had supported The Fall a number of times by then.

The band may have been named after the detective Victor Drago, a character from the British comic Tornado... 

Note, however, there is also a Marvel supervillain named "Mister Fear," a nemesis of Daredevil. The entity known as Mister Fear seems to have migrated from alter ego to alter ego, confusingly enough, but the original version was named Zoltan Drago. It is entirely possible that MES was familiar with this character. See also "I Am Damo Suzuki" where there is a reference to "fear gas," which was Mister Fear's primary weapon...

Dan says that Rob Waite's article "Notebooks Out" in "The Biggest Library Yet," issue #18, January 2000, p6, notes that "Draygo's Guilt" appeared "on the odd set list under the guise 'The Lou Reed One,'" and records musical similarity to Reed's "Vicious".

As Hexen Blumenthal points out it sounds like Simon Dupree's "Reservations," and also maybe it sounds like Otis Redding's "Hard to Handle" (from the year after "Reservations"), but it's hard to say what the connections are. 

^

2. Mark points out that this line appeares on the live "And This Day" from the Hammersmith Palais, 3/25/1982 (the version on Hip Priests and Kamerads). As Zack mentions, "Draygo's Guilt" is the older song, and it already had this lyric before "And This Day" premiered.

^

3. See note 1 re: Gary Lomax.

^

Draygo's Guilt: Fall Tracks A-Z

The Story of the Fall: 1982