From "Wire on Wire", The Guardian, March 2017, Wire songwriters discussing their music:
"The original lyric was: “Life’s a drag, give me a fag.” Not great, but Bruce [Gilbert, guitar] picked up on the word “fag” and used it as the American slang for gay. In those repressive times, it was a song about ambiguous sexuality that isn’t delivered like one. Someone in a dressing room asked me what the X stood for and I said, “What do you think?” We censored ourselves, but if it had been 1, 2, Fuck You, it would have cheapened it. It would have become Oi! So it’s actually very smart."
theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2017/mar/27/wire-on-wire-the-five-songs-that-define-their-career
From "Wire on Wire", The Guardian, March 2017, Wire songwriters discussing their music:
"The original lyric was: “Life’s a drag, give me a fag.” Not great, but Bruce [Gilbert, guitar] picked up on the word “fag” and used it as the American slang for gay. In those repressive times, it was a song about ambiguous sexuality that isn’t delivered like one. Someone in a dressing room asked me what the X stood for and I said, “What do you think?” We censored ourselves, but if it had been 1, 2, Fuck You, it would have cheapened it. It would have become Oi! So it’s actually very smart." theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2017/mar/27/wire-on-wire-the-five-songs-that-define-their-career