diff --git a/src/ast/mod.rs b/src/ast/mod.rs
index 050c1f2..e90fe34 100644
--- a/src/ast/mod.rs
+++ b/src/ast/mod.rs
@@ -595,6 +595,12 @@ pub struct IsDef {
     pub typ: Token,
 }
 
+#[derive(Debug, PartialEq, Clone)]
+pub struct FailDef {
+    pub pos: Position,
+    pub message: Box<Expression>,
+}
+
 /// Encodes a ucg expression. Expressions compute a value from.
 #[derive(Debug, PartialEq, Clone)]
 pub enum Expression {
@@ -617,6 +623,9 @@ pub enum Expression {
     Select(SelectDef),
     FuncOp(FuncOpDef),
     Module(ModuleDef),
+
+    // Declarative failure expressions
+    Fail(FailDef),
 }
 
 impl Expression {
@@ -636,6 +645,7 @@ impl Expression {
             &Expression::FuncOp(ref def) => def.pos(),
             &Expression::Include(ref def) => &def.pos,
             &Expression::Import(ref def) => &def.pos,
+            &Expression::Fail(ref def) => &def.pos,
         }
     }
 }
@@ -682,6 +692,9 @@ impl fmt::Display for Expression {
             &Expression::Import(_) => {
                 write!(w, "<Include>")?;
             }
+            &Expression::Fail(_) => {
+                write!(w, "<Fail>")?;
+            }
         }
         Ok(())
     }
diff --git a/src/ast/walk.rs b/src/ast/walk.rs
index 6a48e82..d59ef66 100644
--- a/src/ast/walk.rs
+++ b/src/ast/walk.rs
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ impl<'a> AstWalker<'a> {
             Expression::Simple(ref mut val) => {
                 self.visit_value(val);
             }
-            Expression::Import(_) | Expression::Include(_) => {
+            Expression::Import(_) | Expression::Include(_) | Expression::Fail(_) => {
                 //noop
             }
         }
diff --git a/src/build/compile_test.rs b/src/build/compile_test.rs
index 8aaa4b3..551872e 100644
--- a/src/build/compile_test.rs
+++ b/src/build/compile_test.rs
@@ -101,3 +101,21 @@ fn test_format() {
 fn test_type_checks() {
     assert_build(include_str!("../../integration_tests/types_test.ucg"));
 }
+
+#[test]
+#[should_panic(expected = "UserDefined")]
+fn test_declarative_failures_are_user_defined() {
+    assert_build("fail \"I am a failure!\";");
+}
+
+#[test]
+#[should_panic(expected = "Caused By:\n\tI am a failure!")]
+fn test_declarative_failures_are_caused_by_msg() {
+    assert_build("fail \"I am a failure!\";");
+}
+
+#[test]
+#[should_panic(expected = "1 is a failure!")]
+fn test_declarative_failures_can_with_format_expr() {
+    assert_build("fail \"@ is a failure!\" % (1);");
+}
diff --git a/src/build/mod.rs b/src/build/mod.rs
index e7c96bb..7182ddd 100644
--- a/src/build/mod.rs
+++ b/src/build/mod.rs
@@ -1766,6 +1766,25 @@ impl<'a> FileBuilder<'a> {
             &Expression::FuncOp(ref def) => self.eval_func_op(def, scope),
             &Expression::Include(ref def) => self.eval_include(def),
             &Expression::Import(ref def) => self.eval_import(def),
+            &Expression::Fail(ref def) => {
+                let err = self.eval_expr(&def.message, scope)?;
+                return if let Val::Str(ref s) = err.as_ref() {
+                    Err(Box::new(error::BuildError::new(
+                        s.clone(),
+                        error::ErrorType::UserDefined,
+                        def.pos.clone(),
+                    )))
+                } else {
+                    Err(Box::new(error::BuildError::new(
+                        format!(
+                            "Expected string form message but got {}",
+                            def.message.as_ref()
+                        ),
+                        error::ErrorType::TypeFail,
+                        def.message.pos().clone(),
+                    )))
+                };
+            }
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/error.rs b/src/error.rs
index 78a593b..840e5c1 100644
--- a/src/error.rs
+++ b/src/error.rs
@@ -35,6 +35,8 @@ pub enum ErrorType {
     // Parsing Errors
     ParseError,
     AssertError,
+    // User Defined Declarative Errors
+    UserDefined,
 }
 
 impl fmt::Display for ErrorType {
@@ -49,6 +51,7 @@ impl fmt::Display for ErrorType {
             &ErrorType::ReservedWordError => "ReservedWordError",
             &ErrorType::ParseError => "ParseError",
             &ErrorType::AssertError => "AssertError",
+            &ErrorType::UserDefined => "UserDefined",
         };
         w.write_str(name)
     }
diff --git a/src/parse/mod.rs b/src/parse/mod.rs
index 1e03432..3febdbc 100644
--- a/src/parse/mod.rs
+++ b/src/parse/mod.rs
@@ -650,6 +650,27 @@ make_fn!(
     )
 );
 
+make_fn!(
+    string_expression<SliceIter<Token>, Expression>,
+    do_each!(
+        val => trace_parse!(quoted_value),
+        (value_to_expression(val))
+    )
+);
+
+make_fn!(
+    fail_expression<SliceIter<Token>, Expression>,
+    do_each!(
+        pos => pos,
+        _ => word!("fail"),
+        msg => must!(wrap_err!(either!(format_expression, string_expression), "Expected failure message")),
+        (Expression::Fail(FailDef{
+            pos: pos,
+            message: Box::new(msg),
+        }))
+    )
+);
+
 fn unprefixed_expression(input: SliceIter<Token>) -> ParseResult<Expression> {
     let _input = input.clone();
     either!(
@@ -668,6 +689,7 @@ make_fn!(
         trace_parse!(func_op_expression),
         trace_parse!(macro_expression),
         trace_parse!(import_expression),
+        trace_parse!(fail_expression),
         trace_parse!(module_expression),
         trace_parse!(select_expression),
         trace_parse!(grouped_expression),
diff --git a/src/tokenizer/mod.rs b/src/tokenizer/mod.rs
index 3efe5a0..7ea5329 100644
--- a/src/tokenizer/mod.rs
+++ b/src/tokenizer/mod.rs
@@ -278,6 +278,10 @@ make_fn!(istok<OffsetStrIter, Token>,
        do_text_token_tok!(TokenType::BAREWORD, "is", WS)
 );
 
+make_fn!(failtok<OffsetStrIter, Token>,
+       do_text_token_tok!(TokenType::BAREWORD, "fail", WS)
+);
+
 make_fn!(macrotok<OffsetStrIter, Token>,
        do_text_token_tok!(TokenType::BAREWORD, "macro", WS)
 );
@@ -417,6 +421,7 @@ fn token<'a>(input: OffsetStrIter<'a>) -> Result<OffsetStrIter<'a>, Token> {
         outtok,
         selecttok,
         asserttok,
+        failtok,
         macrotok,
         moduletok,
         importtok,