Rum Sodomy & The Lash

Rum Sodomy & The Lash

Rum, Sodomy & the Lash is the second studio album by the London-based folk punk band The Pogues, released in 1985.

The album's title is taken from a quotation often misattributed to Winston Churchill: "Don't talk to me about naval tradition. It's nothing but rum, sodomy, and the lash." Singer and primary songwriter Shane MacGowan claimed that the title was suggested by drummer Andrew Ranken. The cover artwork is based on The Raft of the Medusa, a painting by Théodore Géricault, with the band members' faces replacing those of the men on the raft.

The album reached number 13 in the UK charts. The track "A Pair of Brown Eyes", based on an older Irish tune, went on to reach number 72 in the UK singles chart. "The Old Main Drag" later appeared on the soundtrack to the film My Own Private Idaho. A remastered and expanded version of Rum, Sodomy & the Lash was released on 11 January 2005. The cut "A Pistol for Paddy Garcia", and the B-side of "Dirty Old Town", which only appeared on the initial cassette release, was moved to the bonus tracks. A poem by Tom Waits was also added to the expanded release.