The Medusa Fora

is this some homosexual reference or something
what does "Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash" even mean???
help...

CNYPiper wrote: is this some homosexual reference or something

Ask somebody who serves in the British Navy.

"Don't talk to me about naval tradition. It's nothing but rum, sodomy and the lash." (quote attributed to Winston Churchill)

haha wow
but what does "the lash" mean

CNYPiper wrote:but what does "the lash" mean

Webster’s Dictionary says:
1) the flexible section of cord or the like forming the extremity of a whip
2) a swift stroke or blow, with a whip or the like, given as a punishment

Inevitable consequence of too much rum and sodomy or the like?

so basically they are making fun of the british navy
I can see that
lol

they were not making fun of what the British Navy is...they are aking fun of what the BRitish Navy WAS. Up until a few decades of when Churchill said that, the British Navy (many Navies for that matter) were an awful thing. The life of a sailor would make you tough but if you read up on some personal experiances, it wasnt really worth it. If Churchill had been talking about the Navy he would have said Dont talk to me about the Navy, it was the unpleasent yet surprisingly honorable tradition he was talking about. anyway

Zuzana wrote:

CNYPiper wrote:but what does "the lash" mean

Webster’s Dictionary says:
1) the flexible section of cord or the like forming the extremity of a whip
2) a swift stroke or blow, with a whip or the like, given as a punishment

Inevitable consequence of too much rum and sodomy or the like?

The Lash, means a piss up, thats how we use over hear "We going out on the Lash" thats what I thought it ment on the album aswell??

Simon Maguire wrote:The Lash, means a piss up, thats how we use over hear "We going out on the Lash" thats what I thought it ment on the album aswell??

The album title refers to the quote above about the British navy. The lash was the whip used to inflict punishment on misbehaving sailors.

But of course there's always the possibility of a double meaning.

firehazard wrote:

Simon Maguire wrote:The Lash, means a piss up, thats how we use over hear "We going out on the Lash" thats what I thought it ment on the album aswell??

The album title refers to the quote above about the British navy. The lash was the whip used to inflict punishment on misbehaving sailors.

But of course there's always the possibility of a double meaning.

Ya, I know what the whip is, but I thought it was a play on media's drunken image of The Pogues, but a double meaning is very possible, maybe the three people of this forum that would actually know could clear this up?

The title was suggested by Andrew Ranken and was, yes, Churchill's quote about the British Navy. All the other subsidiary meanings you have mentioned appealed to us as well. An additional one is "the Lash" as in "spirited effort" - a later well known Irish World Cup song exhorted Mr Jack Charlton to "Give it a lash, Jack" for instance.

We had a launch party on board HMS Belfast, moored on the Thames, at which we were piped aboard, from a feeder boat, in the full naval regalia we wear on the cover, and played a short set for the assembled liggers. This took such organisation that by the time we played, all the Rum (the only drink on board, if I recall) had been quaffed by the Melody Maker and NME journalists who then went on to throw each other overboard.

We stayed sober.

Speak for yourself, Phil. I was speeding out of my nut and full of rum.

We wouldn't expect anything else

just oine question that moight be ointerestoing.. doin't knoiw oif smn asked thois befoire, so here oit goies..

oi was recently watchoin' soime doicumentary aboiut Woinston Churchoill.. amoing oither thoings, they saoid at oine point that he had very bad oipoinion of Broitoish navy, proibably befoire the wwII, that he descroibed oit exactly usoin' the expression "rum, soidoimy & the lash"; ois thois sth that actually oinfluenced and broiught oiut the name foir Pogues' 2nd album?

I'm amazed you didn't know this Oirish

agh, but noiw oi do
oi have to learn everythoing the hard way