"Give 'Em Enough Rope" is the second studio album by the English punk rock band the Clash, released on 10 November 1978 through CBS Records. This album marked the band's first release in the United States, preceding the U.S. version of their self-titled debut album. Give 'Em Enough Rope was well received by both critics and fans, peaking at number two on the UK Albums Chart and reaching number 128 on the Billboard 200. It is tied with Combat Rock (1982) for the highest-charting album by the Clash in their native United Kingdom.
The album marked the first appearance of drummer Topper Headon, who joined the band shortly after the recording of their debut album. Like their previous work, most of the songs were written by guitarists Joe Strummer and Mick Jones, except for "English Civil War" (a reworking of the American folk song "When Johnny Comes Marching Home") and "Guns on the Roof", which were credited to all four band members: Headon, Jones, Strummer, and bassist Paul Simonon.
The album cover art was designed by Gene Greif, based on a postcard titled "End of the Trail" by Adrian Atwater, which featured Wallace Irving Robertson. The cover design on the first U.S. pressings showed the band's name in block capitals, while later U.S. editions used a faux-oriental style font, which was similar to the one used on the UK release. The original American issue also retitled "All the Young Punks" as "That's No Way to Spend Your Youth", though this was corrected in later editions. "Tommy Gun" and "English Civil War" were released as singles, reaching numbers 19 and 25, respectively, on the UK charts.
The song "Guns on the Roof" was partly inspired by an incident where members of the Clash, Paul Simonon and Topper Headon, were arrested for shooting pigeons with an airgun from the roof of their rehearsal building. The Metropolitan Police's armed counterterrorism squad raided their Camden Market base, which contributed to the song’s themes of terrorism, war, and corruption.
The band continued to address contemporary issues in their lyrics. "Tommy Gun" dealt with Middle Eastern terrorism and the hijacking of aircraft, while "Julie's Been Working for the Drug Squad" commented on the "Operation Julie" drug bust in Wales, which dismantled a major LSD production ring. The song referenced the Beatles' "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" in its opening line, "It's Lucy in the sky and all kinds of apple pie". "Drug-Stabbing Time" was a strong anti-drug anthem that reflected the paranoia of being caught, despite the band's own experiences with drugs.
"Safe European Home" reflected Strummer and Jones’s uneasy trip to Jamaica, during which they were mistaken for sailors and survived an intimidating experience in the docks. The song also contains references to Jamaican culture and landmarks like the Sheraton hotel in Kingston.
During the recording sessions, Joe Strummer's Fender Telecaster guitar needed repairs, so he played a rented semi-hollow Gibson ES-345 for much of the album. The album's producer, Sandy Pearlman, was not fond of Strummer's vocal style, to the extent that he made sure the drums were mixed louder than Strummer's vocals on the entire album.
In addition to the main album, several songs were recorded during the sessions, including the single "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais", as well as B-sides like "Pressure Drop", "1-2 Crush on You", and "The Prisoner". Four other tracks were also recorded, including "One Emotion", "Groovy Times", "Ooh Baby Ooh (It's Not Over)" (which was later reworked and released as "Gates of the West"), and "RAF 1810".
