Three Lions lyrics, melody and instrumentation: Just how good is Football’s Coming Home?
Three Lions lyrics: How good is Football’s Coming Home?

Read Three Lions lyrics, Join in with the soundtrack to England's Euro 2020 Final Match. Comedians David Baddiel and Frank Skinner, and The Lightning Seeds, first released Three Lions in 1996, ahead of Euro 96 due to be held in England. Now, 25 years on, the song is experiencing something of a resurgence as Gareth Southgate leads England to the semi-finals of Euro 2020.

The Full Lyrics of Three Lions - 'Football's Coming Home' (Version in 1996)

It's coming home

It's coming home

It's coming

Football's coming home (we'll go getting bad results)

It's coming home

It's coming home

It's coming

Football's coming home

It's coming home

It's coming home

It's coming

Football's coming home

It's coming home

It's coming home

It's coming

Football's coming home

Everyone seems to know the score

They've seen it all before

They just know

They're so sure

That England's gonna throw it away

Gonna blow it away

But I know they can play

'Cause I remember

Three Lions on a shirt

Jules Rimet still gleaming

Thirty years of hurt

Never stopped me dreaming

So many jokes, so many sneers

But all those oh-so-nears

Wear you down

Through the years

But I still see that tackle by Moore

And when Lineker scored

Bobby belting the ball

And Nobby Dancing

Three Lions on a shirt

Jules Rimet still gleaming

Thirty years of hurt

Never stopped me dreaming

What a save, Gordon Banks!

Good old England, England that couldn't play football

England have got it in the bag

I know that was then but it could be again

It's coming home

It's coming

Football's coming home

It's coming home

It's coming home

It's coming

Football's coming home (England have done it)

It's coming home

It's coming home

It's coming

Football's coming home

It's coming home

It's coming home

It's coming

Football's coming home

Three Lions on a shirt (it's coming home, it's coming)

Jules Rimet still gleaming (football's coming home, it's coming home)

Thirty years of hurt (it's coming home, it's coming)

Never stopped me dreaming (football's coming home)

Three Lions on a shirt (it's coming home, it's coming)

Jules Rimet still gleaming (football's coming home, it's coming home)

Thirty years of hurt (it's coming home, it's coming)

Never stopped me dreaming (football's coming home)

Three Lions on a shirt (it's coming home, it's coming)

Jules Rimet still gleaming (football's coming home, it's coming home)

Thirty years of hurt (it's coming home, it's coming)

Never stopped me dreaming (football's coming home)

Video Three Lions in 1996:

'Three Lions': Time & Date Released

The original 'Three Lions' single was released in May 1996 ahead of that summer's European Championship - Euro 96 - which was being held in England.

It went straight to number one on the UK Singles Chart and enjoyed two weeks at the summit during the course of the tournament.

The single was the lead track on the official Euro '96 album 'The Beautiful Game', which also featured songs from Jamiroquai, Massive Attack and Blur, as well as a remixed version of New Order's classic 'World In Motion', which was the official England song for the 1990 World Cup .

An updated version of the song - which was called 'Three Lions '98' was subsequently released in June 1998 in the run up to the 1998 World Cup.

Different versions of 'Three Lions'

As well as the aforementioned 1996 and updated 1998 version, a new song was recorded ahead of the 2010 World Cup, with Baddiel, Skinner and Broudie forming 'The Squad' with Robbie Williams and Russell Brand.

Interestingly, supporters of Germany - England's long-time rivals - have mockingly appropriated the song for themselves after Jurgen Klinsmann led a chorus of the song on Germany's homecoming following their Euro '96 triumph. One of the song's writers, Baddiel, has addressed the fact in the past.

"People ask how it makes me feel, to hear the Germans sing it," he wrote in the Guardian during the 2014 World Cup. "Well, there’s a part of me, to be honest, that’s glad someone is still singing it on the terraces. England fans seem to have stopped."

He'll be even happier now that England fans appear to have reclaimed the era-defining stadium anthem.

Who wrote 'Three Lions'?

Three Lions was the product of a collaboration between comedy duo Frank Skinner and David Baddiel and Ian Broudie's band The Lightning Seeds .

Baddiel and Skinner, who were the presenters of a television show 'Fantasy Football League' at the time, wrote the lyrics, with Broudie coming up with the melody and accompanying music.

As mentioned, Baddiel and Skinner are the comedy double act who wrote the lyrics which have now become the soundtrack for a nation.

At the time of the song's initial release in 1996, they were the known for their role as hosts of BBC Two's Fantasy Football League, which was a football-themed talk and sketch show that ran for three series from 1994 to 1996 before later being revived in the form of specials by ITV for the 1998 World Cup and 2004 European Championship.

The pair each began their careers as stand-up comedians and were separately prominent on a variety of British television shows before working together on joint projects, such as the aforementioned Fantasy Football League. The ITV show 'Baddiel and Skinner Unplanned' was another popular collaboration, which ran for five seasons on ITV in the early 2000s.

In recent times they have pursued separate paths, but both remain in television and radio spheres. As well as writing a number of novels - including a children's novel - Baddiel continues to perform stand-up and produce TV shows, while Skinner presents his own radio show on Absolute Radio as well as the comedy show Room 101.

Though they are not working as closely on projects as before, they are still good friends, with the 2018 Three Lions phenomenon - and the Euro 2020 revival which followed - reminding the British public of their earlier work together.

Meaning of 'It's Coming Home'

The term 'It's Coming Home' or 'Football's Coming Home' is a reference to the idea that football glory is returning to the country where football is often said to have been 'invented'.

'Three Lions' and each of its subsequent versions are imbued with a defiant sense of optimism against the painful litany of England's past failings at major tournaments.

The song begins with the gradual crescendo of the line, 'It's coming home', which serves as a sort of mantra, as if to ward off and drown out the critical voices of pundits decrying the deficiencies of the English team.

The idea of football "coming home" had gained popularity after England won the right to host the European Championship in 1996, with the tournament's tag line being 'Football Comes Home'. This was a reference to the fact that the game we now know as association football was first codified in England.

In another sense, the line has since come to reflect a desire for a second World Cup triumph, with fans willing the team on to bring the trophy home for the first time since 1966.

Full Lyrics of Three Lions (1998 version)

We still believe, we still believe,

We still believe, we still believe

It's coming home,

It's coming home, it's coming,

Football's coming home.

It's coming home,

It's coming home, it's coming,

Football's coming home.

Tears for heroes dressed in grey,

No plans for final day,

Stay in bed, drift away.

It could have been all songs in the street,

It was nearly complete,

It was nearly so sweet

And now I'm singing three lions on a shirt!

Jules Rimet still gleaming,

No more years of hurt,

No more need for dreaming.

Talk about football coming home

And then one night in Rome

We were strong, we had grown.

Now I see Ince ready for war,

Gazza good as before,

Shearer certain to score

And Psycho screaming.

Three lions on a shirt!

Jules Rimet still gleaming,

No more years of hurt,

No more need for dreaming.

We can dance Nobby's dance,

We can dance it in France...

It's coming home,

It's coming home, it's coming,

Football's coming home.

It's coming home,

It's coming home, it's coming,

Football's coming home.

It's coming home,

It's coming home, it's coming,

Football's coming home.

(Overlapping)

Three lions on a shirt!

Jules Rimet still gleaming,

No more years of hurt,

No more need for dreaming.

Three lions on a shirt!

Jules Rimet still gleaming,

No more years of hurt,

No more need for dreaming.

Video Three Lions in 1998 Version

Meaning of 'Three Lions' lyrics

Both songs are littered with references to England's past glories and failures, with certain moments highlighted as a reminder of the team's capabilities and rebuttal to those critics who suggest that England are not good enough to win the World Cup.

"We thought, OK, let's write a song not like all the other 'we're going to win' songs that had tracked England's failure to win the World Cup for many years," Baddiel said in an interview with BBC Radio 2 .

"Let's write a song about the real experience of being a fan of the England football team' - which is, we're probably not going to win, or at least lots of people are saying we're not and we're not very good. But somewhere within us there is a kind of irrational, magical hope that we might anyway.

"And that's the real condition, it felt to us, of being an England fan and that's what we tried to embody in the lyrics. I think that spirit of defiance against against experience of punching through 'we know we can play' - that spoke to England fans. We didn't know it spoke to England fans when we wrote it, but it did."

Below is a selection of the lyrics from both songs, with an explanation.

Three Lions (Football's Coming Home)

Jules Rimet Still Gleaming - A reference to the old World Cup trophy, which was presented to the England team who won the 1966 tournament.

But I still see that tackle by Moore - Referring to a decisive intervention made by England captain Bobby Moore on Brazil's Jairzinho at the 1970 World Cup.

And when Lineker scored - Gary Lineker's equalising goal against West Germany in the semi-final of the 1990 World Cup.

Bobby belting the ball - Bobby Charlton's powerfully struck long-range goal against Mexico en route to 1966 World Cup glory.

And Nobby dancing - The memorable victory dance performed by Nobby Stiles while holding the Jules Rimet trophy in 1966.

Three Lions '98

Tears for heroes dressed in grey - England wore a grey strip in their Euro '96 semi-final against Germany, which they lost on penalties.

No plans for final day - The final was contested by Germany and the Czech Republic, with the Germans winning.

And then one night in Rome - England had lost at home to Italy in the qualification phase of the 1998 World Cup, but secured a 0-0 draw in the away game, which ensured they qualified as group winners.

Now I see Ince ready for war - Paul Ince had forged a reputation as a tough-tackling midfielder, famously finishing a game with a bandage and blood-stained shirt.

Gazza good as before - Paul Gascoigne - a veteran of the 1990 disappointment - was 30, but figured prominently in qualifying. However, he was actually cut from Glenn Hoddle's final tournament squad.

Shearer certain to score - Alan Shearer scored five goals in qualifying and was the undisputed best striker in the Premier League, securing the Golden Boot for three consecutive seasons.

And Psycho screaming - Stuart Pearce was known as 'Psycho' for his exuberant and combative playing style. He was approaching the end of his playing days and, like Gascoigne, did not make the final squad.