"It's coming home," penalties and disappointment. In that order.
Think of England in major tournaments and these are the three items that will feature on that list.
The phrase, which comes from the song "Three Lions," has become an indelible part of the national team's folklore. From the stands to beer gardens to hashtags, the phrase will undoubtedly be bandied about again this summer during the World Cup.
Of course, it has already made a foray into the United States. During Euro 2024, Prime Minister Keir Starmer was asked by reporters during an Oval Office meeting with then-president Joe Biden if football was indeed coming home.
It obviously did not come home then, as England lost to Spain in the final.
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When was the song released?
"Three Lions" came out ahead of Euro 1996, which was hosted on English soil.
The English Football Association commissioned Ian Broudie, songwriter of the band Lightning Seeds, to create a song for the team ahead of the tournament. Broudie reached out to comedians David Baddiel and Frank Skinner, who hosted popular TV show Fantasy Football, to help out with writing it.
The song is part self-mocking, part rousing, and mentions players like Gary Lineker, Bobby Moore and Gordon Banks. It also features commentary clips from England World Cup moments, both celebratory and crushing.
"I love that it's become a song about so many things," Broudie said in an interview to The Guardian.
"I don't think it was ever just about England: American baseball teams have adopted it; Werder Bremen rewrote the words one year. The lyrics seem to have gone into the vernacular. No one said "years of hurt" before.
"When we first recorded it, lots of people said to me -- even journalists: 'What's the three lions in reference to?' We'd say: 'Well, they're on the shirt.' It's amazing that when you think of Three Lions, people still think of the song rather than the shirt."
How did it become so popular?
The song rose to No. 1 in the UK singles chart in 1996, and there are two reasons for that.
First, football fever gripped the nation in a big way that summer as Euro 1996 was the first major tournament played on home soil since the 1966 World Cup, which England of course won. The team, too, were making a return to the international stage after missing out on qualfication for the 1994 World Cup.
Their progress in the tournament matched the song's trajectory up the charts. "Three Lions" truly came to the fore after England's win over Scotland in the group stages after it was blared on the Wembley speakers at full time. It was fitting that Paul Gascoigne scored the game's standout goal as the midfielder was the only member of the England squad to take to the song.
"Paul Gascoigne used to wake us all up every morning at England's team hotel by opening his bedroom window and playing it on his CD player at full blast," Alan Shearer said in a 2016 BBC documentary.
The Scotland win gave England lift-off in the Euros. They thrashed Netherlands 4-1 in their final group stage game before knocking Spain out in the quarterfinals. But, their journey ended in the semifinals as they lost in heartbreaking fashion to eventual champions Germany on penalties.
Ironically, Germany captain Jurgen Klinsmann later spoke of how "Three Lions" was hugely popular in their dressing room. The German team even sang it from the balcony during their celebrations in Frankfurt on their return.
When did it re-enter public consciousness?
An updated version of the song returned to top of the billboard during the 1998 World Cup but following that tournament, it largely faded from public consciousness due to a string of disappointing exits. Euro '96 remained England's last semfinal appearance until the 2018 World Cup.
The feel-good factor and by virtue, the song, returned during the tournament in Russia. Under Gareth Southgate, England mounted an unlikely path to the semifinals. They slayed past demons enroute, including a penalty shootout win over Colombia in the round of 16.
"Three Lions" returned to No. 1 in the UK charts that summer. A younger generation of fans coupled with the reach of social media led to 'It's coming home' become ubiquitous with the England team. The phrase was initially thrown around as a meme, but became a motto in the deeper stages of the tournament.
England manager Southgate took some time to warm up to the song, as it brought up painful memories for him from Euro 1996. Southgate had been the one to miss the fateful penalty against Germany to confirm England's exit.
The song soundtracked England's renaissance over the next few years, as they reached the finals of Euro 2020 and Euro 2024. An updated version of the song was even released for the intervening World Cup in 2022.
Is it coming home this summer?
That's the question Thomas Tuchel will face all through the summer. England go into the World Cup as one of the favourites, but the question will continue to be asked until they can actually do it.
It's worth noting, of course, that football has come home in the last few years. The Lionesses ended the decades of hurt by winning Euro 2022 on home soil before successfully defending their crown in Switzerland last year.
Three Lions lyrics (original)
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
I know that was then, but it could be again
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