What exactly does it mean when they say “it’s coming home”?

[Soubriquet]

As you can probably tell, I’m not a football fan

In fact I can’t stand it and think it’s a load of rubbish but that’s besides the point

I keep seeing Facebook friends saying “it’s coming home!” And acting all excited

So what’s coming home?!

I think when the song was written in 1996, it meant that football was being played here in the country that invented the game, because Euro 96 was held here.
Now I think it's used to mean that a trophy is being brought back to England.

As often the first post nails it.

As a fan that song sends shivers down my back when the commentary at the beginning talking about the 66 World Cup . Also as years have passed it takes me back to the glorious nineties rose tinted

It has to be seen against the back drop of so much failure, watching England play has been painful for decades

🏆. Remember Spurs open top 🚌 going down high road and trophy being displayed

@Whingey

🏆. Remember Spurs open top 🚌 going down high road and trophy being displayed

No

But thank you

@onlyconnect

I think when the song was written in 1996, it meant that football was being played here in the country that invented the game, because Euro 96 was held here. Now I think it's used to mean that a trophy is being brought back to England.

Yep. That’s it.

I’ve heard that it can be a bit jingoistic about mention of it coming home as england inventing football is up for debate. By that I understand it was In england that the rules as played today came about. Can anyone elaborate?

Yes, they were codified in Cambridge in 1848 or thereabouts. I only know that because I cycled past a monument there last week and that was what it said.

Some people believe football cups belong in England and this is their home.
They fly flags but have to take them down pretty quick when it's over so they don't look like racist thugs.

Football

Must mention football fan in 1st floor youth club who squirted fire extinguisher out of window

to me its a reference to the Three Lions song by Lightning SEeds with Frank Skinner and David Baddiel

but I know nothing about winning teams being a Scot
and Hibernian supporter

England was the first country to establish a football league, I think. I have no interest in football; it interferes with Coronation Street.

@onlyconnect

I think when the song was written in 1996, it meant that football was being played here in the country that invented the game, because Euro 96 was held here. Now I think it's used to mean that a trophy is being brought back to England.

Does it? I always took it that we hadn't won anything in 30 years (55 years now) but that would be our tournament to win

"thirty years of hurt (England has done it) " it's about winning

It’s coming home, it means the cup/trophy is coming back home to the land that the game was invented in.

Its from the song and the belief that England invented football.

www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/44736620

^ link to a newsround article explaining the song.

"It's coming home, it's coming home, it's coming - You hear these words A LOT throughout the song! This actually originally referred to the fact that when the song came out, England was hosting its first major tournament since the 1966 World Cup, but now it is a reference of hope to England winning and bringing home the trophy. Not only that, but - according to Fifa - football as we know it today was actually invented in England in 1863, so the feeling is it's coming back to where it was born."

I bet Roman children were kicking something (pig's bladder?) around.

At the moment we've got a brilliant team of mature professional humble young men playing a beautiful skilful game. And maybe, just maybe, football really is coming home. And I feel sorry for anyone miserable enough to not get behind our team right now.

I've just read something that said who else thought the song said "jewels remain still gleaming".

I did. Apparently it doesn't. It says "Jules Remet still gleaming" which is the name of the old cup or something. Head blown.

I’m not a football fan either. But it’s about when Euro 96 was held in England exactly 30 years after England won the World Cup in 1966. And the history of football being literally invented in England by Henry VIII or something.

This is very important. And emotional.

It’s three lions on a shirt not lines. Only just discovered this.

Isn't it because England last won the World Cup in 1966 so when the song was written in 1996 they were singing 'it's coming home' in reference to that fact, ie we are going to win and bring the cup 'home'. Ditto '30 years of hurt' ie it was 30 years since England won????

Its also about hope I think and faith. That many times it has come so close, tantalisingly so but apart from one time when we did actually win all the other times we have managed to gonna throw it away, gonna blow it away apart from that one time.

And the belief that to quote another song - maybe this time we'll win!