How the football tournament revived the song, 'It's Coming Home'

The World Cup in Russia will definitely not be going home to England this 2018 as the finals take place on Sunday, July 15 between France and Croatia, but the Three Lions have offered us an anthem, a hashtag and the most memorable memes with the revival of the line, Its Coming Home.

Outside the Three Lions of England making it to their first semi-finals since 1990, one song that enjoyed a rebirth on not just the lips of English supporters but football followers around the world was the classic single, ''Three Lions'', which contained the lyrics, ''It is Coming Home''.

The song that was first popularised in the mid nineties became the new national anthem of choice for England fans as the team scaled through several stages leading up to their eventual defeat in the semi-finals by Croatia.

"Three Lions'' (Football's Coming Home) was originally a song made for Euro 96, when England hosted the European Nations Cup, a tournament where they lost out at the semi-finals to eventual winners, Germany.

But 2018 is when the song is enjoying its biggest appeal as England fans ignited 'It's Coming Home' chants and memes in support of their team for the 2018 World Cup.

Composed by the Baddiel, Skinner and alternative rock band, The Lighting Seeds, the lyrics are pretty simple, expressing years of hurt, ironically points more to how bad the team have fared in major tournaments with only few lines carrying expressions of hope,

''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 home. Football is coming home''.

That song, however became a rallying cry as their team made it through the stages leading to the semi-finals and the revival of ''Three Lions'', shows how fans reach into nostalgia when they are in the moment.

[No available link text]

'It's Coming Home' served as the clarion call at every game as for the first time in a while, the fans actually believed that Gareth Southgate's team may end a long-standing run of disappointments and bring the World Cup back to its original home for the first time since 1966.

The line now used by both normals and royals, enduring the ravages of numerous failed campaigns to come forth once more and give hope to a new generation of English football supporters.

For English Fans, it was a song sung with gusto and patriotism, while for opposing fans, it was a song that supposedly showed disrespect and the only way to quiet the loud chants was to ensure that indeed, ''England was going home''.

Outside the football stadiums, social media was another ground for the ''It Is Coming Home'' frenzy, as people took to hashtags and viral videos to express their support or ''non-support'' as the case may be for the Three Lions stride for World Cup glory.

[No available link text]

The World Cup may not be coming home this year, but they can take solace from the fact that they gave us a song that is unofficially the anthem of the 2018 World Cup in Russia.