Coventry City have the most inspiring football anthem in the country

Yahoo

08-05-2025

Frank Lampard listens to it when he is walking the dog, his children send him pre-match voice notes of them singing it and minutes before their team steps out for the Championship semi-final first-leg tie against Sunderland, Coventry City fans will belt out We'll Live and Die in These Towns.
The song was on the debut album of the same title by The Enemy and, almost 20 years after its release, it has become the unofficial anthem of Coventry City and the club's supporters.
Coventry fans' rousing pre-match rendition of it before last year's FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United at Wembley went viral and the song has quickly become recognised as one of the most original and inspiring club anthems.
Coventry City fans with The Enemy's 'We'll Live and Die in These Towns'Superb #CCFC pic.twitter.com/D1TxXqc2ZT
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Lampard was only vaguely aware of the song before being appointed Coventry manager at the end of November, but it has quickly become a favourite of his and his family.
'From my part, I've loved it,' Lampard told Telegraph Sport. 'It gets the tingles going pre-game every time I hear it. I play it in the car and on my dog walks. And my two youngest have really taken to it as well. My wife Christine, sent me a voice note of my daughter singing it before a game.'
On the song's impact on his players, Lampard added: 'I can't speak for them, but I'm sure that, like me, they will have a lot of affection and feeling for it and how the fans react to it pre-game.'
Such is the resonance of the song within the club that some supporters have had the title tattooed on to themselves.
Andy Hopkins is the bass player for The Enemy and a lifelong Coventry City fan. He became aware of the song catching on among supporters and has been overwhelmed by the reaction to it.
'To start with, it was a small group of people, then it got bigger and bigger, and it was the FA Cup semi-final when it really took off,' said Hopkins. 'I couldn't go, but after it every week people sent videos to me and it was absolutely amazing.
'Everybody's embraced it since then. It makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up when I'm in the stadium and I hear everyone singing it. I remember being in the crowd singing it and nobody had noticed me until a couple of lads grabbed me and started shouting: 'We can't believe we're singing it with you.' It made me feel really proud. My grandad and my uncles, who got me into football, would be so overwhelmed by it.'
Interrupting a family holiday in Turkey to talk to Telegraph Sport because 'it's worth it for Cov', Hopkins revealed that the song has taken on a deeper meaning for him since the death of his brother Richard.
'I've been a Coventry fan since birth. Normally I'm there every other week, but it's been a bit less this year because it's been difficult after I lost my brother. The song was kind of catching on at Coventry when we dedicated it to my brother at his funeral. I said that I wanted everyone to think about him when we sing it at the football, so it means a lot more to me than anyone knows. He was a Coventry City fan as well and I've got pictures of me and him in the garden with Cov tops on.'
True to the sentiment of the song, 39-year-old Hopkins has lived in or around Coventry for his entire life and believes music and football underline the pride locals have in their city.
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'Tom [Clarke, the lead singer], lived on Far Gosford Street for a bit and it's about when he was there and the lyrics are about what he saw there and how he felt. But he loved it as well and it's about embracing what you love and where you're from. It's got a real affection to it and a lot of people move away from where they grew up or go travelling, but there's still a special feeling to going home. For us, Cov is home and we've never really moved away.
'The passion people from Coventry have about the city is really strong. It's been really striking how many Coventry City shirts you see in the city these days and it will get even bigger if we can get promoted. It's been a while. We went down to League Two, we had to play at Northampton, but the fans and the city never gave up on the club.'
Told about Lampard's affection for the song, Hopkins said: 'That's absolutely amazing. I loved Mark Robins and I think the whole crowd did, but Frank Lampard has done a brilliant job. I grew up watching Frank Lampard – he was my era and he's a proper legend. I think it's been really impressive how he's embraced the fanbase and the city. Everyone really appreciates that, probably more than he knows. It's not all been about him, it really comes across that he wants Coventry to do well.'
Lampard and the Coventry fans will be hoping We'll Live and Die in These Towns will get another airing at Wembley – this time in this year's Championship play-off final.