Nieve Ella, Jamie T, Rachel Chinouriri and Remi Wolf cover Dork's new issue - order now!•
Tate McRae has announced new single ‘Housewife’•
Slayyyter has announced companion album ‘Wor$t Man in America’ for December•
Welly are going to headline a very special Dork’s Night Out at The 100 Club•
Down With Boring returns tonight with The North, plus bags of new music•
Keo have announced their 2027 UK, European and North American headline tour•
Primavera Sound Barcelona has announced its 2027 anniversary line-up•
Madra Salach have released new single ‘Ribbon Factory’•
Bleech 9:3 have dropped new track 'Tourniquet' and announced their biggest headline tour yet•
Mollie Elizabeth has announced her new EP ‘People Pleaser’ and shared ‘Kiss The Ring’•
Baby Dave and The Works have kicked off a new collaboration with ‘Wings’•
RAYE, Olivia Dean, JADE and more are set to perform at the 2026 Mercury Prize ceremony•
Fontaines D.C. have released ‘Tongue’ and its New York-shot video•
LCD Soundsystem have announced 12 New York residency shows, including their 100th•
Saint Clair have shared new single ‘Dreams’ ahead of sold-out autumn headline tour•
Audrey Hobert has unveiled a new video for 'Sex and the City' as she begins her headline tour•
The Dork 2025 Readers' Poll nominations are in, featuring CMAT, Turnstile, Wolf Alice, Djo, Hayley Williams and loads more•
flowerovlove has released her first-ever first Christmas track, 'wishlist'•
Mighty Hoopla and Olly Alexander have announced Trans Mission, a concert for trans solidarity•
JADE has announced a deluxe edition of her debut album, 'THAT'S SHOWBIZ BABY! THE ENCORE'•
Nieve Ella, Jamie T, Rachel Chinouriri and Remi Wolf cover Dork's new issue - order now!•
Tate McRae has announced new single ‘Housewife’•
Slayyyter has announced companion album ‘Wor$t Man in America’ for December•
Welly are going to headline a very special Dork’s Night Out at The 100 Club•
Down With Boring returns tonight with The North, plus bags of new music•
Keo have announced their 2027 UK, European and North American headline tour•
Primavera Sound Barcelona has announced its 2027 anniversary line-up•
Madra Salach have released new single ‘Ribbon Factory’•
Bleech 9:3 have dropped new track 'Tourniquet' and announced their biggest headline tour yet•
Mollie Elizabeth has announced her new EP ‘People Pleaser’ and shared ‘Kiss The Ring’•
Baby Dave and The Works have kicked off a new collaboration with ‘Wings’•
RAYE, Olivia Dean, JADE and more are set to perform at the 2026 Mercury Prize ceremony•
Fontaines D.C. have released ‘Tongue’ and its New York-shot video•
LCD Soundsystem have announced 12 New York residency shows, including their 100th•
Saint Clair have shared new single ‘Dreams’ ahead of sold-out autumn headline tour•
Audrey Hobert has unveiled a new video for 'Sex and the City' as she begins her headline tour•
The Dork 2025 Readers' Poll nominations are in, featuring CMAT, Turnstile, Wolf Alice, Djo, Hayley Williams and loads more•
flowerovlove has released her first-ever first Christmas track, 'wishlist'•
Mighty Hoopla and Olly Alexander have announced Trans Mission, a concert for trans solidarity•
JADE has announced a deluxe edition of her debut album, 'THAT'S SHOWBIZ BABY! THE ENCORE'•
Dork
News
Features
Reviews
Magazine
  • Dork
  • Popzines
Shop
Listings
Directory
Festivals
Hype-THE BEST NEW NAMES, FIRST
Upset-DORK'S HOME FOR ALL THINGS LOUD
The 19755SOSAlessi RoseArctic MonkeysArlo ParksBastillebeabadoobeeBillie EilishBleachersblink-182BlossomsBlur
Bring Me The HorizonCarly Rae JepsenCavetownChappell RoanCharli xcxCHVRCHESCMATConan GrayDeclan McKennaDjoFall Out BoyFoals
Fontaines D.C.Ghostgirl in redGlass AnimalsGorillazGracie AbramsHAIMHarry StylesHolly HumberstoneInhalerJames MarriottThe Japanese House
The Last Dinner PartyLewis CapaldiLinkin ParkLouis TomlinsonMaggie RogersMaisie PetersMUNAMy Chemical RomanceNiall HoranOasis Live '27Olivia DeanOlivia Rodrigo
Pale WavesParamorePhoebe BridgersPinkPantheressRemi WolfReneé RappSabrina CarpenterSam FenderShameSlipknotTate McRaeTaylor Swift
Twenty One PilotsWallowsWet LegWolf AliceYard ActYUNGBLUDZara Larsson
etc.
Film & TV
Gaming
Literature
Culture
Festival Guides-YOUR ESSENTIAL FESTIVAL COMPANION
Hype-THE BEST NEW NAMES, FIRST
Mixtape-DORK'S BEST NEW TRACKS
Play-DORK'S NEW MUSIC FRIDAY EDIT
Upset-DORK'S HOME FOR ALL THINGS LOUD
Playlist Covers
Playlist Directory
Recommender
Before Doors-LIVE SESSIONS
After Gates-FESTIVAL SESSIONS
Music Video Directory
Down With Boring-THE DORK PODCAST
Chart Attack-UK NUMBER ONES, DISSECTED
Dork Live
Oasis Live ’27Tickets. Dates. What’s the story?Explore the tour
Dork Radio
Live
Live 24/7
Dork Radio
Dork
Down With Boring

Join thousands of music lovers getting the best new tracks, exclusive interviews, and breaking news delivered straight to your inbox every week.

In print now

October 2026

Latest issue variants

View archive
Dork, October 2026 (Cara Delevingne cover)

Cara Delevingne

Dork, October 2026 (Keo cover)

Keo

Dork, October 2026 (Lizzy McAlpine cover)

Lizzy McAlpine

Dork, October 2026 (Tove Lo cover)

Tove Lo

Advertise|Support|About Dork|Editorial standards & corrections|Privacy Policy|Genres|Years|Sitemap|RSS|Cookie settings
© 2026 The Bunker Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.
Powered by PlaywireAdvertise on this site.
  1. Tracks
  2. Elbow
  3. Asleep in the Back
  4. Coming Second
Coming Second by Elbow

TRACK

Elbow

Coming Second

Release date: 2nd May 2001

From Asleep in the Back
Track 10
4:56
AlternativeMusicRockAdult Alternative
Spotify Apple Music More on Elbow

About This Track

'Coming Second' by Elbow is an alternative track from the album 'Asleep in the Back' (2001). The lyrics move through slips, small evasions, and a sense of being stuck behind a more respectable surface, with the image of a white, nine-to-five picket-fence life and a relationship that feels “beyond repair” before closing on something like fading.

"Coming Second" is a track by Elbow, from the album Asleep in the Back, released 2nd May 2001. The track is 4:56 long. It's filed under Alternative. Full lyrics are available below. Dork has published 3 articles about Elbow.

About the Artist

Elbow

Elbow

Lyrics

Coming Second

Found a hole and slipped on through
Kissed the stone and learnt the lines
Jumped the queue all the time forgetting you

Best dishevelled lover three years running
Coming second to
A picket fence white 9-to-5 who's
Just alive

Beyond repair, there is nothing to say
Save some fading regrets
Yet I can't be without this

Beyond repair, there is nothing to say
Save some fading regrets
Yet

I need you to be
(To be around)
I need you to be
(To be around)

I want you to say
(You'll be around)
I need you to be
(To be around)

Spit-shone lies, juggled debts
Planted flags and made regrets
Muddled through all the time
Forgetting you

Cut your teeth and breezed on to
Another brothers fickle ways
So why amazed when it don't
Come out your way

Beyond repair, there is nothing to say
Save some fading regrets
Yet I can't be without this

Beyond repair, there is nothing to say
Save some fading regrets
Yet

I need you to be
(To be around)
I need you to be
(To be around)

I want you to say
(You'll be around)
I need you to be
(To be around)

Lyrics provided by LRCLIB

View full lyrics page →

Track details

From Asleep in the Back

4:562001
Listen
Album
Asleep in the Back
Asleep in the Back
Elbow
3rd May 2001
Track number
10
Release year
2001
  1. 1Any Day Now
    6:18
  2. 2Red
    5:11
  3. 3Little Beast
    4:15
  4. 4Powder Blue
    4:31

More from Elbow

Albums & EPs

AUDIO VERTIGO ECHO elbow EP5 - EP
AUDIO VERTIGO ECHO elbow EP5 - EP
2025
AUDIO VERTIGO (Deluxe)
AUDIO VERTIGO (Deluxe)
2025
AUDIO VERTIGO (Extended Edition)
AUDIO VERTIGO (Extended Edition)
2024
AUDIO VERTIGO
AUDIO VERTIGO
2024
Flying Dream 1
Flying Dream 1
2021
elbowrooms
elbowrooms
2020

Explore

More tracks by Elbow

  1. (Where Is It?)AUDIO VERTIGO (Deluxe)
    0:27
  2. (Where Is It?)AUDIO VERTIGO
    0:27
  3. BaluAUDIO VERTIGO (Deluxe)
    3:53
  4. BaluAUDIO VERTIGO
    3:53
  5. Embers of DayAUDIO VERTIGO (Deluxe)
    0:38
  6. Embers of DayAUDIO VERTIGO
    0:38
  7. From the RiverAUDIO VERTIGO (Deluxe)
    5:43
  8. From the RiverAUDIO VERTIGO
    5:43
  9. Good Blood Mexico CityAUDIO VERTIGO (Deluxe)
    2:53
  10. Good Blood Mexico CityAUDIO VERTIGO
    2:53

Showing 10 of 50

If you like Elbow

Guy Garvey

Doves

Doves

Turin Brakes

Turin Brakes

I Am Kloot

I Am Kloot

Gomez

Gomez

Badly Drawn Boy

Badly Drawn Boy

5Bitten By The Tailfly
6:16
  • 6Asleep In The Back
    3:47
  • 7Newborn
    7:36
  • 8Don't Mix Your Drinks
    3:17
  • 9Presuming Ed (Rest Easy)
    5:27
  • 10Coming Second
    4:56
  • 11Can't Stop
    4:36
  • 12Scattered Black And Whites
    5:30

    • Credits

    Production & Engineering

    Writer
    Craig Potter, Guy Garvey, Mark Potter, Pete Turner, Richard Jupp
    Lyricist
    Guy Garvey
    Producer
    Ben Hillier
    Drums
    Richard Jupp
    Acoustic Guitar
    Guy Garvey, Mark Potter
    Background Vocals
    Ben Hillier, Craig Potter, Guy Garvey, Mark Potter, Pete Turner, Richard Jupp
    Choir
    The Elbow Choir
    Electric Guitar
    Mark Potter
    Lead Vocals
    Guy Garvey
    Mixing Engineer
    Andrea Wright, Ben Hillier
    Percussion
    Richard Jupp
    Recording Engineer
    Andrea Wright, Ben Hillier
    Synthesizer
    Guy Garvey
    READ MORE ABOUT ELBOWREAD MORE ABOUT ELBOWREAD MORE ABOUT ELBOWREAD MORE ABOUT ELBOW
    READ MORE ABOUT ELBOWREAD MORE ABOUT ELBOWREAD MORE ABOUT ELBOWREAD MORE ABOUT ELBOW
    National Album Day has announced its 2026 exclusive releases and reissues
    News

    National Album Day has announced its 2026 exclusive releases and reissues

    Pulp, Suede, Elbow, Goldie, Paris Paloma and more feature in National Album Day’s biggest release slate yet.

    18 Sept 2026 • 8:36 am
    Elbow will play 'Asleep In The Back' in full across three nights at Manchester's Ritz
    News

    Elbow will play 'Asleep In The Back' in full across three nights at Manchester's Ritz

    The debut album gets a 25th anniversary outing on home turf in November, with B-sides and rarities alongside.

    6 Sept 2026 • 6:40 pm
    The comperes and livestream details have been revealed for Robert Smith's Teenage Cancer Trust week
    News

    The comperes and livestream details have been revealed for Robert Smith's Teenage Cancer Trust week

    Bosnian composer and accordionist Nihad Hrustanbegovic will perform around the historic venue on each night of the week-long run.

    20 Mar 2026 • 3:27 pm
    Teenage Cancer Trust have launched a new exhibition and print series feat. The 1975, Fontaines D.C., Wolf Alice and more
    News

    Teenage Cancer Trust have launched a new exhibition and print series feat. The 1975, Fontaines D.C., Wolf Alice and more

    Twenty-one signed silk screen prints from iconic live music moments go on sale today.

    18 Mar 2026 • 11:59 am
    Robert Smith is curating 2026's Teenage Cancer Trust concerts at Royal Albert Hall, feat. Wolf Alice, CHVRCHES, my bloody valentine and more
    News

    Robert Smith is curating 2026's Teenage Cancer Trust concerts at Royal Albert Hall, feat. Wolf Alice, CHVRCHES, my bloody valentine and more

    Tickets go on sale at 9am GMT on Friday, 12th December.

    8 Dec 2025 • 4:24 pm