A slower ballad similar in mood to another track on the album, "Angie", the lyrics tell of Richards' relationship with then-girlfriend Anita Pallenberg, who had chosen to abandon her romantic liaison with his friend and bandmate Brian Jones in favour of one with Richards.
Share your thoughts, there's nothing you can hide She was dying to survive I was caught, oh, taken for a ride She was showing no surprise
Slipped my tongue in someone else's pie Tasting better ev'ry time He turned green and tried to make me cry Being hungry, it ain't no crime The song opens with Stones recording veteran Nicky Hopkins playing keyboards alongside a fluid, prominent bassline performed by Mick Taylor.
Guitars are performed by Richards, who uses the wah-wah pedal for much of the song (an effect used often on Goats Head Soup), as well as Leslie speakers.
Recorded at Dynamic Sounds studio in Kingston, Jamaica, in November and December, 1972, "Coming Down Again" is regarded as one of Richards' best lead vocal performances.