Per the FAQ on Keane's website, Keane's drummer Richard Hughes, stated the following:
"We've been asked whether "Somewhere Only We Know" is about a specific place, and Tim has been saying that, for him, or us as individuals, it might be about a geographical space, or a feeling; it can mean something individual to each person, and they can interpret it to a memory of theirs... It's perhaps more of a theme rather than a specific message... Feelings that may be universal, without necessarily being totally specific to us, or a place, or a time..."
With the nostalgic sentiment and the overall tone of the song, I think Keane is attempting to express a Portuguese term known as 'saudade', which does not have a direct English translation but roughly means "that which we remember because it is gone."
áéåà ùà çøé ä÷øá
ôøç áùãä çöá
åòì ùøáéèå äøÃ
ôøôø ùöáòå ìáï
åùîù éöà ä à ìéé
ìæøåç ùåá áòéðéé
à úîåì òððä ôéæøä
ìùëåç îä ÷øä
à áì à úä òåã ìà à úä
âà à ðé òåã ìà à ðé
äãøê ùéðúä
à ú ôøçé çìåîé
ëï à çééê áùáéìê
åúçééê áùáéìé
äãøê ùìê
äéà äãøê ùìé
áéåà ùà çøé ä÷øá
çééëú çéåê øçá
à áì äúëðñú ùåá
ëîå éìã ìà à äåá
çåæøéà ìùâøä ùìîä
òì ø÷ò äîìçîä
à åäáú à åúê äøáä
ëìåà ìà çùåá îæä
åø÷ à úä òåã ìà à úä
âà à ðé òåã ìà à ðé
äãøê ùéðúä
à ú ôøçé çìåîé
à ðé à äéä áùáéìê
à úä úäéä áùáéìé
äãøê ùìê
äéà äãøê ùìé
à áì à úä òåã ìà à úä
âà à ðé òåã ìà à ðé
äãøê ùéðúä
à ú ôøçé çìåîé
ëï à çééê áùáéìê
åçééê áùáéìé
äãøê ùìê
äéà äãøê ùìé
áéåà ùà çøé ä÷øá
çééëú çéåê øçá
à áì äúëðñú ùåá
ëîå éìã ìà à äåá
åø÷ à úä òåã ìà à úä
âà à ðé òåã ìà à ðé
äãøê ùéðúä
à ú ôøçé çìåîé
à ðé à äéä áùáéìê
à úä úäéä áùáéìé
äãøê ùìê
äéà äãøê ùìé
ôøç áùãä çöá
åòì ùøáéèå äøÃ
ôøôø ùöáòå ìáï
åùîù éöà ä à ìéé
ìæøåç ùåá áòéðéé
à úîåì òððä ôéæøä
ìùëåç îä ÷øä
à áì à úä òåã ìà à úä
âà à ðé òåã ìà à ðé
äãøê ùéðúä
à ú ôøçé çìåîé
ëï à çééê áùáéìê
åúçééê áùáéìé
äãøê ùìê
äéà äãøê ùìé
áéåà ùà çøé ä÷øá
çééëú çéåê øçá
à áì äúëðñú ùåá
ëîå éìã ìà à äåá
çåæøéà ìùâøä ùìîä
òì ø÷ò äîìçîä
à åäáú à åúê äøáä
ëìåà ìà çùåá îæä
åø÷ à úä òåã ìà à úä
âà à ðé òåã ìà à ðé
äãøê ùéðúä
à ú ôøçé çìåîé
à ðé à äéä áùáéìê
à úä úäéä áùáéìé
äãøê ùìê
äéà äãøê ùìé
à áì à úä òåã ìà à úä
âà à ðé òåã ìà à ðé
äãøê ùéðúä
à ú ôøçé çìåîé
ëï à çééê áùáéìê
åçééê áùáéìé
äãøê ùìê
äéà äãøê ùìé
áéåà ùà çøé ä÷øá
çééëú çéåê øçá
à áì äúëðñú ùåá
ëîå éìã ìà à äåá
åø÷ à úä òåã ìà à úä
âà à ðé òåã ìà à ðé
äãøê ùéðúä
à ú ôøçé çìåîé
à ðé à äéä áùáéìê
à úä úäéä áùáéìé
äãøê ùìê
äéà äãøê ùìé
Lyrics submitted by Novartza
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Somewhere Only We Know
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