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."
à ðé æåëø à åúä,
à ðé æåëø à åúä îäîëåìú.
à ðé æåëø à åúä,
à ðé æåëø à åúä ÷åðä ùà ñåìú.
åäéà ðúðä ìé ìäçæé÷ ìä
à ú ä÷øîáå
åâà áé÷ùä îîðé á÷áå...
÷éà ùì èîôå.
à ðé æåëø à åúä,
à ðé æåëø à åúä îäîëåìú.
à ðé æåëø à åúä,
à ðé æåëø à åúä ÷åðä ùà ñåìú.
à ðé æåëø à åúä ÷åðä ùÃ
ìçà ÷éîì,
à ðé æåëø à åúä îæîï î...
ëéúä âéîì... âéîì.
ôæîåï:
âéá îé ãä îà ðé à ðã à ééì âéá éå îé
äø úáåø à ú äëáéù åúçæåø ìîëåìú
÷åìè âìé öä"ì å÷åìè òìééä
îøåñéä (ëáø áà éÃ)
ëôø ùîøéäå.
à ðé æåëø à åúä,
à ðé æåëø à åúä îäîëåìú.
à ðé æåëø à åúä,
äéä ìä ôä åà ó ëîå úøðâåìú.
åäéà à îøä ùäéà à åäáú
îðãøéðåú,
åâà à åëìú à ú ä÷ìéôåú ùì
÷ìîðèéðåú... èéðåú.
ôæîåï:
úï òåã ùîðú åúï çîà ä æä
à éï ìê ëñó à æ ìê äáéúä.
îä äééú òåùä à à ðåìãú ùðä
ìôðé ùäîöéà å à ú äîëåìú??
äåìëú ìîëåìú å÷åðä ùà úøðâåìú.
äåìëú ìîëåìú å÷åðä ùà úøðâåìú...
à ðé æåëø à åúä,
à ðé æåëø à åúä îäîëåìú.
à ðé æåëø à åúä,
à ðé æåëø à åúä ÷åðä ùà ñåìú.
à ðé æåëø à åúä ÷åðä ùÃ
ìçà ÷éîì,
à ðé æåëø à åúä îæîï î...
ëéúä âéîì... âéîì.
ôæîåï:
âéá îé ãä îà ðé...
à åå... îäîëåìú...
ðää... ÷åðä ùà ñåìú...
åëê éåùá ìå ???, òöåá åîéåúø
åäãîòåú æåìâåú îòéðéå ììà äôñ÷.
ììà äôñ÷, ììà äôñ÷, ììà äôñ÷, ììà äôñ÷.
æä ìà òñ÷, æä ìà òñ÷, æä ìà òñ÷, æä ìà òñ÷.
åìåòñú, åìåòñú, äéà ìåòñú, åìåòñú.
æä ìà éåñó, æä ìà éåñó, æä ìà éåñó, æä ìà éåñó,
æä ìà éåñó, æä ìà éåñó, æä ìà éåñó, æä ìà éåñó,
åæäå æä, åæäå æä, åæäå æä!
à ðé æåëø à åúä îäîëåìú.
à ðé æåëø à åúä,
à ðé æåëø à åúä ÷åðä ùà ñåìú.
åäéà ðúðä ìé ìäçæé÷ ìä
à ú ä÷øîáå
åâà áé÷ùä îîðé á÷áå...
÷éà ùì èîôå.
à ðé æåëø à åúä,
à ðé æåëø à åúä îäîëåìú.
à ðé æåëø à åúä,
à ðé æåëø à åúä ÷åðä ùà ñåìú.
à ðé æåëø à åúä ÷åðä ùÃ
ìçà ÷éîì,
à ðé æåëø à åúä îæîï î...
ëéúä âéîì... âéîì.
ôæîåï:
âéá îé ãä îà ðé à ðã à ééì âéá éå îé
äø úáåø à ú äëáéù åúçæåø ìîëåìú
÷åìè âìé öä"ì å÷åìè òìééä
îøåñéä (ëáø áà éÃ)
ëôø ùîøéäå.
à ðé æåëø à åúä,
à ðé æåëø à åúä îäîëåìú.
à ðé æåëø à åúä,
äéä ìä ôä åà ó ëîå úøðâåìú.
åäéà à îøä ùäéà à åäáú
îðãøéðåú,
åâà à åëìú à ú ä÷ìéôåú ùì
÷ìîðèéðåú... èéðåú.
ôæîåï:
úï òåã ùîðú åúï çîà ä æä
à éï ìê ëñó à æ ìê äáéúä.
îä äééú òåùä à à ðåìãú ùðä
ìôðé ùäîöéà å à ú äîëåìú??
äåìëú ìîëåìú å÷åðä ùà úøðâåìú.
äåìëú ìîëåìú å÷åðä ùà úøðâåìú...
à ðé æåëø à åúä,
à ðé æåëø à åúä îäîëåìú.
à ðé æåëø à åúä,
à ðé æåëø à åúä ÷åðä ùà ñåìú.
à ðé æåëø à åúä ÷åðä ùÃ
ìçà ÷éîì,
à ðé æåëø à åúä îæîï î...
ëéúä âéîì... âéîì.
ôæîåï:
âéá îé ãä îà ðé...
à åå... îäîëåìú...
ðää... ÷åðä ùà ñåìú...
åëê éåùá ìå ???, òöåá åîéåúø
åäãîòåú æåìâåú îòéðéå ììà äôñ÷.
ììà äôñ÷, ììà äôñ÷, ììà äôñ÷, ììà äôñ÷.
æä ìà òñ÷, æä ìà òñ÷, æä ìà òñ÷, æä ìà òñ÷.
åìåòñú, åìåòñú, äéà ìåòñú, åìåòñú.
æä ìà éåñó, æä ìà éåñó, æä ìà éåñó, æä ìà éåñó,
æä ìà éåñó, æä ìà éåñó, æä ìà éåñó, æä ìà éåñó,
åæäå æä, åæäå æä, åæäå æä!
Lyrics submitted by Novartza
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Somewhere Only We Know
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Close your eyes
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This sentence feels as if the only thing it wants to convey is their history together, namely, husband and wife. For the rest it just refers back to the first verse.

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