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."
ùåá ôòà æä à úä
ùåá ôòà úà åðä
ùåá ôòÃ
à úä áåëä ìé áùúé÷ä
ùåá ôòà ìáãé
ùåá ôòà ãîòåúéé
ùåá ôòÃ
à åìé úùåá ôòà à ìé
åúâéã ìà ìåäéà à ðçðå ìà öòöåòéÃ
à ðé ùåîò à åúê áåëä à à à úä ìà éåøã à ðé òåìä
ùåá ôòà ìà çùåá
åæä òåùä à åúé îà åã òöåá
ùåá ôòÃ
à ðé ùø ìê ùéøéÃ
åúâéã ìà ìåäéÃ
ùåá ôòà úà åðä
ùåá ôòÃ
à úä áåëä ìé áùúé÷ä
ùåá ôòà ìáãé
ùåá ôòà ãîòåúéé
ùåá ôòÃ
à åìé úùåá ôòà à ìé
åúâéã ìà ìåäéà à ðçðå ìà öòöåòéÃ
à ðé ùåîò à åúê áåëä à à à úä ìà éåøã à ðé òåìä
ùåá ôòà ìà çùåá
åæä òåùä à åúé îà åã òöåá
ùåá ôòÃ
à ðé ùø ìê ùéøéÃ
åúâéã ìà ìåäéÃ
Lyrics submitted by Novartza
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings

Somewhere Only We Know
Keane
Keane

Me and Johnny
Matt Paxton
Matt Paxton
Moyet later described how her song "Goodbye 70's" had been inspired by her disillusionment with how the late-1970s punk scene had turned out, saying, "'Goodbye 70's' is about punk and not caring how you were dressed, and then I discovered that so many of my friends that I'd thought it all really meant something to just saw it as another trend... That's what 'Goodbye 70's' was all about, about how sour the whole thing became."

MAZZA
slowthai & A$AP Rocky
slowthai & A$AP Rocky
This track is the first official collaboration between the rappers. It was produced by SAMO, slowthai himself & Kwes Darko. The track was released on January 5, 2021, in anticipation of his latest studio album titled "TYRON".

Better Than Feeling Lonely
Olivia O'Brien
Olivia O'Brien
This standalone single is the latest in the artiste's album run out. It was produced by Rogét Chahayed, Taylor Dexter & Wesley Singerman, and released via major streaming platforms on January 1, 2021.

Real Groove
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue
This standalone single marks the latest collaboration between the artists. It was produced by Nico Stadi & Teemu Brunila and released on December 31, 2020.