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."
Between the ticks of the clock
And the beats of my heart
It's about to drive me insane
Oh why she's never on time
She should have been here
Since a quarter 'til nine
What could be keeping her so long
Well is she in another mans arms
Do we still have our date
I won't know until it's too late
Could be my bad luck
Maybe she done stood me up
She thinks that I'm lame
The way she treats me's a crying shame
Between the ticks of the clock
And the beats of my heart
It's about to drive me insane
Oh why, she haven't got here yet
She's the meanest girl I've ever met
Could she still be at home
I think I'll try to call her on the phone
Her Mother answered the phone
And said that she had already gone
I should let her go
But oh, I love her so
She thinks that I'm lame
But the way she treats me's a crying shame
Between the ticks of the clock
And the beats of my heart
It's about to drive me insane
Oh why she's never on time
She should have been here
Since a quarter 'til nine
What could be keeping her so long
Oh, is she in another mans arms
Do we still have our date
I won't know until it's too late
Could be my bad luck
Maybe she done stood me up
She thinks that I'm lame
The way she treats me's a crying shame
Between the ticks of the clock
And the beats of my heart
It's about to drive me insane
Between the ticks of the clock
And the beats of my heart
It's about to drive me insane
And the beats of my heart
It's about to drive me insane
Oh why she's never on time
She should have been here
Since a quarter 'til nine
What could be keeping her so long
Well is she in another mans arms
Do we still have our date
I won't know until it's too late
Could be my bad luck
Maybe she done stood me up
She thinks that I'm lame
The way she treats me's a crying shame
Between the ticks of the clock
And the beats of my heart
It's about to drive me insane
Oh why, she haven't got here yet
She's the meanest girl I've ever met
Could she still be at home
I think I'll try to call her on the phone
Her Mother answered the phone
And said that she had already gone
I should let her go
But oh, I love her so
She thinks that I'm lame
But the way she treats me's a crying shame
Between the ticks of the clock
And the beats of my heart
It's about to drive me insane
Oh why she's never on time
She should have been here
Since a quarter 'til nine
What could be keeping her so long
Oh, is she in another mans arms
Do we still have our date
I won't know until it's too late
Could be my bad luck
Maybe she done stood me up
She thinks that I'm lame
The way she treats me's a crying shame
Between the ticks of the clock
And the beats of my heart
It's about to drive me insane
Between the ticks of the clock
And the beats of my heart
It's about to drive me insane
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Somewhere Only We Know
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