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."
the road to hell is paved
with good intentions
dreams can only sustain for so long
turning away with apprehension,
life passes you by as you
trip over another lost cause
Life goes on...
open your eyes, break the cycle
open your eyes, alone in the crowd
(of unscrupulous minds)
open your eyes, break the cycle
open your eyes, open your mind
hours turn into days of endless struggle
on the road to nowhere
what was once clear, now a distant shadow
why effort alone is not enough
to stop the tide from washing you away
Life goes on...
the acrid smell of deceit
the fuel that transforms notions into sound
absorbed and fused, minds confused
into catalytic tone...
condemns and decries the mistakes,
and the lies, and the pain
the road to hell paved with good intentions
dreams can only sustain for so long
open your eyes
and break away from your restraints
let the blind guide your path no more...
Break from your past
open your eyes, break the cycle
open your eyes, alone in the crowd
(of unscrupulous minds)
open your eyes, break the cycle
open your eyes, open your mind
hours turn into days of endless struggle
on the road to nowhere
what was once clear, now distant shadow
why?! effort alone is not enough
to stop the tide from washing you away...
fie goes on
to the road to hell,
to rest, after life in pain
with good intentions
dreams can only sustain for so long
turning away with apprehension,
life passes you by as you
trip over another lost cause
Life goes on...
open your eyes, break the cycle
open your eyes, alone in the crowd
(of unscrupulous minds)
open your eyes, break the cycle
open your eyes, open your mind
hours turn into days of endless struggle
on the road to nowhere
what was once clear, now a distant shadow
why effort alone is not enough
to stop the tide from washing you away
Life goes on...
the acrid smell of deceit
the fuel that transforms notions into sound
absorbed and fused, minds confused
into catalytic tone...
condemns and decries the mistakes,
and the lies, and the pain
the road to hell paved with good intentions
dreams can only sustain for so long
open your eyes
and break away from your restraints
let the blind guide your path no more...
Break from your past
open your eyes, break the cycle
open your eyes, alone in the crowd
(of unscrupulous minds)
open your eyes, break the cycle
open your eyes, open your mind
hours turn into days of endless struggle
on the road to nowhere
what was once clear, now distant shadow
why?! effort alone is not enough
to stop the tide from washing you away...
fie goes on
to the road to hell,
to rest, after life in pain
Lyrics submitted by DarkAbyss
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Somewhere Only We Know
Keane
Keane
Sunglasses at Night
Corey Hart
Corey Hart
In the 1980s, sunglasses were a common fashion for people who wanted to adopt a "tough guy" persona (note all the cop shows from that era -- Simon & Simon, Miami Vice, etc. -- where the lead characters wore shades). So I think this song is about a guy who wears shades as a way of hiding his insecurity after learning that his girlfriend is cheating on him. He's trying to pretend that he's a "tough guy" to hide the fact that his girlfriend's affair is disturbing him.
Indigo
Of Mice & Men
Of Mice & Men
This track is about is about questioning why the sky would choose to be blue if it had the choice to be anything else, “blue also meaning sad,” states frontman Aaron Pauley. “It's about comforting a loved one in a time of loss by telling them you feel blue, too.”
The Last Dance
Within Temptation
Within Temptation
@Kahiara Actually I think the husband passed away,
"She sang for you last night
She heard you were calling"
Many people say they have felt, heard, or seen their loved ones after they have passed.
"Don't be scared now
Close your eyes
She holds guard tonight
Go on forward no remorse
Life will take it's course"
This is said to the late husband by a third part (never named), who encourages him to pass on. Because life will eventually continue. The phrase "holds guard" refers to the ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/… ) which is a Christian ceremony held after someone dies. Now it is usually held right after the funeral, but in most celtiic countries the wake is held before the funeral.
"She danced with you last night so you will remember
All you have shared, a lifetime."
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.
Mad Hatter
Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold
Matt Shadows their lead singer says the song was written as per request from the developers of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. Watching the initial trailers for the game & looking at production sketches reminded him of the 'S-Town' podcast & its main protagonist, John B. McLemore. Matt also comments specifically on the lyrics: "I decided that the lyrics would shadow McLemore's life." In 2012, antiquarian horologist John B. McLemore sent an email to the staff of the show 'This American Life' asking them to investigate an alleged murder in his hometown of Woodstock, Alabama, a place McLemore claimed to despise. After a year of exchanging emails & several months of conversation with McLemore, producer Brian Reed traveled to Woodstock to investigate. Reed investigated the crime & eventually found that no such murder took place, though he struck up a friendship with the depressed but colorful character of McLemore. He recorded conversations with McLemore & other people in Woodstock. McLemore killed himself by drinking potassium cyanide on June 22, 2015 while the podcast was still in production. In the narrative of the podcast, this occurs at the end of the second episode; subsequent episodes deal with the fallout from McLemore's death while exploring more of McLemore's life & character.