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."
I look to the sky but there's nobody watchin'
Left here behind all alone and forgotten
So now the world belongs to me, the world belongs to me
So many roads that I've taken, when nobody thought I could make it
And even though I had to go it alone, I still survived
When you live in the darkness there's always confusion
Sometimes your mind will provide the illusion
And your life can change in the blink of an eye, yeah
I look to the sky but there's nobody watchin'
Left here behind all alone and forgotten
So now the world belongs to me
To live and to die by the word that is spoken
The legend's a lie and the silence is broken
So now the world belongs to me, the world belongs to me
I opened a box full of secrets where the strongest of thoughts couldn't keep them
And even though I was the last to know, they were livin' inside
When you see through the darkness and find the solution
How quickly your eyes will remove the illusion
You know our life is gonna change in the blink of an eye, yeah
I look to the sky but there's someobody watchin'
Left here behind all alone and forgotten
So now the world belongs to me
To live and to die by the word that is spoken
The legend's a lie and the silence is broken
So now the world belongs to me, the world belongs to me yeah, yeah
Someone's got to show you goin' that way yeah, yeah
There was nothing standing in my way yeah, yeah
I look to the sky but there's nobody watchin'
A hero was born from a soul that's forgotten
So now the world belongs to me
To live and to die by the word that is spoken
The legend's a lie and the silence is broken
So now the world belongs to me, the world belongs to me
Left here behind all alone and forgotten
So now the world belongs to me, the world belongs to me
So many roads that I've taken, when nobody thought I could make it
And even though I had to go it alone, I still survived
When you live in the darkness there's always confusion
Sometimes your mind will provide the illusion
And your life can change in the blink of an eye, yeah
I look to the sky but there's nobody watchin'
Left here behind all alone and forgotten
So now the world belongs to me
To live and to die by the word that is spoken
The legend's a lie and the silence is broken
So now the world belongs to me, the world belongs to me
I opened a box full of secrets where the strongest of thoughts couldn't keep them
And even though I was the last to know, they were livin' inside
When you see through the darkness and find the solution
How quickly your eyes will remove the illusion
You know our life is gonna change in the blink of an eye, yeah
I look to the sky but there's someobody watchin'
Left here behind all alone and forgotten
So now the world belongs to me
To live and to die by the word that is spoken
The legend's a lie and the silence is broken
So now the world belongs to me, the world belongs to me yeah, yeah
Someone's got to show you goin' that way yeah, yeah
There was nothing standing in my way yeah, yeah
I look to the sky but there's nobody watchin'
A hero was born from a soul that's forgotten
So now the world belongs to me
To live and to die by the word that is spoken
The legend's a lie and the silence is broken
So now the world belongs to me, the world belongs to me
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
The World Belongs to Me Lyrics as written by Chad Kroeger Kevin Rudolf
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Spirit Music Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
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Somewhere Only We Know
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@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.
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