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 am a singer, a Lyricist
a self proclaimed
multi-Instrumentalist
I sometimes draw
and write stories
but don't make
a living from it
I push carts until dark
at night I sleep like the dead
I work hard for a living
that's how I pay rent
I buy too many CDs
more than I could need
endless music for me
through a 20 disc feed
my Bass plays my thoughts
in musical form
thunderous and loud
a musical storm
this familiar ringing in my ears
the deep frequencies, vibrations
the sound that I want I've got the right gear
from bass to pedal through pedal
through pedal to mono-tron to amp
all instruments are mine for the
taking and playing and more
I am a bit crazy
but also pretty lazy
sometimes I just... uh...
how many albums do I have to make until I am satisfied?
How hard do I really have to play until it all feels right?
Will I really be happy once all is said and done?
Is there a reason I don't come undone?
I Push you away how far will I fall?
If I hit the ground should crawl?
Should I even move at all?
When it's done it's over
look away from me
no one will see
not anymore
never again
gone...
I am not as weird as I seem
though I push the limits
just to seem more obscene
could it be? what you see isn't me?
how could you know what i say is real
blurting out everything that I feel
my brain is an endless array of events
thoughts, pictures and surreal contents
not much else left to say
I think of girls and rhymes all day
stories, bad drawings and music to play
my fun and true love in every way
even with this data you still don't know me
a little more information but not explained fully
look at my outer shell and what do you see?
Just the tip of an iceberg, glacier sized far beneath
yeah you keep looking,
and explain what you see
because what you view
is only partially me
a self proclaimed
multi-Instrumentalist
I sometimes draw
and write stories
but don't make
a living from it
I push carts until dark
at night I sleep like the dead
I work hard for a living
that's how I pay rent
I buy too many CDs
more than I could need
endless music for me
through a 20 disc feed
my Bass plays my thoughts
in musical form
thunderous and loud
a musical storm
this familiar ringing in my ears
the deep frequencies, vibrations
the sound that I want I've got the right gear
from bass to pedal through pedal
through pedal to mono-tron to amp
all instruments are mine for the
taking and playing and more
I am a bit crazy
but also pretty lazy
sometimes I just... uh...
how many albums do I have to make until I am satisfied?
How hard do I really have to play until it all feels right?
Will I really be happy once all is said and done?
Is there a reason I don't come undone?
I Push you away how far will I fall?
If I hit the ground should crawl?
Should I even move at all?
When it's done it's over
look away from me
no one will see
not anymore
never again
gone...
I am not as weird as I seem
though I push the limits
just to seem more obscene
could it be? what you see isn't me?
how could you know what i say is real
blurting out everything that I feel
my brain is an endless array of events
thoughts, pictures and surreal contents
not much else left to say
I think of girls and rhymes all day
stories, bad drawings and music to play
my fun and true love in every way
even with this data you still don't know me
a little more information but not explained fully
look at my outer shell and what do you see?
Just the tip of an iceberg, glacier sized far beneath
yeah you keep looking,
and explain what you see
because what you view
is only partially me
Lyrics submitted by surivra
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More Featured Meanings
Somewhere Only We Know
Keane
Keane
Zombie
Cranberries, The
Cranberries, The
"Zombie" is about the ethno-political conflict in Ireland. This is obvious if you know anything of the singer (Dolores O'Riordan)'s Irish heritage and understood the "1916" Easter Rising reference.
"Another head hangs lowly
Child is slowly taken
And the violence caused such silence
Who are we mistaken
-
Another mother's breaking
Heart is taking over"
Laments the Warrington bomb attacks in which two children were fatally injured on March 23rd, 1993. Twelve year old Tim Parry was taken off life support with permission from his mother after five days in the hospital, virtually braindead.
"But you see it's not me
It's not my family"
References how people who are not directly involved with the violence feel about it. They are "zombies" without sympathy who refuse to take action while others suffer.
System
Mel And Kim
Mel And Kim
Just listening for the 784,654th time....and it's just perfect in every way. Just incredible. The only reason it was remade was to scoop up a boatload of money from a more modern and accepting audience. But it is a completely different song than the other one that sounds slapped together in a few takes without a thought for the meaning.
This song captivates me still, after 50+ years. Takes me to the deep South and the poverty of some who lived thru truly hard times. And the powerful spirit of a poor young girl being abandoned to her future with only a red dress and her wits to keep her alive.
She not only stayed alive, she turned her hard beginnings around, became self sufficient, successful and someone with respect for herself. She didn't let the naysayers and judgers stop her. She's the one sitting in the drivers seat at the end.
So, not a song about a poor girl, but a song of hope and how you can rise up no matter how far down you started.
There is a huge difference between a singer who simply belts out a song that is on a page in front of them, and someone who can convey an entire experience with their voice. Telling not just a story with words, but taking you inside it and making you feel like you are there, with their interpretation.
Blank Space
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift
This song is Swift's response to the negative reputation the media has given her.
"I can make the bad guys good for a weekend" - the bad guys are the paparazzi to Swift, but are good to the "player" since association with Swift immediately gives publicity. Any publicity is good publicity and Swift knows this.
"You can tell me when it's over" - the tabloids rumor relationships are over before the couple announces it officially.
With this song Swift is portraying the way she is portrayed by the media.
It is a sarcastic jab at how she views herself and how her "ex-lovers" only wanted to be with her to increase their fame.
I applaud the brilliance in writing about how you always write about relationships.
It is expected so Swift is giving the media what they want and profiting off the attention.
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".