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."
2 AM and she calls me 'cause I'm still awake
"Can you help me unravel my latest mistake?
I don't love him, Winter just wasn't my season"
Yeah, we walk through the doors, so accusing, their eyes
Like they have any right at all to criticize
Hypocrites, you're all here for the very same reason
'Cause you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable
And life's like an hourglass glued to the table
No one can find the rewind button, girl
So cradle your head in your hands
And breathe, just breathe
Oh, breathe, just breathe
May, he turn twenty-one on the base at Fort Bliss
"Just a day," he said down to the flask in his fist
Ain't been sober since maybe October of last year
Here in town, you can tell he's been down for a while
But, my God, it's so beautiful when the boy smiles
Wanna hold him, maybe I'll just sing about it
'Cause you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable
And life's like an hourglass glued to the table
No one can find the rewind button, boys
So cradle your head in your hands
And breathe, just breathe
Oh, breathe, just breathe
"There's a light at each end of this tunnel" you shout
"'Cause you're just as far in as you'll ever be out
And these mistakes you've made, you'll just make them again"
If you only try turning around
2 AM and I'm still awake, writing a song
If I get it all down on paper, it's no longer inside of me
Threatening the life it belongs to
And I feel like I'm naked in front of the crowd
'Cause these words are my diary screaming out loud
And I know that you'll use them however you want to
But you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable
And life's like an hourglass glued to the table
No one can find the rewind button now
Sing it if you understand
And breathe, just breathe
Oh, breathe, just breathe
Oh, breathe, just breathe
Oh, breathe, just breathe
Oh-oh, oh-oh
Oh-oh, oh-oh
Oh-oh, oh, oh
"Can you help me unravel my latest mistake?
I don't love him, Winter just wasn't my season"
Yeah, we walk through the doors, so accusing, their eyes
Like they have any right at all to criticize
Hypocrites, you're all here for the very same reason
'Cause you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable
And life's like an hourglass glued to the table
No one can find the rewind button, girl
So cradle your head in your hands
And breathe, just breathe
Oh, breathe, just breathe
May, he turn twenty-one on the base at Fort Bliss
"Just a day," he said down to the flask in his fist
Ain't been sober since maybe October of last year
Here in town, you can tell he's been down for a while
But, my God, it's so beautiful when the boy smiles
Wanna hold him, maybe I'll just sing about it
'Cause you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable
And life's like an hourglass glued to the table
No one can find the rewind button, boys
So cradle your head in your hands
And breathe, just breathe
Oh, breathe, just breathe
"There's a light at each end of this tunnel" you shout
"'Cause you're just as far in as you'll ever be out
And these mistakes you've made, you'll just make them again"
If you only try turning around
2 AM and I'm still awake, writing a song
If I get it all down on paper, it's no longer inside of me
Threatening the life it belongs to
And I feel like I'm naked in front of the crowd
'Cause these words are my diary screaming out loud
And I know that you'll use them however you want to
But you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable
And life's like an hourglass glued to the table
No one can find the rewind button now
Sing it if you understand
And breathe, just breathe
Oh, breathe, just breathe
Oh, breathe, just breathe
Oh, breathe, just breathe
Oh-oh, oh-oh
Oh-oh, oh-oh
Oh-oh, oh, oh
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Somewhere Only We Know
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The first verse is about the girl.
"2 Am and she calls me cause I'm still awake
Can you help me unravel my latest mistake
I don't love him, winter just wasn't my season.
Yeah we walk through the doors so accusing their eyes
Like they have any right at all to criticize
Hypocrites you're all here for the very same reason."
The way she says "latest" mistake makes me think its a girl that gets herself into a lot of trouble and the singer constantly has to help her out. Then I thought the next part was about the singer taking her to the clinic to get an abortion because she was feeling lousy and had low self esteem (winter just wasn't my season) and made a mistake with a guy she wasn't in love with.
Then the second verse is about the guy. This website has the lyrics a little wrong, so I'll make the changes.
"May he turned 21 on the base of Fort Bliss
'Just a day' he said down to the flask in his fist
'Ain't been sober since maybe October of last year'
Here in town you can tell he's been down for while
But my God it's so beautiful when the boy smiles
Wanna hold him but maybe I'll just sing about it"
Since it says he is turning 21, he is a young guy. Also, "on the base of fort bliss" implies he is in the army. He is an alcoholic but the line "Here in town you can tell he's been down for a while" shows he was not always this way at all. But now that he drinks so much, he is usually down in the dumps but when he smiles you are reminded of the way he used to be.
So I think the girl with the low self esteem and the down in the dumps alcoholic got together and regret it now that the girl is pregnant. But basically the whole song is about how we all make mistakes and there is no going back, so you have to learn to deal with it.
abortion clinic as well. 2nd verse definitely AA.