Somewhere Only We Know, Everybody's Changing

 

I stumbled across Keane last year--late to the party as always when it comes to music--and I fell in love with two tracks: "Somewhere Only We Know" and "Everybody's Changing." 

"Everybody's Changing" really resonated with me last year, and that resonance consists. I get the sense that Keane intended the song to be a reflection about how young groups of friends tend to drift apart with age, but in 2025 and 2026, I interpret them in a different way: as a person dying slowly without understanding what's happening. My interpretation appears after each verse. 

You say, you wander your own land
But when I think about it, I don't see how you can 

(The singer doesn't understand what a loved one is trying to tell him) 

You're aching, you're breaking
And I can see the pain in your eyes
Says Everybody's Changing, and I don't know why

(The singer knows their visitor is upset and she doesn't understand why) 

So little time
Try to understand that I'm
Trying to make a move just to stay in the game
I try to stay awake and remember my name
But Everybody's Changing, and I don't feel the same

(The singer rallies and gets some limited understanding back, fighting for her life and mind) 

You're gone from here
Soon you will disappear, fading into beautiful light
'Cause Everybody's Changing, and I don't feel right

(The singer thinks he's singing about someone leaving and not caring about him, but it's really what's about to happen to him. My favourite verse.) 

So little time
Try to understand that I'm
Trying to make a move just to stay in the game
I try to stay awake and remember my name
But Everybody's Changing, and I don't feel the same

(She rallies again) 

So little time
Try to understand that I'm
Trying to make a move just to stay in the game
I try to stay awake and remember my name
But Everybody's Changing, and I don't feel the same
Oh, Everybody's Changing, and I don't feel the same

(A final rally, and he's gone) 

It's a sad, lovely, mournful song, either way you look at it. 

Here's "Somewhere Only We Know," which makes me think of Leaf Rapids.