Keane is an English alternative rock band from East Sussex, formed in 1995.… Read Full Bio ↴Keane is an English alternative rock band from East Sussex, formed in 1995. They met while at Tonbridge School together. The band currently comprises Tom Chaplin (lead vocals, electric/acoustic guitar), Tim Rice-Oxley (piano, synthesisers, bass guitar, backing vocals), Richard Hughes (drums, percussion, backing vocals), and Jesse Quin (bass guitar, acoustic/electric guitar, backing vocals). Their original line-up included founder and guitarist Dominic Scott, who left in 2001.

Keane achieved mainstream, international success with the release of their debut album Hopes and Fears in 2004. Topping the UK charts, the album won the 2005 Brit Award for Best British Album and was the second best-selling British album of 2004. It is one of the best-selling albums in UK chart history. Their second album, Under the Iron Sea, released in 2006, topped the UK album charts and debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200. Their third album Perfect Symmetry was released in October 2008.

In May 2008, both Hopes and Fears (number 13) and Under the Iron Sea (number 8) were voted by readers of Q magazine as among the best British albums ever, with Keane, The Beatles, Oasis and Radiohead the only artists having two albums in the top 20. In 2009, Hopes and Fears was listed as the ninth best-selling album of the 2000s decade in the UK. Their EP Night Train was released in May 2010. Their fourth studio album Strangeland was released in May 2012 and peaked at number one on the UK Albums Chart.

Keane are known for using keyboards as the lead instrument instead of guitar, differentiating them from most other rock bands. The inclusion of a distorted piano effect in 2006 and various synthesisers were a common feature in their music which developed on the second and third albums. Keane have sold over 13 million records worldwide.

After the release of their compilation album The Best of Keane in 2013, the band took a hiatus, lasting nearly 5 years.

The band returned after the hiatus with new music, announcing their fifth studio album titled Cause and Effect on 6 June 2019 and releasing the lead single from the album "The Way I Feel". A collection of the songs were written by Tim Rice-Oxley during his divorce, and after discussions with Tom who had visited Tim the previous year, decided to proceed with recording the songs for the album. Cause and Effect was released on 20 September 2019. After the release of the album, the band embarked on the Cause and Effect Tour, visiting Europe and Latin America, before the remainder of the tour was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keane_(band)

Studio albums
Hopes and Fears (2004)
Under the Iron Sea (2006)
Perfect Symmetry (2008)
Strangeland (2012)
Cause and Effect (2019)

The Happy Soldier
Keane Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I've been thinking
Why don't we
Jump on board some gunship
And sail away to sea

And if I'm seized by enemy
Of any kind
I don't mind

They'll be sorry
Wait and see
The SAS will rescue me

I've been thinking
I'm so bored
What a life to live and die
By the silver sword

And if I'm crashed on stormy seas
The darkness falls and all I see
Is a desert island
That's ok
I'll use the stars to find my way
If I'm drifting to no-man's land
GHQ will lend a hand

And there's nothing king and country wouldn't do for me
(x2)

Overall Meaning

In the song "The Happy Soldier" by Keane, the lyrics explore the idea of escapism, where the singer is yearning for adventure and excitement in their mundane life. The opening lines, "I've been thinking, why don't we jump on board some gunship and sail away to sea," talks about an impulsive and adventurous desire that they want to fulfill. The following line, "And if I'm seized by the enemy, of any kind, I don't mind, they'll be sorry wait and see, the SAS will rescue me," talk about the singer's confidence and bravery in facing challenges, as they know the SAS will protect them.

The second verse talks about the singer's boredom with their life and the mundane nature of it. The line "What a life to live and die by the silver sword" invokes a monotonous life where nothing significant happens, where the singer is hoping for a grand adventure. The line "And if I'm crashed on stormy seas, the darkness falls and all I see, is a desert island, that's okay, I'll use the stars to find my way," depicts the singer's resilience and determination to survive any situation while hoping for a thrilling escape. The final lines, "GHQ will lend a hand, and there's nothing king and country wouldn't do for me," talks about the singer's sense of national pride and loyalty, making them believe they can count on their country to support and help them in a time of need.

Overall, "The Happy Soldier" is a song about wanting to experience more in life and escape reality's mundanity. The lyrics explore the idea of adventure, survival, bravery, and national pride.

Line by Line Meaning

I've been thinking
I've been contemplating my current state of being

Why don't we
Why don't we consider a different path

Jump on board some gunship
We should join the military

And sail away to sea
Leave our mundane lives and go on an adventure

And if I'm seized by enemy
If I become a prisoner of war

Of any kind
No matter the enemy

I don't mind
I won't give up or lose hope

They'll be sorry
My captors will regret taking me

Wait and see
I am confident in my abilities to escape

The SAS will rescue me
I trust my military comrades will rescue me

I'm so bored
I am filled with ennui

What a life to live and die
Life is mundane and lacks purpose

By the silver sword
In traditional warrior fashion

And if I'm crashed on stormy seas
If I face difficult times

The darkness falls and all I see
If I am lost and alone

Is a desert island
I'm alone, stranded, and helpless

That's ok
I will persevere

I'll use the stars to find my way
I will take charge of my destiny

If I'm drifting to no-man's land
If I am uncertain and fearful

GHQ will lend a hand
My military comrades will come to my aid

And there's nothing king and country wouldn't do for me
I am loyal and dedicated to my country; I believe it will reciprocate

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I've been thinking
Why don't we
Jump onboard some gunship
And sail away to sea

And if I'm seized by enemy
Of any kind
I don't mind
They'll be sorry
Wait and see
The SAS will rescue me

I've been thinking
I'm so bored
What a life to live and die
By the silver sword

And if I'm crashed on stormy seas
The darkness falls and all I see
Is a desert island
That's ok
I'll use the stars to find my way
If I'm drifting to no-man's land
GHQ will lend a hand
And there's nothing king and country wouldn't do for me