Song Analysis - Rambling man by Laura Marling

Music Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YXKWOTGskY
Lyrics - http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/lauramarling/ramblingman.html

Rambling man by Laura Marling is one of my favorite songs from recent times - Primarily because it is one of those songs which talks about changes, and about breaking out of the cocoon that one builds for one's self. Laura, in this song, sings to her younger, naïve, scared, weak and tender little self (Oh naïve little me) She, who is a successful, strong artist now, looks back to the person she was when she started out, and through the song, she tries to transcend her words to that young artist who was scared to make bold new songs. As a young artist, Laura made songs that were just reflections of other famous works - none, her own. She sings here, "Creatures veiled by night, Following things that aren't right" - Here creatures refer to the things that scare her, are all hidden in the dark. She is indirectly hinting at the fears of the young artist she once was – The critiques who point at ‘things that aren’t 'right’ whenever she tried something new. They were tired of her 'new works', they thought she is not cut out for being an artist.
She goes on to sing the chorus, "But give me to the rambling man, let it always be known that I was who I am" - Rambling - extending out in long shoots, growing over walls. Think of Rambling man as      a metaphor towards change (personified as a man) that time inflicts on people. She wants to give her young self (me) into the changes that would then mould her into the artist she is. She is then singing to the audience, addressing those critiques who put her down earlier in life – that it should be known that she was always the successful artist she is.
She sings, "Its hard to accept yourself as someone you don't desire; as someone you don't want to be" - Even though those music she made as a budding artist (which was all basic and nothing new, same chords over and over again) serenaded her and made her feel at ease; She knew she was bigger than that. However, It was her fear of a major failure, that stopped her from making songs that were hard to compose (even though, by all means she could) So she tells her young self, it is hard to accept yourself as someone you are not, or who you don’t desire to be, so don't coax yourself into being the little girl afraid of all those criticism. This was her cue for change. This was her cue to make ventures into different genres of songs and write songs that were not shadows of other works, but in all senses, her own.