Laura Marling (born 1st February 1990) is a folk singer/songwriter/guitaris… Read Full Bio ↴Laura Marling (born 1st February 1990) is a folk singer/songwriter/guitarist from Eversley, United Kingdom.

She began playing the guitar at the age of five, first being taught the blues by her father in front of the family fire, and has been enthralled by the songs and lyrics of the likes of Neil Young, Bob Dylan, James Taylor and John Mayall ever since. It’s not just the “golden-oldies” that Laura admires; she also harbours a rather deep love for alt.country’s favourite son, Ryan Adams. “He’s brilliant, there’s nothing that even comes close, he can paint the most amazing pictures in your mind.” Ryan Adams in turn had her album 'I Speak Because I Can' given to him by a producer friend. Ryan had written a lot of the material for his forthcoming album 'Ashes and Fire' but upon listening to her album he said; "I actually threw out the record I was writing and re-wrote my record based on that album because I thought to myself somebody's actually taking this very seriously ... It was amazing, a great motivation ... And it felt good to ask: 'What am I really capable of? I felt competitive again to write great songs."

Jamie T personally invited her on tour with him after being impressed by her modern folk-pop when he caught her playing just her second ever gig. Marling is part of the extended Way Out West family, having played five eminent shows at the label’s Brentford FC night before the club was finally moved on, and was also a member of Noah and the Whale until May 2008, contributing vocals and instruments throughout, and seen in the "Five Years Time" video playing recorder.

Following her London Town EP, Marling's debut album Alas I Cannot Swim was released by Virgin on 4th February 2008. Originally released in a large Song Box containing mementos and trinkets personal to the songs, as well as a concert ticket., the album was nominated for the 2008 Mercury Music Prize.

Marling released her second album, I Speak Because I Can, on March 22nd 2010.

The first track from her third album, A Creature I Don't Know, to receive radio airplay was "Sophia." The song is an ode to a mythical deity. (Sophia Songfacts).

Nature of Dust
Laura Marling Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

It’s the nature of dust,
That it’s all about us,
That it’s all about me,
And it’s all about love.
And that’s a dangerous mix,
If you don’t get it right,
And it’ll come and get you in the dead of the night.
Oh it’s a dangerous mix,

If you don’t get it right,
And it’ll come and get you in the dead of the night.
And when they leave,
And they do,
Oh-oh it’s bad,
Oh-oh it’s bad.

It’s the nature of dust,
That it’s all about us,
That it’s all about me,
And it’s all about love.
And that’s a dangerous mix,
If you don’t get it right,
And it’ll come and get you in the dead of the night.
Oh it’s a dangerous mix,
If you don’t get it right,
And it’ll come and get you and take your life.
And when they leave,
And they do
Oh-oh it’s bad

Oh-oh it’s bad
Oh-oh it’s bad

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Laura Marling’s song Nature of Dust are metaphorical and abstract, leaving much room for interpretation. The line “It’s the nature of dust, that it’s all about us” can be interpreted as a comment on how we tend to focus on ourselves and our own problems, disregarding the bigger picture. The line “And it’s all about love” can be interpreted to mean that love is at the center of human existence, but it can also be a warning of how love can be all-consuming, leading to dangerous consequences if not handled correctly.

The repeated line “And when they leave, and they do” suggests a sense of abandonment and loneliness, as well as the inevitability of people leaving our lives. The line “Oh-oh it’s bad” is a lamentation of this loss and the negative emotions that come with it. The warning of the dangerous mix of dust, us, and love is repeated throughout the song, emphasizing the importance of getting it right and the consequences of not doing so.

Overall, the lyrics of Nature of Dust are complex and open to interpretation, but they seem to be warning against the dangers of self-centeredness and the recklessness of love.

Line by Line Meaning

It’s the nature of dust,
Life is fleeting and temporary, just like dust.

That it’s all about us,
We are the center of our own world, and everything revolves around us.

That it’s all about me,
Our focus tends to be on our own desires, even at the expense of others.

And it’s all about love.
Love is the most important thing in life, and it is what drives us forward.

And that’s a dangerous mix,
When we prioritize ourselves and our desires above all else, we can easily lose sight of what truly matters.

If you don’t get it right,
If we don't find a balance between our own needs and those of others, we can cause harm.

And it’ll come and get you in the dead of the night.
Consequences of our actions can come back to haunt us when we least expect it.

And when they leave,
When loved ones depart from our lives,

And they do,
As they inevitably will,

Oh-oh it’s bad,
It can be incredibly painful and difficult to cope with their absence.

Oh-oh it’s bad.
We may feel a profound sense of loss and emptiness.