The speaker is leaving a comfortable place and setting out again, driven by a strong need to travel and search for someone he loves. He sometimes feels tired, but the repeated promise to โramble onโ suggests that continuing the journey matters more to him than settling down. The mood shifts from calm autumn reflection to restless determination, then to sadness as he describes losing the woman he seeks.
Autumn leaves and the moon mark a moment of departure: the season and night seem to accompany him on his way. โSpreading rootsโ means settling in one place, which he says he has no time for. To โramble onโ means to keep wandering or moving forward. The story of meeting a woman in Mordor, where Gollum and an evil figure take her away, turns his search into a dramatic fantasy; it may express loss through an imaginative tale rather than describe a literal event.
The song leaves the search unresolved. The speaker sounds committed to finding his โgirl,โ yet his repeated travel may also suggest that wandering has become a way of life, not just a means to reach her. His โbluebirdโ could represent a loved one, happiness, or something else he longs for; the lyrics do not make its meaning certain. There is longing in the song, but also a sense of freedom and persistence.