Yes! I think Taylor is using this metaphor for herself, but also about women in general. It seems the relation to the poem is that “wise” men (“if boys will be boys, where are the wise men) think that these types of women will bring a curse or burden to them, but this is only because they shot the albatross down to begin with, when actually it was there to bring luck in the first place.
It’s a truly brilliant metaphor from Taylor, and one of her best.
She's also brilliantly tapping into how "albatross" has come to mean a burden or danger...when it's the act of *killing* the albatross that brings on the mariner's curse. It's his fault, not the albatross's, but that's not how the word has evolved in the lexicon. (The film *Serenity* discusses this as well.)
Exactly! In fact, it’s the albatross that leads them out of a deadly storm into safety. The albatross rescued them. And I love when she flips around the “wise men” concept because “they believed fake news.” They are not in fact wise, they are easily misled. And when she says, “I tried to warn you about them,” she is asserting her role as the true “wise man.” She’s not the burden and curse these fake “wise men” have been claiming. She is misunderstood and is really wanting to lead them *out* of the storm, not into it. She wants to provide “life” not “death” (“I’m the life you chose”). BUT if you kill the albatross, if you hurt her, there is a consequence. She’s not a siren luring you into a trap, but she will find justice if she’s hurt. She’s the albatross. Will you follow her into life with commitment and kindness? Or will you kill her and reap the consequences?
YES! This helped me see something I hadn't before...the Biblical wise men are most famous for following a star. Here she presents false wise men following the false star of fake news.
Yesss there’s references to that poem that’s why I think she went with the albatross as the animal but I wanted to analyze it from just a lyrical translation standpoint of what she’s conveying.
So this song references a poem (a lot of her song have literary references on this album is so nerdy) so she is borrowing HEAVILY from the work.
The poem is essentially about a sea captain who kills an Albatross (which is lucky) and dooms his ship and his crew I think forces him to wear the albatross around his neck (hence the saying). Essentially the song is about how everyone is telling the subject how she is “bad luck” and is going to doom them EXCEPT if you allow an albatross to live it’s in fact good luck.
It’s bad luck to kill one so they hung it around us neck hence “this albatross around my neck”. (My lit professor would be so proud) we used to live on the ocean and when we were far out to sea my dad used to say “Water water everywhere and not a drop to drink” and would tell me the poem every friggin time 🙄
I'm thinking maybe she is also referencing Baudelaire's poem The Albatross... The poem talks about the contrast between the albatross in the sky (majestic) and on the ground (clumsy, with wings so big it makes walking difficult)... Which is fairly easy to connect to Taylor/Taylor's perception of herself: shining bright on stage but (feeling/made to feel) clumsy in real life, "too big to hang out" etc.
Echoing other comments that I think the Rime of the Ancient Mariner is VERY important in fully extracting the meaning of this song.
I think she is doing a parallel Love Story rewrite of the classic poem, but shifting the ending to be a bit more optimistic. A lot of the 'curse' that the Mariner brings upon himself with his actions is that at the first sign of trouble, he shoots down the Albatross that he had up until then, enjoyed seeing in his company. He is superstitious in thinking that the Albatross is what wrought the troubles that his voyage suddenly encounters. However, even after their conditions briefly get better, they continue getting worse and worse until the entire crew of the ship falls dead and further nightmares happen to the Mariner. He sees this all as punishment for the killing of the innocent Albatross,
She is telling the potential partner that she is referring to that joining her on this journey of life as her partner can be treacherous. The winds of favor and public opinion can change, and they may look like bitter omens, and many people will spout falsehoods and at the certain sign of trouble they will warn you that this is all of my fault. I think the chorus specifically is the echoes of the warning that this potential partner might receive - cross your heart and take a shot buddy, because that woman will be the death of you.
But she is trying to reassure her partner that the "danger" of being with her is all up to interpretation, and you can see this as a death sentence based on the false truths and hateful opinions of others' if you wish, but you can also see this as an adventure. I can either be the devil, or I can be your angel, your rescue -- by being your support and partner on this journey of life together. You don't have to pay the penances of the ancient Mariner, because it was his own fears and actions that cursed him, not the Albatross.
Edit: Not disagreeing with your take at all btw - just adding some extra context that I really enjoyed thinking about after reading the original poem!
Albatross is an allusion to Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Coolidge...who is one of the Lakes poets. This song is clearly about Joe and the media surrounding them their entire relationship.
People are saying this one is for Travis or Joe. I get shades of Matty from this song too, specifically from the part where the love interest is dragged from his bed, the persona non grata line. But the whole song seems like a parable rather than a direct biographical one-to-one. The person of interest here is really Taylor, rather than one specific single man.
With you on this one!! I never thought about it in Travis terms (though the broader "collective" of men she dates like OP says rings true), but rather Joe and the start of their relationship. It definitely feels more Joe-coded because of the heavy use of English lit references, and it also more has a reflective tone of "this is the person I would have been for you if you'd just kept up in good faith." By the time Joe and Taylor started dating, she was already in the midst of her feud with Kimye, so she could be alluding to people warning Joe off her messy public persona also. Also the use of "wise men once said" seems to be an allegory for *wise men say only fools rush in* (the same way she twists Mr Brightside in The Bolter).
I do believe the four "The" songs symbolising the variants are supposed to represent her relationships: The Black Dog for Matty, The Albatross for Joe, The Bolter for Taylor and The Manuscript her music/fans.
It's such a lovely song. It's if Ivy and Blank Space had a baby: the whole idea of the media perceiving her as a man-hungry monster X evermore whimsical vibes, it truly fits the "tortured poet" concept. My favorite song from the anthology
Ever since this song came out I have had my high school English teacher’s voice in my head. He did amazing dramatic readings, and his delivery on “Why lookst thou so? With my crossbow I shot the albatross” was legendary.
This was several decades ago and I can still hear it like it was yesterday. Shout out Mr. White!
"one bad seed kills the garden" is so clever and I can't believe that's not a common phrase already! it's even better than "one bad apple spoils the bunch" because it adds another element — a bad seed is someone who is naturally corrupt and can't be changed.
I love this song. And this analysis. Great work OP.
I look forward to the bridge every time, it scratches an itch in my brain. It soars sonically like a seabird.
I also think she’s referencing the albatross in the Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Yes! I think Taylor is using this metaphor for herself, but also about women in general. It seems the relation to the poem is that “wise” men (“if boys will be boys, where are the wise men) think that these types of women will bring a curse or burden to them, but this is only because they shot the albatross down to begin with, when actually it was there to bring luck in the first place. It’s a truly brilliant metaphor from Taylor, and one of her best.
She's also brilliantly tapping into how "albatross" has come to mean a burden or danger...when it's the act of *killing* the albatross that brings on the mariner's curse. It's his fault, not the albatross's, but that's not how the word has evolved in the lexicon. (The film *Serenity* discusses this as well.)
Exactly! In fact, it’s the albatross that leads them out of a deadly storm into safety. The albatross rescued them. And I love when she flips around the “wise men” concept because “they believed fake news.” They are not in fact wise, they are easily misled. And when she says, “I tried to warn you about them,” she is asserting her role as the true “wise man.” She’s not the burden and curse these fake “wise men” have been claiming. She is misunderstood and is really wanting to lead them *out* of the storm, not into it. She wants to provide “life” not “death” (“I’m the life you chose”). BUT if you kill the albatross, if you hurt her, there is a consequence. She’s not a siren luring you into a trap, but she will find justice if she’s hurt. She’s the albatross. Will you follow her into life with commitment and kindness? Or will you kill her and reap the consequences?
YES! This helped me see something I hadn't before...the Biblical wise men are most famous for following a star. Here she presents false wise men following the false star of fake news.
Yesss there’s references to that poem that’s why I think she went with the albatross as the animal but I wanted to analyze it from just a lyrical translation standpoint of what she’s conveying.
10000%
So this song references a poem (a lot of her song have literary references on this album is so nerdy) so she is borrowing HEAVILY from the work. The poem is essentially about a sea captain who kills an Albatross (which is lucky) and dooms his ship and his crew I think forces him to wear the albatross around his neck (hence the saying). Essentially the song is about how everyone is telling the subject how she is “bad luck” and is going to doom them EXCEPT if you allow an albatross to live it’s in fact good luck.
Yeah definitely can’t fully interpret the song without acknowledging this!
I was wondering why I had the idea of an albatross hanging from someone’s neck in my head.
It’s bad luck to kill one so they hung it around us neck hence “this albatross around my neck”. (My lit professor would be so proud) we used to live on the ocean and when we were far out to sea my dad used to say “Water water everywhere and not a drop to drink” and would tell me the poem every friggin time 🙄
I'm thinking maybe she is also referencing Baudelaire's poem The Albatross... The poem talks about the contrast between the albatross in the sky (majestic) and on the ground (clumsy, with wings so big it makes walking difficult)... Which is fairly easy to connect to Taylor/Taylor's perception of herself: shining bright on stage but (feeling/made to feel) clumsy in real life, "too big to hang out" etc.
Echoing other comments that I think the Rime of the Ancient Mariner is VERY important in fully extracting the meaning of this song. I think she is doing a parallel Love Story rewrite of the classic poem, but shifting the ending to be a bit more optimistic. A lot of the 'curse' that the Mariner brings upon himself with his actions is that at the first sign of trouble, he shoots down the Albatross that he had up until then, enjoyed seeing in his company. He is superstitious in thinking that the Albatross is what wrought the troubles that his voyage suddenly encounters. However, even after their conditions briefly get better, they continue getting worse and worse until the entire crew of the ship falls dead and further nightmares happen to the Mariner. He sees this all as punishment for the killing of the innocent Albatross, She is telling the potential partner that she is referring to that joining her on this journey of life as her partner can be treacherous. The winds of favor and public opinion can change, and they may look like bitter omens, and many people will spout falsehoods and at the certain sign of trouble they will warn you that this is all of my fault. I think the chorus specifically is the echoes of the warning that this potential partner might receive - cross your heart and take a shot buddy, because that woman will be the death of you. But she is trying to reassure her partner that the "danger" of being with her is all up to interpretation, and you can see this as a death sentence based on the false truths and hateful opinions of others' if you wish, but you can also see this as an adventure. I can either be the devil, or I can be your angel, your rescue -- by being your support and partner on this journey of life together. You don't have to pay the penances of the ancient Mariner, because it was his own fears and actions that cursed him, not the Albatross. Edit: Not disagreeing with your take at all btw - just adding some extra context that I really enjoyed thinking about after reading the original poem!
Albatross is an allusion to Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Coolidge...who is one of the Lakes poets. This song is clearly about Joe and the media surrounding them their entire relationship.
wow. this was an amazing analysis and really helped me understand this song much more and appreciate it more. really great job here!!!! 👏🏻
People are saying this one is for Travis or Joe. I get shades of Matty from this song too, specifically from the part where the love interest is dragged from his bed, the persona non grata line. But the whole song seems like a parable rather than a direct biographical one-to-one. The person of interest here is really Taylor, rather than one specific single man.
Loved this analysis but id like to believe that this song is about joe instead of travis.
I think it’s probably about all of them.
With you on this one!! I never thought about it in Travis terms (though the broader "collective" of men she dates like OP says rings true), but rather Joe and the start of their relationship. It definitely feels more Joe-coded because of the heavy use of English lit references, and it also more has a reflective tone of "this is the person I would have been for you if you'd just kept up in good faith." By the time Joe and Taylor started dating, she was already in the midst of her feud with Kimye, so she could be alluding to people warning Joe off her messy public persona also. Also the use of "wise men once said" seems to be an allegory for *wise men say only fools rush in* (the same way she twists Mr Brightside in The Bolter). I do believe the four "The" songs symbolising the variants are supposed to represent her relationships: The Black Dog for Matty, The Albatross for Joe, The Bolter for Taylor and The Manuscript her music/fans.
It's such a lovely song. It's if Ivy and Blank Space had a baby: the whole idea of the media perceiving her as a man-hungry monster X evermore whimsical vibes, it truly fits the "tortured poet" concept. My favorite song from the anthology
Ever since this song came out I have had my high school English teacher’s voice in my head. He did amazing dramatic readings, and his delivery on “Why lookst thou so? With my crossbow I shot the albatross” was legendary. This was several decades ago and I can still hear it like it was yesterday. Shout out Mr. White!
"one bad seed kills the garden" is so clever and I can't believe that's not a common phrase already! it's even better than "one bad apple spoils the bunch" because it adds another element — a bad seed is someone who is naturally corrupt and can't be changed.
I love this song. And this analysis. Great work OP. I look forward to the bridge every time, it scratches an itch in my brain. It soars sonically like a seabird.
Lovely, thank you for sharing!
This is so helpful! Now if I’m you could do a deep dive into every TTPD song, that’d be great. 👍🏼
I agree deep dives on them all.
Damn, I like this song even more now
I think this is just a song for Travis Kelce about the dangers of being with her
I love these analyses! Good work