I have a theory I think you’d like. Taylor said she’d been working on TTPD since Midnights released, but the first half (not the anthology) is a contained story that clearly happened to her later after Matty ghosted her. So what was she working on two years ago. I think it was pieces of the Anthology like “How did it end” and “I look In People’s Windows” - songs that are about the breakup with Joe. Then she has this whirlwind love affair and in the aftermath, the Tortured Poets Department concept comes to her. TTPD is the story of the tortured poets department - her and Matty-, the Anthology is the work that the tortured poets produced in that time
@ no, not at all! I just think a lot of the anthology may have been written when she was wondering what her next step was. Would she break up with Joe? Would she reach out to Matty? I think there’s a lot of wondering going on.
Excellent analysis of this song! Travis’ brother, Jason, mentioned that Travis had to move out of his house early into their dating on Shaq’s Super Bowl podcast episode. I think the “You were sleeping soundly when dragged you from your bed” is specific to Travis.
Oooh I love this tid bit! Yes I really picture here here as an albatross saving him from all the warnings people gave and being the savior and not the destroyer. I love the thought that he may have physically been dragged from his bed. 😂😂
To me, this song seems more Matty coded. She's been the albatross around his neck for all the years they pointed for each other. She warned him about the price of fame. They pulled him from his bed to crucify him because they hated him being with Taylor. She tried to protect him. Matty is the drinker, and the thoughtless one. Matty shot her down, even though she would have gotten him through the storm. Having done that will destroy him. Even the Romeo and Juliet reference fits. When Juliet said the rose by any other name line, she was saying it in the context of, "why did I have to fall in love with someone unacceptable??" When Taylor fell in love with someone unacceptable to her fan base, it was a scandal.
Even more so because of the "jackals raised their hackles" line: jackles being followers ~ the SpeakUpNow movement... And her being locked up in a tower and visiting in dreams ~ she has compared her time with Joe to jail time (fresh out the slammer) and meanwhile she was dreaming of Matty (guilty as sin). I think this song makes a lot of sense if he left her/ghosted her for "her sake", while she would try to convince him that the voices of the other people don't matter - before rep, she learned that ultimately, the people in your personal life are the ones that matter most.
I’ve always loved this song, it felt like a return to folklore/evermore ❤️ I also find albatross fascinating, and remember learning that they spend more time in the air than anywhere else. I wonder if Taylor relates to that, always on the move with nowhere to land
I’ll definitely be doing I look Through People’s Windowsz soon! I have a lot of thoughts about it and I do think the idea of normalcy and fame is one of them 100%!
Here is my theory….. it’s about the paparazzi and Princess Diana. there is a statue of Diana and Dodi called the albatross The song references candle wind and roses (Diana’s EJ song) Liquor anoints and locked up in tower is royal coded Persona non grata is the title of the episode of the crown where the paparazzi hassle Diana Then it turns and it references how Taylor is seen as the problem for fame (warned about her) But then realising that the media turns on you but Taylor can come in and protect you from the paparazzi and control the narrative
This comment is reminding me that I need to catch up on The Crown! 🥰 I definitely think there is a lot of commentary on fame for sure and who’s to say! I’d love to know if Tay is watching The Crown! Haha I also think there’s a lot of commentary in general about women being the problem and Diana dealt with the fame as well so it’s definitely interesting!
Furthermore Diana dated a heart surgeon for 2 years… they kept it secret, she wore disguises to go out with him, he didn’t like the media attention and refused to marry her in the end because of the fame leading to the breakup Cross your thoughtless heart… There are lots of Diana parallels to Taylor and she’s had other links to Diana (the break up dress) being photographed at her memorial etc so I think she definitely took inspiration from Diana’s life and media paparazzi experience in this song
Thank you very much for this. I think one thing that you might want to consider is the image of 'an albatross around your neck', which also comes from the Ancient Mariner. He is forced to wear the dead bird around his neck until he is truly repentant. I'm not sure how this fits in with the narrative you are creating here. I sometimes think that the images Taylor uses are meant to resonate at a subconscious level, rather than having a specific meaning. For instance, when she mentions the candle, rather than thinking that has a specific meaning, this evokes in my mind images from Macbeth: 'Out out brief candle ... ' etc; then the rose evokes Romeo and Juliet. So, rather than having a specific meaning, this kind of creates a headspace. That's not to say that it doesn't also have a specific meaning, but for me this is first of all evocative. This happens a lot for me with Taylor's lyrics, whereas when I try to pin them down to a specific meaning, or tie them to something specific in her life, I find that I start to flounder and get entangled. For me it's often better to just let it resonate in my mind and lead me where it will.
This is my favorite breakdown so far. You are so brilliant. I would have never figured out all of the background knowledge you know from poetry. Thanks for letting us know and sharing your knowledge to me. Thanks for your hard work! I definitely agree with your breakdown of her genius songs! Oh, she is harmless and should only be loved and not feared. I definitely don’t believe any fake news about her or anyone! Keep up the great work! I am enjoying it and am learning so much! 😍🌸👍♥️🥰❤️
I've been excited for you to get to this one because I've always loved the Ancient Mariner and I knew you'd see Taylor as the Albatross. I love your take though bc I was thinking she was trying to warn Joe before the breakup (hence her reference to ttpd being two years in the making). But your interpretation makes so much sense, that she was trying to warn Travis. So glad I found your channel!
Thank you so much!! I love picturing it as Travis. I think fame and celebrity has caused people to speak on her before they know her. I’d love to know when she wrote this one.
@@NinasNook ooooh, good question! If it's to warn Travis, my guess would be Aug 2023. They met sometime after her KC show July 7-8 and had a few convos/dates before the first game she attended on Sept 24. I think it's hilarious that she says they hung out for 'a significant amount of time' before going public. lol, in her world 5-6 weeks is a significant timeframe.
I agree that for this song the Rhyme was mostly referenced, I fist encountered it years ago in an Iron Maiden song when I had to make a presentation for my English class in High School. The tower imagery that you are referring I would like to insert Charles Baudelaire's poem L'albatros. For me it is a poem about the perception switch of people and the poet themselves when you are the Archer, gracefully in the air or when you are "Exile(d)" to the ground being clumsy and getting mocked. I just looked up the English wiki about it and that one is pretty bad, it is better to select the French language one and then let that translate.
Thank you 🙏 Nina for appreciating and loving this beautiful song. I agree with you that there is deep connection between The Albatross and The Rime Of An Ancient Mariner. I listened to my favorite wizard Gandalf Ian Mc Kellen reciting this deeply emotional poem and immediately saw the connection to The Albatross- the song. Iove them both so much and I love your channel too. 🤍🫶
Perfect timing! Thank you so much for making this. I’m about to go mask off, full blown psycho and tie all her music together and let all my conspiracy theories run rampant
Too bad Matty shot the albatross out of the air and Travis allows the albatross to fly free whereas she is by him for life it’s definitely about Travis. Travis actually mentioned once “this is the life I chose “ 😮beautiful song ❤
That’s hardly a world view it’s an interpretation of the ancient mariner in conjunction with what supposedly happened according to Taylor with Matty. Of course there are always 2 sides to a story but the albatross is actually luck and the sailor kills it and is cursed. If the albatross had been allowed to exist in nature it would have been something positive and in my interpretation of the lyrics that is what she basically is saying. This devil you think you see is actually an angel who will swoop in and provide shelter. In a very sad way she tried to save Matty but he basically “shot her down” he ran from the danger. Travis chose this life. He has stood by her so far against everything thrown at him in spite of warnings. I thinks it’s a beautiful song
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
I have a theory I think you’d like. Taylor said she’d been working on TTPD since Midnights released, but the first half (not the anthology) is a contained story that clearly happened to her later after Matty ghosted her. So what was she working on two years ago. I think it was pieces of the Anthology like “How did it end” and “I look In People’s Windows” - songs that are about the breakup with Joe. Then she has this whirlwind love affair and in the aftermath, the Tortured Poets Department concept comes to her. TTPD is the story of the tortured poets department - her and Matty-, the Anthology is the work that the tortured poets produced in that time
I agree! I also think a lot of those songs like Chloe, Sam etc.. were from that time period too!
Are u saying she a Matty wrote the Anthology together? …and all the TTPD songs (the first half) are about Matty?
@ no, not at all! I just think a lot of the anthology may have been written when she was wondering what her next step was. Would she break up with Joe? Would she reach out to Matty? I think there’s a lot of wondering going on.
Excellent analysis of this song! Travis’ brother, Jason, mentioned that Travis had to move out of his house early into their dating on Shaq’s Super Bowl podcast episode. I think the “You were sleeping soundly when dragged you from your bed” is specific to Travis.
Oooh I love this tid bit! Yes I really picture here here as an albatross saving him from all the warnings people gave and being the savior and not the destroyer. I love the thought that he may have physically been dragged from his bed. 😂😂
To me, this song seems more Matty coded. She's been the albatross around his neck for all the years they pointed for each other. She warned him about the price of fame. They pulled him from his bed to crucify him because they hated him being with Taylor. She tried to protect him. Matty is the drinker, and the thoughtless one. Matty shot her down, even though she would have gotten him through the storm. Having done that will destroy him.
Even the Romeo and Juliet reference fits. When Juliet said the rose by any other name line, she was saying it in the context of, "why did I have to fall in love with someone unacceptable??" When Taylor fell in love with someone unacceptable to her fan base, it was a scandal.
I love this interpretation as well!
Even more so because of the "jackals raised their hackles" line: jackles being followers ~ the SpeakUpNow movement... And her being locked up in a tower and visiting in dreams ~ she has compared her time with Joe to jail time (fresh out the slammer) and meanwhile she was dreaming of Matty (guilty as sin). I think this song makes a lot of sense if he left her/ghosted her for "her sake", while she would try to convince him that the voices of the other people don't matter - before rep, she learned that ultimately, the people in your personal life are the ones that matter most.
I’ve always loved this song, it felt like a return to folklore/evermore ❤️ I also find albatross fascinating, and remember learning that they spend more time in the air than anywhere else. I wonder if Taylor relates to that, always on the move with nowhere to land
I’ll definitely be doing I look Through People’s Windowsz soon! I have a lot of thoughts about it and I do think the idea of normalcy and fame is one of them 100%!
"Spread my wings like a parachute" Love this line.
Here is my theory….. it’s about the paparazzi and Princess Diana. there is a statue of Diana and Dodi called the albatross
The song references candle wind and roses (Diana’s EJ song)
Liquor anoints and locked up in tower is royal coded
Persona non grata is the title of the episode of the crown where the paparazzi hassle Diana
Then it turns and it references how Taylor is seen as the problem for fame (warned about her)
But then realising that the media turns on you but Taylor can come in and protect you from the paparazzi and control the narrative
This comment is reminding me that I need to catch up on The Crown! 🥰 I definitely think there is a lot of commentary on fame for sure and who’s to say! I’d love to know if Tay is watching The Crown! Haha I also think there’s a lot of commentary in general about women being the problem and Diana dealt with the fame as well so it’s definitely interesting!
Furthermore Diana dated a heart surgeon for 2 years… they kept it secret, she wore disguises to go out with him, he didn’t like the media attention and refused to marry her in the end because of the fame leading to the breakup
Cross your thoughtless heart…
There are lots of Diana parallels to Taylor and she’s had other links to Diana (the break up dress) being photographed at her memorial etc so I think she definitely took inspiration from Diana’s life and media paparazzi experience in this song
Thank you very much for this. I think one thing that you might want to consider is the image of 'an albatross around your neck', which also comes from the Ancient Mariner. He is forced to wear the dead bird around his neck until he is truly repentant. I'm not sure how this fits in with the narrative you are creating here. I sometimes think that the images Taylor uses are meant to resonate at a subconscious level, rather than having a specific meaning. For instance, when she mentions the candle, rather than thinking that has a specific meaning, this evokes in my mind images from Macbeth: 'Out out brief candle ... ' etc; then the rose evokes Romeo and Juliet. So, rather than having a specific meaning, this kind of creates a headspace. That's not to say that it doesn't also have a specific meaning, but for me this is first of all evocative. This happens a lot for me with Taylor's lyrics, whereas when I try to pin them down to a specific meaning, or tie them to something specific in her life, I find that I start to flounder and get entangled. For me it's often better to just let it resonate in my mind and lead me where it will.
This is my favorite breakdown so far. You are so brilliant. I would have never figured out all of the background knowledge you know from poetry. Thanks for letting us know and sharing your knowledge to me. Thanks for your hard work! I definitely agree with your breakdown of her genius songs! Oh, she is harmless and should only be loved and not feared. I definitely don’t believe any fake news about her or anyone! Keep up the great work! I am enjoying it and am learning so much! 😍🌸👍♥️🥰❤️
I really do love your break downs if her songs and the literary knowledge you add.
Thank you so much! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🥰
One of my favorite songs! Love the literary references
I do too! I feel she really swirled in the references for this one!
I've been excited for you to get to this one because I've always loved the Ancient Mariner and I knew you'd see Taylor as the Albatross. I love your take though bc I was thinking she was trying to warn Joe before the breakup (hence her reference to ttpd being two years in the making). But your interpretation makes so much sense, that she was trying to warn Travis. So glad I found your channel!
Thank you so much!! I love picturing it as Travis. I think fame and celebrity has caused people to speak on her before they know her. I’d love to know when she wrote this one.
@@NinasNook ooooh, good question! If it's to warn Travis, my guess would be Aug 2023. They met sometime after her KC show July 7-8 and had a few convos/dates before the first game she attended on Sept 24. I think it's hilarious that she says they hung out for 'a significant amount of time' before going public. lol, in her world 5-6 weeks is a significant timeframe.
I think you're spot on. I especially love how you explain the last line.
Love this!! Keep them coming!
Good job, Nina!
Thank you so much! 🥰
Omg I have the same shirt from the tour!!! ❤❤❤
I agree that for this song the Rhyme was mostly referenced, I fist encountered it years ago in an Iron Maiden song when I had to make a presentation for my English class in High School.
The tower imagery that you are referring I would like to insert Charles Baudelaire's poem L'albatros. For me it is a poem about the perception switch of people and the poet themselves when you are the Archer, gracefully in the air or when you are "Exile(d)" to the ground being clumsy and getting mocked.
I just looked up the English wiki about it and that one is pretty bad, it is better to select the French language one and then let that translate.
I’ll definitely check it out! Thank you!!
Thank you 🙏 Nina for appreciating and loving this beautiful song. I agree with you that there is deep connection between The Albatross and The Rime Of An Ancient Mariner. I listened to my favorite wizard Gandalf Ian Mc Kellen reciting this deeply emotional poem and immediately saw the connection to The Albatross- the song. Iove them both so much and I love your channel too. 🤍🫶
Yessss! I love his reading of it! I will forever choose to have Gandalf do my reading for me if I can. I’m so glad you liked it! ❤️
So interesting!!!
Listen to Bastille's (british band, great singer) "Weight of living pt. 1" if you like that poem 😌
I will check it out!! Thank you!
Perfect timing! Thank you so much for making this. I’m about to go mask off, full blown psycho and tie all her music together and let all my conspiracy theories run rampant
not about Travis though, it's a Matty song in so many ways
I could see it being Matty, makes me interested in when she wrote it for sure!
Too bad Matty shot the albatross out of the air and Travis allows the albatross to fly free whereas she is by him for life it’s definitely about Travis. Travis actually mentioned once “this is the life I chose “ 😮beautiful song ❤
@@lindaamodeo3061 i love how simplistic is your worldview
That’s hardly a world view it’s an interpretation of the ancient mariner in conjunction with what supposedly happened according to Taylor with Matty. Of course there are always 2 sides to a story but the albatross is actually luck and the sailor kills it and is cursed. If the albatross had been allowed to exist in nature it would have been something positive and in my interpretation of the lyrics that is what she basically is saying. This devil you think you see is actually an angel who will swoop in and provide shelter. In a very sad way she tried to save Matty but he basically “shot her down” he ran from the danger. Travis chose this life. He has stood by her so far against everything thrown at him in spite of warnings. I thinks it’s a beautiful song
Alford Lord Tennyson is a distant relative on maternal side.
💜
The Albatross is one of my favorite songs! 🤍🖤 criminally underrated