A Swift Analysis of TTPD: Taylor Swift and English Romanticism

Undeniably, Taylor Swift has proven herself to be a poet. From her work on the Grammy award-winning album Folklore (2020) alone, we can see how Taylor truly is one of us – a literature student and fan. Taylor assigns meaning in her life to every little thing, a common trait amongst poets. However, her poetic nature shines through the most in her recently released album, The Tortured Poet’s Department (2024). The track “The Albatross” is featured on her surprise double album, The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology (2024). Originally, Taylor announced the song as a bonus track on a special edition that fans could purchase through her website. In the chorus of “The Albatross,” Taylor sings, “She’s the albatross / She’s here to destroy you.” These words are powerful and can both reference Samual Taylor Coleridge's poem, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” and Taylor’s personal life.

Regarding Coleridge's poem, a main theme in the work is guilt, especially concerning nature. The mariner in the poem shoots an albatross for no reason, and then, as a constant reminder, the bird remains hung around his neck. The mariner tells this story at a wedding to guests to warn them. The albatross in the poem is here to “destroy” the mariner’s consciousness and repeatedly remind him of his wrongdoings. The guilt stays with the mariner as he reflects on this great sin he committed. Transformation is also a theme in Coleridge's poem, which connects to “The Albatross,” as Taylor metaphorically transforms into a bird. Taylor constantly transforms into new eras, and the mariner must also transform and grow, knowing that what he did was wrong. 

Concerning Taylor’s personal life, the media has crucified her for her dating choices over the years. Perhaps Taylor is speaking to her past and future lovers that by being with her, their reputation or life could be “destroyed.” In other songs, such as “Peace” from Folklore (2020), Taylor speaks on her extreme fame, negatively impacting her relationships. Taylor wonders if she can ever find someone who can accept her, knowing that their life would be examined under a microscope: “I’d give you my sunshine / Give you my best / But the rain is always gonna come / If you’re standing with me…Would it be enough / If I could never give you peace?” Regarding “The Albatross,” Taylor thus envisions herself as the bird and says that by being with her, there’s a risk: “They tried to warn you about me / I’m the life you chose / And all this terrible danger."However, there is a bit of a sense of sarcasm here – Taylor knows she is not some toxic, dangerous individual, but rather, perhaps the danger she refers to is the media’s perception of her and irrelevant outside noise that can hurt their relationship. 

This song can also act as a warning to Taylor’s partners that if they do her dirty, she has an entire fanbase that is ready and willing to attack them. For example, when Taylor released “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) [Taylor's Version]” on her “Taylor’s Version” of the 2012 album Red, fans went flocking to Jake Gyllanhaall’s social media to comment about what he did to Taylor. This behavior from fans is frankly a bit crazy and out of line. Taylor even spoke to fans at one of her Era’s Tour shows this summer, saying that all of these events she references in her tracks happened years ago and that fans should enjoy the music and not attack others, even if they’ve wronged her in the past. Taylor’s words in “The Albatross” and the rest of The Tortured Poets Department are truly beautiful and poetic, and it's clear that she takes inspiration from and loves the English Romantic poets.

(Taylor's Image Promotion for "The Albatross" - endless abyss of water in the background, possible reference to the mariner on his ship!)