#i kinda want to do a tier ranking or something of literary allusions in Taylor Swift songs

[queenlucythevaliant]

If I weren't so familiar with "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," I think I would be able to appreciate "The Albatross" off the new album a whole lot more. Like, "peace" is a top three song for me off folklore and I just love the conversation those two songs are having, the storytelling choice to use third person, some of the instrumentation. But she does the least interesting possible thing with the allusion.

It's super clear that Taylor hasn't actually read the Rime and is just going off the general cultural idea of what the albatross is supposed to represent. Given that the allusion is basically the entire premise of the song, this is really disappointing. Especially on an album called "The Tortured Poets Department."