Practical writing tips, studies on the craft, and reviews of writing in songs and movies await...
At On Writing, you can expect videos about:
- analyzing writing in literature, film, TV, and music - keeping your writing projects organized - tips for each step of the process: brainstorming, drafting, revising, submitting - writing exercises and activities - thoughts and musings on the craft
I've been a professional writer since 2017 and have published poetry, short fiction, and non-fiction with Ink & Sword, Fabula Press, Urbana, Orlando Arts, InterVarsity, and Poets Choice.
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my favourite part of august its how the lyrics have combinations of words that sound like two different things, alluding to both its meanings inside the narrative of the song, and at the same time adding to this image of a "secret summer love", hidden in plain sight. "back when we were still changing for the better, (Wanting was enough/One thing was enough" sounds the same. "back when i was living for the hope of it all, (Meet me behind the mall/Meet me behind them all)"
Fairy lights through the mist combined with the following two lines gives me the idea that she keeps thinking she can see something special ahead, so she keeps trying to carry them forward into that bright future she keeps glimpsing. But fairy lights are brief and impossible to catch.
I haven't watched the live action but the clips I see here look like the actors are taking themselves a little too seriously and this takes away the lightness and depth of emotion the animation had.
I think it's meant to be "pulled me out by my waist-long hair to the beachside". As in, she was drowning, the neighbours grabbed her hair (which was long, down to her waist) and pulled her out to safety.
Incorporating the scene in the story is probably more effective because, as you said, you feel more attached to the the characters and more empathy for the emotions they are going through. That said, flashbacks definitely are an important tool when chronological order could disrupt the flow of the story (or you miss important context)
Magan ! Great video script articulation, great voice accsent , clarity in words, beautiful rhythmic speed of words ,very easy to follow the captions and the subject PREMISE is understood in a great way . Many Thanks.
I’m old enough that I remember when it was common for parents to give daughters cedar chests upon their high school graduation. They would be filled with things that the girls wanted in their own homes when they moved out on their own - handmade quilts, photo albums, and the like. Cedar keeps bugs, especially moths, from destroying the contents.
I loved your analysis!! Thank you so much for sharing it, the albatross is my favorite song from the album and I’ve been watching and reading every theory and analysis on it lol, really really loved yours 💗
I like this discussion thanks. I will point out that candle in the wind references Diana, she has a statue called the Albatross created for her and the episode of the Crown about the paparazzi and Diana is ‘persona non grata’. So I don’t think you were off the mark to also think of candle in the wind. I think the song is referencing being hounded by the media. Thinking your being hounded because of Taylor but then realising they can turn on you but she can save you by turning the narrative
I'm SHOOK. Thank you so much for adding this!! Yes, the dangers (literal and figuratively) of the media YIKES. Love this connection (though it makes me sad, too!)
Also, can you do “The Moment I Knew”? It’s about the experience of her 21st when we wasn’t there. The chorus gives me goosebumps when I wear headphones.
“You were tossing me the car keys, “F$$$ the patriarchy” keychain on the ground” to me is like, the “F- the patriarchy” is written on the keychain, and it’s on the ground cuz she wasn’t ready to catch it, like she wasn’t ready for the relationship.
I think the line "you sacrificed us to the gods of your bluest days" is one of the saddest lines she's ever written. And it also sums up the song and what probably led to the end of their relationship (his depression).
Makes so much sense to consider all the "she's gonna ruin you" discourse after her breakups and how the "danger" (the songs, the death (lol sure) of reputations, etc) only comes after the relationship ends (she's hurt/killed). The albatross, in the poem, is there to rescue and help, but it's only after she's killed that everything goes down and the tale is born. I LOVE the video, that's how you do a lyric analysis! haha. Thank you!
I’m pretty sure the lyrics online for this song are wrong. She says “cough into his mouth” not “carve,” at least that’s what it sounds like. So to me that paints an image of someone on their deathbed being confused, and grabbing her wrist to cough into, thinking it was his own wrist
“Rose by any other name is a scandal” can also mean that it doesn’t matter who her boyfriend is, it will always be a scandal. Love your Taylor analysis!
Hi! I just found your channel and it's pretty good. I'm happy to support it, because we poets need to stick together. 😊 And if you ever get a P.O. Box for fan mail, I'll send you one of my books. 😌
This was exactly what I needed for this song. I love that Taylor did dig into her poetry bag for the tortured poets department. The literary references scattered throughout have been so fun to discover and go back to the original works she’s referencing and appreciate them all over again. This one as daunting though, it’s been a while since English class!! Thanks for jumping in on this one I feel like I appreciate it more now.
You’re so good at breaking down these lyrics! As Taylor has reached her thirties and mastered her writing skills, it seems like she craves more when creating lyrics as she continues to grow as an artist. She’s a pop artist, but she’s not going to let that stop her from flexing her poetry muscle and writing lyrics that keep her mind working and stretching all the time. Anything less and she won’t feel fulfilled is my guess.
Wow that’s really interesting! I’m not a native speaker so my thinking may be totally wrong here, but the line “rose by any other name is a scandal” I always took to mean “rose given by any other person is a scandal” and I think it connects well with the Romeo and Juliet context, because a rose given to her by a person with any other name than Romeo’s would smell like a rose and that would not be a scandal… not sure if it makes sense (in my mind it makes sense considering the turn of events after her breakup with Joe, how quickly it all unraveled and everything people had to say about it) In general, I think Taylor relates to the albatross in a masterful way: she has the best intention (to save the ship), but because of how the people act around her (killing the bird) and the perception of her (the change of the meaning of the symbol after actions of no fault of its own) now she’s supposed to be the villain, even though she only reacted to the situation at hand… her writing is really impressive
21:31 This line reminds me of her song _peace_ (I'm pretty sure you'll like that song as well) from her _evermore_ album. There's a line there: "But the rain is always gonna come if you're standing with me." That line and this line at 21:31 implies that choosing to be with her would also be choosing all the danger that comes along with her. It's a bittersweet thought, it's self-reflective and retrospective in a sense. This one is my top two from TTPD alongside The Black Dog, which you reacted a month ago. Thank you for analyzing this one and dedicating a whole video about it. 😊😊😊
taylor is only a bad omen to those who have hurt her or worked to tear her down so the albatross metaphor works on both fronts; her default tends to be friendly and helpful until you act against her, and then she's a bad omen
I was having a hard time relating to this song because I didn't understand what most of it really meant...Now I absolutely get it and I have a new poem that I love. Thank you so much!!! This might very well be my favorite reaction from you.
I’m starting to think you might have come into my house at some point and was spying on me cause see this, English is not my first language (it’s Portuguese actually) and I had never read this poem before, but it was recommended to me by a coworker just last week. When I was reading it, I realized that it was the first time in probably 18 years that I needed a dictionary to read something in English because of the way English was spoken/written back then. But after reading it, the first song I thought of was The Albatross and I kept thinking and questioning if there actually was any connection there. And now here you are, connecting all those dots I’ve been thinking about for days. That’s sorcery Megan, total witchcraft. That being said, I just NEED you to dissect Cassandra, because of the connection to the Greek mythology and the story about the Trojan Horse. And while you’re at it, you might find that there’s quite a lot of connection between that song and mad woman from Folklore, and maybe doing both would be good to see the similarities. Jesus, I talk too much. I’m gonna go.
Also, she recently mashed this song up on tour with Dancing With Our Hands Tied, which have interesting intertwined themes. She put them together for a reason for sure, you should listen to it :) and watch the live performance because it is beautiful!
something that I find interesting is that since the album was released Taylor has been doing mashups of TTPD songs with other songs from her discography that connects lyrically to each other. a couple of weeks ago she sang the albatross with the song dancing with our hands tied from the reputation album, and there's a line in that song that to me really connects to the albatross "i loved you in spite of deep fears that the world would divide us" the world here would be the "wise men" trying to warn him to run away from her.
Liked this, I haven’t read Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner, but I knew of the albatross connotations somehow. My take always from the song were very similar. Cassandra is one of my favourites from this album, I hope you consider a deep dive on that one too. How’s your Greek mythology?
Could you do an analysis of Dear John and Would've, Could've, Should've please?! The second has several religious references, and they are related to each other. It would be super interesting to see your comments. 🙏
Could you do an analysis of Dear John and Would've, Could've, Should've please?! The second has several religious references, and they are related to each other. It would be super interesting to see your comments. 🙏
