Lyrics Inspiration: "The Albatross" by Taylor Swift

Wise men once said

"Wild winds are death to the candle"

A rose by any other name is a scandal

Cautions issued, he stood

Shooting the messengers

They tried to warn him about her

Cross your thoughtless heart

Only liquor anoints you

She's the albatross

She is here to destroy you

Wise men once said

"One bad seed kills the garden"

"One less temptress

One less dagger to sharpen"

Locked me up in towers

But I'd visit in your dreams

And they tried to warn you about me

Cross your thoughtless heart

Only liquor anoints you

She's the albatross

She is here to destroy you

Devils that you know

Raise worse hell than a stranger

She's the death you chose

You're in terrible danger

And when that sky rains fire on you

And you're persona non grata

I'll tell you how I've been there too

And that none of it matters

Wise men once read fake news

And they believed it

Jackals raised their hackles

You couldn't conceive it

You were sleeping soundly when they dragged you from your bed

And I tried to warn you about them

So I crossed my thoughtless heart

Spread my wings like a parachute

I'm the albatross

I swept in at the rescue

The devil that you know

Looks now more like an angel

I'm the life you chose

And all this terrible danger

So cross your thoughtless heart

She's the albatross

She is here to destroy you.

This is one of my favorite songs on Taylor Swift's masterpiece album The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology.The reason why this particular Swift song is a source of inspiration won't become apparent to readers until close to the end of the book when a certain character's backstory is fully revealed. Even so, it is a bit obscure, but it makes sense to me (the author) so I suppose that counts for something!