“The Albatross” is a bonus track from Swift’s 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department. The track was announced on February 23, 2024, while she was performing in Sydney, Australia, for The Eras Tour.

An albatross is a large sea bird that spends its first six years without touching the land, due to them being so well-adapted to their oceanic existence. In a metaphorical sense, an albatross is usually referred to as “something that causes anxiety or guilt or that burdens and encumbers.”

Like many tracks on Swift’s 11th studio album, “The Albatross” seems to be a metaphorical reference to Swift’s six-year long relationship with British actor, Joe Alwyn.

Many fans also believe that Taylor’s outfit for the 2024 Grammys (a white dress with long black gloves) was an easter-egg to this song, since albatrosses are white birds with black wings.