--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Ah! well a-day! what evil looks / Had I…" description: "\"Ah! well a-day! what evil looks / Had I from old and young! / Instead of the cross, the Albatross / About my neck was hung.\" — Anonymous" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/336/anonymous-1_albatross_ah-well-a-day-what-evil-looks-had-i-from_1051203.jpg" --- # Ah! well a-day! what evil looks / Had I from old and… ![“Ah! well a-day! what evil looks / Had I from old and young! / Instead of the cross, the Albatross / About my neck was hung.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/336/anonymous-1_albatross_ah-well-a-day-what-evil-looks-had-i-from_1051203.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/336/anonymous-1_albatross_ah-well-a-day-what-evil-looks-had-i-from_1051203.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/336/anonymous-1_albatross_ah-well-a-day-what-evil-looks-had-i-from_1051203.jpg) > “Ah! well a-day! what evil looks / Had I from old and young! / Instead of the cross, the Albatross / About my neck was hung.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker feels burdened by sin, likening it to an albatross hanging around his neck, replacing the cross of redemption. **In simple terms:** Feeling weighed down by guilt. Key Takeaway Recognize and release burdens. Themes guilt burden redemption Mood melancholic reflective Type literary poetic When to use this quote - personal confession - spiritual struggle - seeking forgiveness Key Concepts sin symbolism religion Questions to Reflect On - What ' does your albatross represent? - How can you replace it with a cross? A Different Perspective The metaphor may overdramatize personal fault. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Albatross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/albatross/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) ## Related quotes > [Tradition is the albatross around the neck of progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-veeck/tradition-is-the-albatross-around-the-neck-of-progress/) [Bill Veeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-veeck/) > [You know, I can't tell you that I'm very fond of anything I've done, including - and especially- 'The Addams Family.' That's an albatross…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cassidy/you-know-i-can-t-tell-you-that-i-m-very-fond-of-anything-i-ve-done/) [Ted Cassidy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cassidy/) > [You couldn't see the key around my neck: it hung too low under both collars. But if I leaned in close, I could make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/you-couldn-t-see-the-key-around-my-neck-it-hung-too-low-under-both/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [We need winds and tempests to exercise our faith, to tear off the rotten bough of self-dependence, and to root us more firmly in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-need-winds-and-tempests-to-exercise-our-faith-to-tear-off-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sufficient-unto-the-day-is-the-evil-thereof/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“As far as evil goes”—she shrugged one shoulder—“I’ve spent a dozen years studying the subject and there’s one thing I know for sure.” Her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-webb/as-far-as-evil-goes-she-shrugged-one-shoulder-i-ve-spent-a-dozen/) [Debra Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-webb/) > [Evil looks like you and I. I know what evil looks like, and I know that it comes in all shades and colors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruby-bridges/evil-looks-like-you-and-i-i-know-what-evil-looks-like-and-i-know-that/) [Ruby Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruby-bridges/) > [We're living in an unprecedented day (when) evil is no longer evil. We've changed the terminology-- iniquity is now infirmity; wickedness is now weakness;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/we-re-living-in-an-unprecedented-day-when-evil-is-no-longer-evil-we/) [Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/) > [“Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Sufficient unto the moment is the appearance of reality”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-lawrence/sufficient-unto-the-day-is-the-evil-thereof-sufficient-unto-the/) [David Herbert Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-lawrence/) > [“day. It was not evil that gave her the idea of pleasure, that seemed to her attractive; it was pleasure, rather, that seemed evil.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/day-it-was-not-evil-that-gave-her-the-idea-of-pleasure-that-seemed-to/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [It is true that every day has its own evil, and its good too. But how difficult must life be, especially farther on when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/it-is-true-that-every-day-has-its-own-evil-and-its-good-too-but-how/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [At the end of the day, I'm not some evil guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-sweatshirt/at-the-end-of-the-day-i-m-not-some-evil-guy/) [Earl Sweatshirt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-sweatshirt/) > [I hate the empty feeling that accompanies being hung over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-hate-the-empty-feeling-that-accompanies-being-hung-over/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The best way to hang up on someone is to do it in the middle of YOUR OWN sentence. That way, they never suspect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-best-way-to-hang-up-on-someone-is-to-do-it-in-the-middle-of-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Filled with rapture, his soul yearned for freedom, space, vastness. Over him the heavenly dome, full of quiet, shining stars, hung boundlessly. From the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/filled-with-rapture-his-soul-yearned-for-freedom-space-vastness-over/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Albatross quotes > [ I don't see \[ Trainspotting \] as an albatross, I see it more as a calling card. It's got me out to Hollywood, I've… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/i-don-t-see-trainspotting-as-an-albatross-i-see-it-more-as-a-calling/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [It is said that any virtue when taken to an extreme can become a vice. Overscheduling our days would certainly qualify for this. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-f-uchtdorf/it-is-said-that-any-virtue-when-taken-to-an-extreme-can-become-a-vice/) [Dieter F. Uchtdorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-f-uchtdorf/) > [I certainly never doubted the ability for the guys to get together and make good music, but there was so much legal business with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bush/i-certainly-never-doubted-the-ability-for-the-guys-to-get-together/) [John Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bush/) > [Be sure you avoid the Ku Klux Klan. Don't get that albatross around your neck. Once you've made that mistake, you inhibit your operations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-byrd/be-sure-you-avoid-the-ku-klux-klan-don-t-get-that-albatross-around/) [Robert Byrd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-byrd/) > [If (my grandfather) hadn't left, I'd be working over here at the Albatross Company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/if-my-grandfather-hadn-t-left-i-d-be-working-over-here-at-the/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [The verb "Garland" should be created. It would mean to unfairly put a stinking albatross around someone's neck, to make him unemployable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-weingarten/the-verb-garland-should-be-created-it-would-mean-to-unfairly-put-a/) [Gene Weingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-weingarten/) > [This name Mandela is an albatross around the necks of my family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winnie-madikizela-mandela/this-name-mandela-is-an-albatross-around-the-necks-of-my-family/) [Winnie Madikizela-Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winnie-madikizela-mandela/) > [The ethics of sex is a thorny problem. Each of us is forced to grope for a solution he can live with - in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/the-ethics-of-sex-is-a-thorny-problem-each-of-us-is-forced-to-grope/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [I think that America certainly has racism, I think that any industrialized country does. But when you see how many million fans Barack Obama…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-think-that-america-certainly-has-racism-i-think-that-any/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [The thing is that I am a member of that sad, ever-dwindling minority... the child of an unbroken home. I have carried this albatross…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/the-thing-is-that-i-am-a-member-of-that-sad-ever-dwindling-minority/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [But veteran lawmakers torn apart by PTSD don't have a choice about being Exhibit A in the case against Washington politics. When you see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-kass/but-veteran-lawmakers-torn-apart-by-ptsd-don-t-have-a-choice-about/) [Leon Kass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-kass/) > [Of course, you've got to reckon with the burden of the past. You can't just easily dismiss it. It is a legacy and often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/of-course-you-ve-got-to-reckon-with-the-burden-of-the-past-you-can-t/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [pg. 231-232: They'd given me a minivan. They could have picked any car and they picked a minivan. A minivan. O God of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/pg-231-232-they-d-given-me-a-minivan-they-could-have-picked-any-car/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Ain't all buttons and charts, little albatross. Know what the first rule of flying is? Well I s'pose you do, since you already know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-whedon/ain-t-all-buttons-and-charts-little-albatross-know-what-the-first/) [Joss Whedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-whedon/) > [You know, I can't tell you that I'm very fond of anything I've done, including - and especially- 'The Addams Family.' That's an albatross…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cassidy/you-know-i-can-t-tell-you-that-i-m-very-fond-of-anything-i-ve-done/) [Ted Cassidy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cassidy/) [Browse all 34 Albatross quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/albatross/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Ah! well a-day! what evil looks / Had I from old and young! / Instead of the cross, the Albatross / About my neck was hung.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/ah-well-a-day-what-evil-looks-had-i-from-old-and-young-instead-of-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Albatross" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/ah-well-a-day-what-evil-looks-had-i-from-old-and-young-instead-of-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/336/anonymous-1_albatross_ah-well-a-day-what-evil-looks-had-i-from_1051203.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/336/anonymous-1_albatross_ah-well-a-day-what-evil-looks-had-i-from_1051203.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/336/anonymous-1_albatross_ah-well-a-day-what-evil-looks-had-i-from_1051203.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Ah! well a-day! what evil looks / Had I from old and young! / Instead of the cross, the Albatross / About my…” — Anonymous", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Ah! well a-day! what evil looks...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/ah-well-a-day-what-evil-looks-had-i-from-old-and-young-instead-of-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/ah-well-a-day-what-evil-looks-had-i-from-old-and-young-instead-of-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```