From whose perspective is Taylor Swift's “august” narrated?

Taylor Swift’s “august” is narrated from the perspective of an unnamed female character.

The narrator describes falling into a short summer romance with James, a boy who is already involved with Betty. Her viewpoint conveys longing, uncertainty, and the realization that the relationship was never fully hers.

The character is sometimes informally called Augustine by listeners, but the song’s documented storyline identifies her as an unnamed female character. That distinction matters because the Folklore love triangle deliberately gives names to James and Betty while leaving the narrator without a formal name.

Swift described the song as part of a fictional narrative rather than a direct account of her own life. “cardigan” and “betty” complete the connected story from Betty’s and James’s perspectives. Together, the songs show how the same relationship can look different depending on who is telling it.