Three Folklore songs tell Taylor Swift’s James-Betty love triangle: “august,” “cardigan,” and “betty.”
Each song presents a different perspective or stage of the fictional story. “august” follows the unnamed girl involved in a brief summer romance with James. “cardigan” is associated with Betty, while “betty” presents James’s perspective as he tries to address what happened. Together, the songs form one of Folklore’s most recognizable narrative threads.
The trio is sometimes described as a four-character story because listeners may use “August” or “Augustine” for the female narrator. Swift did not officially establish a separate fourth named character, however. The core structure is three songs centered on James, Betty, and the unnamed narrator. The storyline is fictional and belongs to Folklore’s broader move away from strictly autobiographical songwriting.