Three Taylor Swift songs on Folklore explore the James-Betty love triangle: “Cardigan,” “august,” and “Betty.”
Swift built the songs around different viewpoints rather than repeating the same event three times. “Cardigan” is associated with Betty, “august” is told by an unnamed female character, and “Betty” is narrated by James. Together, they cover attraction, betrayal, regret, and the uneven way people remember the same summer.
The trilogy is sometimes described as a teenage love triangle, but the songs do not form a complete conventional plot with every detail explained. The narrator of “august” is never given an official name in the lyrics. Swift said she imagined names such as Augusta or Augustine privately, which is why fans sometimes use those names. They remain informal labels rather than a canonical name stated in the song.