In Taylor Swift’s “August,” the narrator is in love with James.
The song is one part of a three-track story on Folklore. “August” presents the perspective of a female character who has a summer romance with James, while “Cardigan” is associated with Betty and “Betty” gives James’s perspective.
James is already connected to Betty, making the narrator’s relationship with him temporary and unequal. The song focuses on her longing, uncertainty, and eventual realization that the romance was never truly hers to keep.
The narrator is not officially named in the lyrics. Swift said she imagined names such as Augusta or Augustine for her, but the character remains unnamed in the released song. That is why “Augustine” is a plausible but incorrect answer to this question: it describes the narrator, not the male character she loves.