In Taylor Swift’s “august” storyline, the narrator is pursuing James.
The song presents a fictional teenage girl who becomes involved with James during a brief summer romance. James is already connected to Betty, so the narrator’s relationship with him is temporary and ultimately unfulfilled.
This story is part of a three-song sequence on Folklore. “august” gives the perspective of the unnamed girl, “Cardigan” follows Betty’s perspective, and “Betty” follows James as he reflects on what happened. Together, the songs form a shared narrative rather than three unrelated romantic songs.
A frequent mistake is calling the narrator Augustine or Augusta. Swift said she imagined possible names for the character, but the narrator is not actually named in the song. James, by contrast, is explicitly identified as the boy at the center of the summer romance.