James is the first name of the 17-year-old boy in Taylor Swift’s fictional “august” storyline.
The song is part of a three-song narrative on Folklore involving James, Betty, and the girl associated with August or Augustine. In “august,” the narrator recalls a short summer romance with James, who is already connected to Betty.
The related song “betty” gives James his own viewpoint, including his attempt to repair his relationship with Betty. “cardigan” presents Betty’s perspective and adds another angle to the same fictional history.
Listeners sometimes assume the song’s narrator is Swift herself because the writing is emotionally detailed. Swift described the Folklore stories as imagined narratives, so James is a character rather than a confirmed real-life person connected to the song.