James is the boy connected to Betty in Taylor Swift’s “august.”
The song is part of a three-song Folklore storyline involving James, Betty, and the unnamed or August-associated narrator. In “august,” the narrator describes a summer relationship with James, who is already connected to Betty. The other songs present different perspectives on the same teenage love-triangle narrative.
“cardigan” is associated with Betty’s perspective, while “betty” follows James as he attempts to address the consequences of his actions. “august” supplies the viewpoint of the girl whose summer romance with James was never a lasting relationship.
Some listeners refer to the narrator as Augustine, but the song’s most firmly established male character is James. The three names and viewpoints are often discussed together as Folklore’s teenage love triangle.