In Taylor Swift’s “august,” the teenage boy desired by the narrator is named James.
James is one point of the fictional love triangle developed across three folklore songs. He is romantically connected to Betty, but he spends part of the summer with the unnamed narrator of “august.” The song is told from that narrator’s viewpoint as she realizes the relationship will not last.
The connected songs divide the story by perspective. “august” follows the unnamed girl, “betty” presents James’s perspective, and “cardigan” presents Betty’s perspective. Together, they show how the same events can look different to each character.
A frequent mix-up is calling the narrator Augustine or Augusta. Swift said she imagined possible names for the character, but the song never gives her an official name. James, by contrast, is explicitly identified in the song’s broader narrative and in Swift’s descriptions of the fictional characters.