James is the teenage boy in the love triangle described in Taylor Swift’s “august.”
The song is part of a three-track narrative on Folklore involving James, Betty, and the unnamed narrator of “august.” In “august,” the narrator becomes involved with James during the summer even though he is already connected to Betty. When summer ends, James returns to Betty, leaving the narrator heartbroken.
The companion songs present different viewpoints. “Cardigan” is associated with Betty’s perspective, while “Betty” gives James’s perspective. Together, the tracks form a fictional teenage relationship story rather than a direct account of Swift’s personal life.
The narrator is sometimes called Augustine or Augusta by fans, but Swift said she had not formally named the character and used those names only in her own thoughts. James, by contrast, is explicitly named in the connected songs and narrative.