In Taylor Swift’s “august,” James eventually returns to his former love, Betty.
The song describes a short summer romance between its unnamed female narrator and James. Her feelings are intense, but the relationship is never fully hers because James is already connected to Betty. When the summer ends, James reconciles with Betty, leaving the narrator to mourn a romance she hoped might become permanent.
This plot is expanded across three Folklore tracks: “august” gives the summer lover’s viewpoint, “cardigan” is associated with Betty, and “betty” follows James as he reflects on what happened.
Listeners sometimes assume the narrator’s imagined name is August, but Swift described her internally as Augusta or Augustine. “August” is the month framing the romance, while Betty is the named person James returns to.