Taylor Swift’s Folklore song “Cardigan” tells Betty’s perspective in the three-song love triangle.
The narrative is spread across “Cardigan,” “august,” and “Betty.” “Cardigan” presents Betty looking back on her relationship with James. “august” follows the unnamed girl who has a summer romance with James, while “Betty” is told from James’s perspective as he tries to repair his relationship with Betty.
This structure is one of Folklore’s defining storytelling devices. Swift used fictional characters and shifting viewpoints rather than presenting the songs as straightforward autobiographical confessionals. The shared narrative also explains why listeners often discuss “august” together with “Cardigan” and “Betty.”
A common mix-up is treating the narrator of “august” as Betty. She is a different character, and Swift never gives her a definitive name in the lyrics. The song’s recurring August trend focuses on its seasonal imagery, but the wider story concerns an unresolved summer relationship and the eventual return of James and Betty to each other.