In Taylor Swift’s Folklore love triangle, the narrator of “august” loves James.
The song presents a summer romance from the perspective of an unnamed girl who becomes involved with James, a 17-year-old boy already connected to Betty. The relationship is temporary and uncertain, and the narrator ultimately realizes that James was never truly hers to keep.
The three connected Folklore songs divide the story among different viewpoints. “august” centers on the unnamed narrator, “Cardigan” follows Betty’s perspective, and “Betty” gives James a voice. Together, they form one of Swift’s clearest examples of an interconnected fictional narrative.
Listeners sometimes call the “august” narrator Augustine or Augusta because Swift used those names when discussing the character in her own imagination. However, neither is the boy’s name; the male character at the center of the triangle is James.