In Taylor Swift’s Folklore love triangle, the narrator of “august” is pursuing James. The song presents a girl recalling a short summer relationship with James, who is already connected romantically to Betty.
The story is spread across three songs: “august,” “cardigan,” and “betty.” Swift describes them as linked perspectives on a teenage love triangle. “august” is the perspective of the unnamed summer-romance narrator, “betty” follows James, and “cardigan” is associated with Betty.
Listeners sometimes call the narrator Augustine or Augusta because Swift said she imagined possible names for the character. Those names are not an official answer to this question, however; the song’s clearly identified romantic counterpart is James.
The fictional narrative helps explain why “august” feels different from Swift’s more directly autobiographical songs. Its recurring summer imagery, including salt air and fading romance, gives the annual August trend a story as well as a seasonal atmosphere.