In Taylor Swift’s Folklore love triangle, the narrator of “august” is trying to keep James.
The song describes a brief summer romance from the perspective of the unnamed girl involved with James. James ultimately returns to Betty, his former lover, leaving the narrator with memories of a relationship that was never fully hers.
The three connected songs present different sides of the story. “August” centers on the summer-romance character, “Betty” gives James’s perspective, and “Cardigan” is associated with Betty’s perspective.
Some listeners call the narrator “Augustine,” but the song itself presents her as unnamed. The name Augustine comes from Swift’s broader explanation of the fictional story, not from a formal name in the lyrics.