In Taylor Swift’s Folklore love triangle, the narrator of “august” is trying to reach James.
James is a 17-year-old character who is already connected to Betty. The narrator of “august” becomes involved with him during a brief summer romance, but James ultimately returns to Betty. That makes the song a story of longing and impermanence rather than a lasting partnership.
The three connected songs present the triangle from different viewpoints. “Cardigan” is associated with Betty’s perspective, “Betty” presents James’s perspective, and “august” follows the unnamed young woman involved with him during the summer.
Listeners sometimes call the narrator Augustine or Augusta because Swift said she imagined possible names for her privately. However, the character the narrator addresses in the song is explicitly James, while her own name is never stated in the lyrics.