James’s perspective is featured in Taylor Swift’s Folklore song “betty.”
“betty,” “cardigan,” and “august” form a connected fictional narrative on Folklore. James is the teenage boy at the center of the story. He has a summer relationship with the unnamed narrator of “august,” then seeks reconciliation with Betty, his former lover.
The song “august” is narrated by the girl sometimes identified by fans as Augustine, although that name is not the song’s official title. “cardigan” presents Betty’s side, while “betty” lets James explain himself and apologize.
The characters are fictional creations rather than confirmed portraits of specific real people. Swift designed the trilogy as an imaginative story arc, which is why listeners can follow the same relationship through three different voices. The names James, Betty, and the unnamed summer-romance narrator are the key identifiers.