James is the boy connected to the narrator of Taylor Swift’s “august.”
The song describes an unnamed girl who experiences a brief summer romance with James. She hopes the relationship means more than it does, but the lyrics ultimately recognize that James was never truly hers.
James also appears in “betty,” where he narrates an apology after cheating on Betty. “cardigan” presents the relationship from Betty’s perspective. Together, the songs form a fictional teenage love triangle spread across Folklore.
The names James, Betty, and Inez have an additional real-world connection: Swift said they were inspired by the daughters of actors Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds. Augustine, the fan-used name for the “august” narrator, is not stated in the song itself.