Taylor Swift’s “august” is told from the perspective of a female character named Augustine.
Augustine is involved in a brief summer romance with James, a 17-year-old boy who later returns to his former lover, Betty. The song presents Augustine’s perspective as wistful and unresolved, giving the track its distinctive sense of memory and regret.
Her story is fictionalized within Folklore’s connected teenage love-triangle narrative. “Cardigan” presents Betty’s perspective, while “Betty” presents James’s perspective, allowing the same situation to be viewed through three characters.
Some listeners refer to the character simply as “the August girl,” but Augustine is the name associated with her in explanations of the trilogy. The song’s title refers to the month and the fleeting romance, not to the character’s formal name.