In Taylor Swift’s “august” storyline, James returns to Betty.
The song describes a brief summer romance from the perspective of the unnamed girl involved with James. The relationship does not last because James ultimately reconciles with Betty, his former lover and the central character of another Folklore song.
This plot is distributed across three tracks: “Cardigan,” “august,” and “Betty.” Each song gives a different viewpoint on the same teenage love triangle. “Cardigan” is associated with Betty, “Betty” with James, and “august” with the girl who realizes she was never the lasting choice.
Betty is sometimes mistaken for the narrator of “august” because the songs share imagery and events. The narrator of “august” is the summer fling, while Betty is the person James returns to.