James is the boy at the center of Taylor Swift’s “august” love-triangle story.
The song is told from Augustine’s perspective as she recalls a short summer romance with James. The lyrics portray him as someone who is emotionally unavailable because he is already tied to Betty, his former lover. James eventually abandons Augustine and reconciles with Betty, leaving the summer relationship unresolved.
James also appears in “cardigan” and “betty,” making him one of the three recurring characters in Folklore’s connected narrative. The songs do not present the story as a straightforward account of Swift’s own life; instead, they use invented characters and imagined arcs. That fictional structure is why the song’s emotional details can feel personal without being a documented autobiographical confession.