The narrator of Taylor Swift’s “august” addresses James, the teenage boy at the center of Folklore’s love triangle.
In the song’s fictional story, the narrator has a brief summer romance with James, who is already connected to Betty. When summer ends, James returns to Betty, leaving the narrator with memories of a relationship she hoped might become permanent.
“august” tells the story from the perspective of the unnamed girl involved with James. “cardigan” presents Betty’s perspective, while “betty” gives James a voice and includes his attempt to apologize.
The characters are fictional within the album’s storytelling framework. Swift has said she imagined the “august” narrator as Augusta or Augustine, but the song does not establish that as her official name. James is the clearly identified male character linking the three songs.