The narrator of Taylor Swift’s “august” pursues James. The song forms one part of Folklore’s fictional teenage love triangle involving James, Betty, and an unnamed girl.
In “august,” the unnamed girl recalls a brief summer relationship with James. She hopes the relationship might become permanent, but James is already connected to Betty. By the end of the story, he returns to Betty, leaving the narrator to recognize that the romance was never truly hers to keep.
The three connected songs use different viewpoints. “Cardigan” is associated with Betty, “Betty” presents James’s perspective, and “august” gives voice to the other girl. Swift imagined the characters and their story rather than presenting the songs as a direct account of her own life.
Listeners sometimes call the narrator Augustine or Augusta, but Swift did not give her a formal name in the song. James is the clearly named person she pursues.