Taylor Swift’s Folklore song “Betty” is told from James’s perspective.
“Betty” completes the viewpoint structure shared by three Folklore tracks. “Cardigan” is associated with Betty, “august” follows the unnamed young woman who has a summer romance with James, and “Betty” gives James the narrative voice.
James is portrayed as a 17-year-old boy who becomes involved with the unnamed narrator while separated from Betty. After the summer relationship ends, he returns to Betty and attempts to repair their relationship. The three songs therefore present overlapping versions of the same fictional events.
The character perspective is easy to confuse because “Betty” is the song’s title, while James is the narrator. The title identifies the person he addresses, not the person telling the story.