The narrator of Taylor Swift’s “august” loves the fictional character James.
The song is told from the perspective of a girl involved in a brief summer romance with James. He is already connected to Betty, making the narrator’s relationship with him temporary and ultimately unfulfilled.
Swift created the storyline as fiction rather than presenting it as a direct account of a real relationship. The narrator is not given a confirmed name in the song; Swift said she imagined names such as Augusta or Augustine for her privately, but those are not the character’s canonical name.
James, Betty, and the unnamed narrator form the central triangle across three Folklore songs. “cardigan” is associated with Betty, “betty” is associated with James, and “august” supplies the perspective of the third person in the triangle.