James is the fictional boy remembered in Taylor Swift’s “august.”
The song is told from the perspective of an unnamed young woman often identified as Augustine. She recalls a brief summer romance with James, but the relationship is never truly hers because James is connected to Betty. His eventual return to Betty gives the song its bittersweet emotional center.
James is not the narrator of “august.” His viewpoint appears in “betty,” where he reflects on his actions and seeks reconciliation. Betty’s perspective appears in “cardigan,” which looks back on the relationship with James from a later point in life.
These three tracks form a fictional love triangle within Folklore. Swift described the characters and story as imagined narratives rather than direct accounts of her personal life. Because Augustine is often used as a name for the narrator, listeners sometimes mistakenly answer Augustine when the question asks for the boy in the song.