The unnamed narrator of Taylor Swift’s “august” is longing for the fictional character James.
The song is part of a three-song narrative on Folklore. “august” presents the perspective of an unnamed young woman involved in a brief summer romance with James, who ultimately returns to his former lover, Betty.
James is also the narrator of “betty,” while “cardigan” presents Betty’s perspective. Together, the songs form a connected triangle in which the same relationship is viewed through different memories and emotions.
A frequent mistake is to treat the unnamed narrator as Betty. Betty is the person James returns to; the narrator in “august” is the other participant in the summer relationship. The names are fictional characters within Swift’s imagined story world.