Taylor Swift’s “Cardigan” tells Betty’s side of the love triangle connected to “august.”
The three linked Folklore songs are “Cardigan,” “august,” and “Betty.” “Cardigan” is presented from Betty’s perspective, “august” follows the unnamed girl involved with James, and “Betty” is told from James’s perspective.
The songs form a fictional narrative rather than a direct account of Swift’s personal life. James has a summer romance with the unnamed narrator of “august,” then returns to Betty. This structure lets the album explore the same relationship through multiple viewpoints.
A common mistake is choosing “Betty” because it is the third song in the trilogy. However, “Betty” represents James’s perspective, while “Cardigan” is the song associated with Betty’s point of view.