The month named in the title of Taylor Swift’s Folklore track “august” is August.
The title is written in lowercase in the song’s stylization, matching the lowercase presentation used for many Folklore track titles. The song’s lyrics repeatedly evoke late-summer imagery, including sun, salt air, and a brief romance that does not last.
In the fictional story, the narrator is an unnamed girl who becomes involved with James during the summer. She hopes the relationship means more than it does, while James remains connected to Betty. The month functions as both a setting and a symbol for something temporary.
The title also explains the song’s annual streaming pattern. Each year, listeners return to it during August, creating a seasonal resurgence that has been compared with other calendar-linked songs, although “august” is not a holiday song.