Taylor Swift’s “august” gives the female narrator’s side of the Folklore love triangle.
The three connected songs are “cardigan,” “august,” and “betty.” Together, they describe fictional events involving Betty, James, and the unnamed narrator of “august,” who has a brief summer romance with James.
The narrator is not named in the lyrics or on the album. Swift said she privately thought of the character as Augustine or Augusta, while fans commonly call her Augustine. That informal name is not the song’s official title or a formally stated character name in the track.
“cardigan” presents Betty’s perspective, while “betty” presents James’s perspective. The three-song structure is one of Folklore’s defining storytelling devices.