Taylor Swift's “betty” tells James's perspective in the Folklore triangle featuring “august.”
The connected narrative includes three songs: “cardigan,” “august,” and “betty.” In “august,” a girl recalls a brief summer romance with James. In “betty,” James addresses Betty after the events of the triangle. “cardigan” presents Betty's perspective and memories.
The fictional names and overlapping details encouraged listeners to analyze the songs together rather than as unrelated album tracks. Swift described the project as an exploration of imagined people, events, and story arcs, allowing her to write beyond strictly autobiographical material.
The song title can cause confusion because Betty is one of the characters, but the track is specifically associated with James's voice. “august” is also sometimes treated as if it were named after its narrator; Swift said she imagined names such as Augusta or Augustine privately, but the character is not named in the song itself.