In the story of Taylor Swift’s “august,” James returns to his former lover Betty. The song’s narrator is involved in a brief summer romance with James, but he ultimately reconciles with Betty.
James, Betty, and the unnamed narrator form the fictional love triangle spread across three Folklore songs. “August” focuses on the girl who hopes the summer relationship might become permanent. “Betty” later presents James trying to explain himself, while “cardigan” follows Betty’s viewpoint.
The names are important because Swift intentionally linked the tracks through recurring characters. Betty is not the narrator of “august,” and Augustine or August is not an officially named character in the lyrics. Swift said she imagined the narrator with names such as Augusta or Augustine in her head, but left her unnamed in the song.
That distinction explains why “Betty” is the canonical answer for James’s former lover, while “Augustine” is only an informal fan and creator label for the unnamed narrator.