Taylor Swift’s eighth studio album, Folklore, was unexpectedly released in July 2020 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. A complete 180 from her previous pop album, Lover, Folklore was her first-ever “storytelling” album, inspired by the fictional characters Betty, August, and James.
Despite many fans believing that Folklore was an album representing her own feelings at the time, fans like me know that there’s a whole story hidden beneath Swift’s poetic lyrics if you rearrange the tracks in a particular order. A tale of love, loss, and deep infidelity, this deep dive into Swift’s most intricate album is one that you may never have seen coming.
Before we jump in, let’s get some background information out of the way. The story follows three high school students named Betty, August, and James. The three of them grew up together, with Betty from a high-income family and James and August from low-income families. Betty and August grew up as best friends, with August spending most of her time at Betty’s due to her father’s abuse. This information sets the scene for the events that follow, with each of the songs as I interpreted them.
- “seven”
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Set from Betty’s point of view, “Seven” is all about reminiscing on a time when things were simple, as shown in lyrics like “Sweet tea in the summer / Cross my heart, won’t tell no other.” Now in high school and no longer friends, August and Betty are surrounded by entirely different people: Betty with the popular kids, and August mostly on her own due to her poor background.
Another essential fact is noted in the lyrics: “I think your house is haunted / Your dad is always mad and that must be why / And I think you should come live with/Me and we can be pirates / Then you won’t have to cry.” These lyrics show how August grew up in an abusive household and found solace in Betty and her family. This also partly explains why James chose Betty first, since August never fully opened up to him because of her background.
- “invisible string”
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Still, in Betty’s point of view, James and Betty are now officially the high school’s “it” couple. This song further connects the two of them as children and how it led to Betty and James falling in love. “And isn’t it just so pretty to think / All along there was some / Invisible string / Tying you to me?” Betty is convinced that she and James are meant to be together, which is why she ignores the signs that he is actually interested in August.
- “august”
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Now entering August’s point of view, this is the start of her and James’s affair. With Betty gone over the summer, James and August end up reconnecting, leading to a summer love affair that will alter the course of their lives forever, shown in the lyrics “And I can see us twisted in bedsheets / August sipped away like a bottle of wine / ‘Cause you were never mine.”
The lyrics “For the hope of it all” are repeated near the end, showcasing how even though they both agreed to a simple summer fling, August still hopes for more, knowing that James is ultimately going back to Betty when she returns to town. It’s a song full of devastation and hope that lingers throughout the entirety of the album.
- “cardigan”
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We’re back in Betty’s point of view, and she is mad. After finding out about James and August’s affair and breaking up with James, she reminisces on their relationship, utilizing the metaphor of a cardigan with the iconic lyrics, “And when I felt like I was an old cardigan / Under someone’s bed/You put me on and said I was your favorite.”
Betty realized that James would still choose her over anyone and believes that he only fooled around with August because he was looking for a thrill, shown in the lyrics “I knew you’d miss me once the thrill expired / And you’d be standin’ in my front porch light” and “I knew you’d come back to me.”
- “illicit affairs”
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Now, back in August’s point of view, she found out that Betty broke up with James after she found out about her and James’ summer affair, but then she took him back soon after. This leads to James and August having to sneak around again, but August is quickly starting to hate herself and James for it.
“And that’s the thing about illicit affairs / And clandestine meetings and stolen stares / They show their truth one single time / But they lie, and they lie, and they lie.” It’s clear that August is pissed with James for putting her through this, but she refuses to let him go due to the hope that we felt in the song “august.” The song ends with the lyrics, “And you know damn well / For you, I would ruin myself / A million little times,” foreshadowing the following events.
- “betty”
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Finally, in James’s point of view, Betty ends things with him because she couldn’t see past the affair, not knowing that he and August had been fooling around the entire time after. James refuses to let Betty go and starts to make excuses as to why he got with her shown in the lyrics, “Betty, I know where it all went wrong / Your favorite song was playin’ / From the far side of the gym / I was nowhere to be found / I hate the crowds, you know that / Plus, I saw you dance with him.” James blames Betty for making him get together with August, proving just how much of a dirtbag he truly is.
In the song, James ends up showing up at Betty’s house during a party to beg her to take him back, shown in the lyrics “Betty, I’m here on your doorstep / And I planned it out for weeks now / But it’s finally sinkin’ in.” By the end of the song, James and Betty are back together as the song ends with the lyrics “Standin’ in your cardigan / Kissin’ in my car again / Stopped at a streetlight / You know I miss you.”
- “mad woman”
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Back in August’s point of view, she has now found out that Betty and James are back together again after thinking she finally had James for good. James ends up ghosting August after getting back together with Betty, leading to the lyrics “What do you sing on your drive home? / Do you see my face in the neighbor’s lawn? / Does she smile? / Or does she mouth, ‘F*ck you forever’?”
At the same time, Betty is badmouthing August to everyone, leaving August to become more isolated than she already was shown in the lyrics, “And women like hunting witches, too / Doing your dirtiest work for you/It’s obvious that wanting me dead / Has really brought you two together.” It’s evident in the song that August is mad and feels like the whole affair is her fault, even though James played an equal part.
- “mirrorball”
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Still, from August’s point of view, she’s furious about the situation, but at the end of the day, all she wants is James back. The song discusses how, despite everything that James has done, August is still living her life for him and trying to get his attention with lyrics like, “You’ll find me on my tallest tiptoes / Spinning in my highest heels, love / Shining just for you.”
August is desperate to prove to James that she can be everything he wants her to be and will mold herself to fit his approval. “I’m still trying everything to get you laughing at me / I’m still a believer, but I don’t know why / I’ve never been a natural / All I do is try, try, try.” These lyrics perfectly encapsulate the theme of this song and are a devastating show of trying to be the person that you were never meant to be.
- “exile”
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This song is interesting because it’s told from both Betty’s and James’s points of view. Betty has once again broken up with James after never really being able to get over his infidelity. To fight back, James gets back with August, not because he necessarily loves her, but because he wants to spite Betty. The lyrics, “I can see you standing, honey / With his arms around your body / Laughing, but the joke’s not funny at all,” showcase how Betty sees the fakeness between the two, not believing that James is genuinely in love with August.
James, however, sees his relationship with August as a replica of his and Betty’s, with the repeated lyrics “I think I’ve seen this film before / And I didn’t like the ending.” James knows his and August’s relationship is going to end the same way it has before, but by the end, he stays with August.
- “the 1”
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Now, back in James’s point of view, James is trying so hard to convince himself that he is living his best life with August while working to prove to Betty that he’s happy without her. The lyrics, “And if you wanted me, you really should’ve showed / And if you never bleed, you’re never gonna grow / And it’s alright now,” showcase how James blames Betty for the breakup, not realizing that he was the one who started it all.
Yet at the end of the day, no matter how much he claims to love August, Betty will never leave his heart and soul. “I persist and resist the temptation to ask you / If one thing had been different / Would everything be different today?” These lyrics perfectly sum up the track, proving that James will never let Betty go.
- “my tears ricochet”
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Finally, from Betty’s point of view, Betty wishes for the absolute worst for James and August. The song references how Betty talked sh*t about August and James when they started dating after the breakup, with the lyrics “I didn’t have it in myself to go with grace / ‘Cause when I’d fight, you used to tell me I was brave / And if I’m dead to you, why are you at the wake?”
“You know I didn’t want to have to haunt you / But what a ghostly scene / You wear the same jewels that I gave you / As you bury me.” Betty knows that although James “moved on,” he still yearns for her and their relationship. Using the tears ricochet metaphor in the lyrics “Cursing my name, wishing I stayed/Look at how my tears ricochet,” it’s clear that Betty is full of resentment and anger.
- “the lakes”
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Back in August’s point of view, she is so in love with James that she no longer cares what the others have to say, including Betty, with the lyrics “Is it romantic how all my elegies eulogize me? / I’m not cut out for all these cynical clones / These hunters with cell phones.” August is utterly oblivious to James longing for Betty as she is lost in her own little world of love and bliss as she imagines a metaphorical place called “the lakes” for them to run off to shown in the lyrics, “Take me to the lakes where all the poets went to die / I don’t belong, and my beloved, neither do you / Those Windermere peaks look like a perfect place to cry / I’m setting off, but not without my muse.” August is delusional at this point.
- “this is me trying”
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Back in Betty’s point of view, she ends up wanting to get back together with James, as seen in the lyrics “I didn’t know if you’d care if I came back” and “And maybe I don’t quite know what to say / But I’m here in your doorway.” Betty knows that James isn’t good for her, but her feelings of missing him are making her miserable, and all she wants is him back, as she believes that will fix everything.
“They told me all of my cages were mental / So I got wasted like all my potential / And my words shoot to kill when I’m mad/ have a lot of regrets about that.” These lyrics reference how Betty trash-talked both August and James in front of everyone, but she’s sorry. James ends up taking Betty back and ditching August, which leads us to our next track, where August shows her desperation to keep him.
- “peace”
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In August’s point of view, she is begging James to stay while delving into her own insecurities, knowing that even if he were to stay, he would never have true peace with her. “Our coming-of-age has come and gone / Suddenly the summer, it’s clear / I never had the courage of my convictions / As long as danger is near / And it’s just around the corner, darling / ‘Cause it lives in me / No, I could never give you peace.” I love this group of lyrics specifically because of its callback to that first summer they spent together.
“And you know that I’d swing with you for the fences / Sit with you in the trenches / Give you my wild, give you a child.” These lyrics showcase August’s desperation for James not to leave her as she offers him everything that she has. Yet at the end of the day, August will never give James the peace he needs because she can simply never be Betty, so she decides to let him go.
- “hoax”
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Still, from August’s point of view, this song is her coming to terms with the fact that James is leaving her for good while asking herself if their relationship was even real. “Stood on the cliffside / Screaming, ‘Give me a reason’ / Your faithless love’s the only hoax / I believe in / Don’t want no other shade of blue / But you / No other sadness in the world would do.” These lyrics show how August reminisces about her and James’ entire relationship while realizing that all the love he claimed he had for her was just a hoax all along, and that she wasted her time.
- “the last great american dynasty”
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The story concludes, still from August’s point of view, with a time jump to when Betty, James, and August graduate from high school. August is off to university, whereas Betty and James are staying in town at the local community college. “And they said / ‘There goes the last great American dynasty / Who knows, if she never showed up, what could’ve been / There goes the maddest woman this town has ever seen/She had a marvelous time ruining everything.’” Even though she didn’t end up with James, August knows that his and Betty’s relationship will never be the same because she got in the middle of it, and that’s a beautiful thing.
- “epiphany”
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In reality, this song isn’t part of the story, as Swift originally wrote this song as an ode to medical workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, I will not be adding this song to the storyline as I believe it is meant to be listened to with Swift’s original meaning in mind.
Despite many fans now believing that Swift was secretly writing these songs about her and Joe Alwyn’s own relationship, I strongly believe that she went into this album with this story in mind. Her reality may have made its way into the narrative, but Betty, August, and James are what make this album Folklore.