Girl i noticed betty ends with "stopped at a streetlight you know i miss you" and in cardigan betty says "but i knew you, standing in your levy's drunk under a streetlight" GUYS HE WAS DRUNK WHEN HE WENT TO THE PARTY Wtf what a toxic boy
‘to kiss in cars and downtown bars’ ‘kissin in my car again stopped at a streetlight’ i think that by streetlight, she meant that it was one of those lamps on the sidewalk that lin manuel miranda cleans in mary poppins returns (random connection lol)
few things 1. betty and cardigan both end like a nicely tied bow but august just fades out... 2. august repeats the same lyrics bcs augustine only knew james for a summer but cardigan has more lyrics bcs betty knew james and small details about him :((
My opinion: I think Betty and James had a massive fight at the school ball because James saw her dancing with a guy and was super jeoulous. They decide to give a break and Betty thought that in the next day everything would be fine again, but then James meets Augustine in the way home and spends the whole summer ghosting Betty; but in the end he dicides that he wants her again, and they're together for good.
i agree with this because james says “betty i know where it all went wrong”, meaning this is why i did what i did, then proceeds to describe the dance and what he saw and I think the “walking home on broken cobblestones just thinking of you” part is james walking home from the dance with this huge misunderstanding still thinking about betty and this random guy. Once the song says “she said ‘james get in let’s drive’ those days turned into nights”, i believe the whole affair started because he thought betty was being unfaithful or fickle and just wanted something to drown their sorrows in and august just happened to be there at the right time.
@@nesta3348 the “kiss me on the front porch in front of your stupid friends” (or something like that) makes it seem like no one knew about them. Like maybe their friends wouldn’t approve of their relationship so they kept it secret, but now James doesn’t give a crap anymore. Also the “meet me behind the mall. That one probably doesn’t mean anything but it’s a secretive place so maybe? This is all speculation though. You can interpret anyway you want to.
Literally james the biggest red flag🚩 he blames august and betty for his mistakes and now he’s APOLOGIZING and only to betty? August deserves better and I REFUSE to believe that betty and james ended up together. Betty should’ve found a better man.
in my opinion the paralell between the lyric “i’m only 17, i don’t know anything” in betty and all those lines about being young but still knowing everything in cardigan are not serving the pupose of making james more guilty for doing what he did. i think it just proves how mature betty was at the age of 17 and how immature james was. i like this paralell, because it feels almost like these are inherited personality traits. i like how james was stupid and young and using this as an excuse, because it also gives the story a feeling that this whole plot have happened many times in history. this is just something small, that makes this album more “folkloric” and also timeless in my opinion. the lyrics in cardigan also show that james’ actions were adjustable, and betty’s decision of taking him back was reasonable, but the pain still sort of lives in betty from the experience of being betrayed in that way while being so young. it’s crazy how well-written this whole thing is. taylor swift is truly such a genius.
I 100% agree with you, I personally associate the line ‘Peter losing Wendy’ with this too. James being immature and childish like Peter Pan, losing Wendy (Betty) who is so mature and growing up faster than he is
I think that not only these 3 songs but also the whole folklore album is connected. In my opinion, after that party he still switched back and forth between August and Betty, and in the end he had neither of them. “The 1” could be Augustine’s perspective on James and the relationship they had many years later, “if you wanted me, you really should’ve shown; if you never bleed, you’re never gonna grow”, “it would’ve been sweet, if it could’ve been me”. “Cardigan” is an older Betty looking back, and it is this song that made me think Betty and James did not end up together, since it’s written all in past tense. “Exile” describes the dynamic between Betty and James, she gave him “second, third, and hundreth chances”, but she got tired of hearing his excuse, so she “never hear him out”. “Mirrorball” is a sneak peek into August’s mindset and psychology, how she desperately wanted to be loved and needed people’s validation. “Seven” is quite a stretch, but it could be little Betty singing about her childhood friend August. “Illicit Affair” is the relationship between August and James, suggested that he still continued a secret affair with her, “a drug that only worked for the first few hundreds times”, “it’s born from just one single glance, but it dies a million times”. “This is me trying”: Idk maybe it’s just me, but it sounds like James’s perspective. He felt incredibly guilty about what he’s done and who he has become. He’s “here in Betty’s doorway”, just trying.
This does make sense, The 1 is the perspective of august of moving on Exile is perspective of betty(Taylor) and james(Bon Iver) "I can see you standin' honey, with his arms around your body" He realised her new boyfriend is much more loving and being loved by her. "I think I've seen this film before" as he is seeing her leaving her for the 2nd time. "You didn't even hear me out" Betty was fed up of listening of his excuses, after giving him "second, third and hundrenth chances" "You're not my homeland anymore" James also realising there is nothing to put efforts on.
I relate so much to the lyric, “I was nowhere to be found, I hate the crowds, you know that. Plus I saw you dance with him.” I just remember hiding in the bathroom or escaping parties and crowds 🥲
I was 'Augustine' two years ago. Every single detail that you mentioned matches with my situation. He said to the other girl that it was nothing serious and it never mattered but for me everything was real. Two years ago I was that naive, sensitive girl who just wanted to be loved. But I've learned a hell lot of lessons from that situation. So, it's fine. I wish him good.
I was also 'Augustine' back in high school & had a "summer love" with someone who liked someone else. Deluded myself into making him mine, but of course you know how that goes.. I hope that you find the worthy love you deserve
i think that "the 1" could also be seen as apart of the trilogy, having been wrote about james from august's perspective about how she wishes it was her and not betty
The 1- Betty accepting that their over ( older Betty looking back on a HS relationship with James) “we would’ve made it if you didn’t betray me” “ we got through it because we told ourselves you were the 1 Cardigan- Betty’s perspective~her knowing James would want her back “ I knew you but not like a thought” “leaving like a father “ ~ James left her (metaphor) “ ya you come back “ ~ her knowing James would come back/ still loving him but needing time to accept what he did to her/ Betty knowing he knew what he was doing because in Betty James says” I’m only 17 I don’t know anything but I know I miss you” but in cardigan Betty says she( James) knew everything when I ( you ) were young The last great American dynasty- INEZ point if view- (in betty James mentions someone named Inez the 1 who told betty about the summer thing) Inez telling the story of Betty and James moving on~ ( betty moving on after James death) Exile - James and betty to each other ~ ~James ~seeing betty with another person and getting jealous/wanting betty back so an unreal amount/ thinking Betty never cared about the relationship/ trying to save relationship but sees Betty with someone else ( wondering if he should try to save it)/ thinking their going down the same path again ~betty~ seeing him and knowing he wants her back/thinking James didn’t care about the relationship because she gave so many signs and he didn’t see them / giving James many chances ~both~ them being each others whole word but then it broke down - always having problems but it working out My tears ricochet~ James dying and Betty grieving- James wondering why Betty’s at his funeral when she left him Mirrorball~ doing things for other people and not yourself( August doing things only for James) Seven~ Betty’s childhood with James and his abusive family August- August’s summer with James/ thinking her and James were perfect /thinking she had James~hoping James would stay with her during the year / living for the hope of James and her/ hoping he’ll chose her instead of Betty( NOT HAT8NG BETTY)/(august is rly sensitive and she rly loved James)- could be mad at James because he was never hers , they were never together “you were never mine to lose” thinking she had James / for august James was enough “ for me it was enough to live for the hope of it all” This is me trying- betty rejecting James the 1st time he wants her back and James still wanting to try and get her back Illicit affairs- august, James , betty love triangle ( august trying to keep James with her ) Invisible string ~ it’s all fate Mad woman~ betty going crazy after moving to another country/ getting with someone else Epiphany- James joining the military Betty- James perspective/ apology for Betty from James / “Betty I won’t make assumptions about why you switched your home room but I think it’s cuz of me ” James knowing he messed up/ James realizing her really loved Betty “plus I saw you dance with him” James accusing Betty of cheating when that’s what he did (throwing a tantrum)thinking of Betty while with august ( “ well she came and I couldn’t resist so I went in the car but I was thinking for you”) James realizing what he did was wrong- “and I planed it out for weeks now but its finally sinking in” ~ dreaming about what happened when Betty sees him again - “ betty right not is the last Time I can dream about what happened when I ( you )see your face again ~ eventually Betty takes him back Peace - Betty regretting things she did I’m the past Hoax - Betty copping with James death Extras thoughts; - James calls his summer with august “ just a summer thing - will you kiss me in the porch in front of all your stupid friends - I’ll show my love in front of your friends if you take me back BETTY- knew James would come back to her- thought august was horrible for stealing her boyfriend but as much as she thought that she knew James was really the problem JAMES - blames both girls for his STUPID mistakes- knew betty was the one but still chose august for the summer AUGUST- really loved James hoped he would still love her after the summer ended - barely knew who betty was Evermore is pt 2 of folklore Story: James and Betty were in love but over the summer James cheated with august and august thought that they would still be together after the summer but after the summer James realized he really wanted Betty and not august so James goes back to Betty and asks for her back and she says no. Then James asks again and she says yes. But then they break up again and James couldn’t handle the break up so he joins the Military and later dies. Betty has a hard time grieving with his death and eventually moves on. But after moving on she meets someone new they start dating and eventually Betty goes crazy and blames James , august and the new person she was with. Betty’s best friend ( Inez ) told the story in the end ( last great American dynasty) Betty regretted a lot with James and Betty ended up dying because of her grief Btw I worked on this forever so I hope y’all like it 😊
Something different: I really really love the instrumental ending of August. It’s so incredible. And of course this whole love story triangle is so fascinating. Her writing is so strong, so damn deep.
I think the best part about folklore is that the 5 characters within folklore (Betty, August, James, and then Rebekah Harkness, and Taylor herself) have their own songs, but then the rest of the songs in the album, fill in all the stories. Like mad woman is Taylor and Rebekah. Illicit affairs is the love triangle, the one (in my opinion) is augustine older.
I like this idea/theory :) what if Seven could be Betty and August when they were very young from Betty perspective. Exile is older Betty and James not working out ( also parallel “arms around your body”/“saw you dance with him” “I’ve seen this film before”). Mirrorball from young August perspective trying/hoping to make James like her.. I haven’t thought about it this way before but feels like yeah they could all fit in a film of sorts
i always also thought that there was a bit of augustine singing about betty in mad woman , about how she took james back but refused to be as angry as august and no one likes a mad woman and james has made august like that
one thing that breaks my heart is that august called what she had with james "summer love" (in "so much for summer love saying us cause you weren't mine to lose"), while james called it "summer thing" (in "if i told you it was just a summer thing"), showing just how much he cared
THANK YOU FOR EXPLAINING THIS. I have been a swiftie for a short time and the augustine betty and james love triangle has been something ive been trying to figure out. Also, kind of a stretch here, but i feel like traitor by olivia rodrigo sounds like something august would sing, because there is a line that goes “guess you didnt cheat but ur still a traitor” and james never cheated on august because they were never together, and he was always gonna go back to betty anyways, so the fact that he played august like that was very traitorous.
cardigan is track 2, august is track 8, and betty is track 14, 2 + 14 + 8 = 24, the album was released on july 24th, august is the 8th track, and the 8th month of the year, 8 days after july 24th is august 1st.... taylor has an insane mind. also you can of look like how i imagine betty
There are a lot of comments so maybe someone already said this. However, there is good reason to believe that after they got back together James cheated on Betty again (lines from Exile, peace, and more) and then went off to the military where he died (my tears ricochet and epiphany). Betty's lines in Cardigan seem to run deeper than just the high school affair. So then once she's lost the love of her life, she was free to pursue money like Rebecca in The Last Great American Dynasty. Also, I also feel for August, I think the song Seven is also about her. Although honestly, this whole triangle gives me Better than Revenge vibes from Speak Now, and I can see Taylors growth about the situation and the people involved. I wonder if her recording Speak Now played a part in this story.
The contrast between "im only 17 i don't know anything but I know i miss you" and the lines in cardigan about being young and knowing everything to me is that betty knew everything that made their relationship special before she stopped being with james and thats why she wasn't the one that ruined them . James had to lose her to understand that he misses her and that the only thing he knows as a 17 year old is something related to her. However, he also use it as an excuse.
Another parallel in Betty and cardigan- it says “to kiss in cars and down town bars was all we needed” in cardigan. Then in Betty it says Kissin’ in my car again” therefore insinuating that they did get back together at some point But wait there’s more in cardigan Betty says “dancing in your Levi’s drunk under a street light” and the next line in Betty says “stopped at a street light” I also noticed Some lyrics in betty are in the past tense and that kind of makes me think that James perspective is him present day mixed with him looking back
In my mind, I always imagined the relationship between Betty and James as nothing serious before that summer. I think they dated a few times and were attracted to each other but were never in a serious relationship. Then Betty asked James to come to that ball but at first he didn't want to come beacause of the crowds. He ended up there anyways because of her and saw her dancing with that other boy and figured she had someone else now and wasn't interested in him anymore. That's why he chose to hang out more with Augustine that summer. Maybe because he wanted to make Betty jealous as he was jealous of that other boy she was dancing with. But actually, Betty always wanted to be with him and was very upset when she heard that he seemed to have another girl. In the end, I think it was all just a misunderstanding because they never told each other what they were truly feeling. At the end of that summer, he apologized at her party for hurting her feelings maybe because Inez told him that he really upset Betty and that she had in fact feelings for him. But I think Betty takes him back and they figure it out. Awesome video Nena! Really liked how you analysed the lyrics and connected all clues :)
I agree. In my mind, they weren't serious at all before the dance. I can't really find any lyrics that supports them even dating to be honest. I'm sure they both liked each other a lot, but then the misunderstandings happened and it snow balled after that. I don't think this excuses James' behaviour, but it gives him more nuances which is a lot more interesting than if he was just an idiot seventeen year old boy lol.
There's also a theory that says that apart of explaining betty's pov of the story, the first verses of the song cardigan define every previous era of Taylor: Vintage tee--> Taylor Swift (Debut) this i don't really know how to explain it. Brand new phone--> Fearless, with the whole Joe Jonas 27s phonecall breaking up with Taylor. High heels on cobblestones--> Speak Now, an era defined by fairytales, castles with maybe cobblestone floors... When you are young they assume you know nothing--> RED, she experimented a very hard and real love with Jake Gyllenhaal but people didn't take her seariously. They only defined her as a crazy exgirlfriend who wrote heartbreak songs. Sequin smile-->1989, in this era she became a worldwide superstar, and she had to fake a lot of smiles in pictures, also the sequins are very particular of the 1989 tour. Black lipstick--> reputation, not much to explain. Sensual politics--> Lover, she started commenting politics and defining her ideological matters. And also that the whole cardigan song is dedicated to us, her fans. This is shown in lyrics for example: giving me your weekends (assisting to her concerts), playing hide and seek (decoding her easter eggs), you drews around my scars (in some way, we saved her because we are always for her) but now im bleeding (due 5o the matter of the selling of her original masters)...
What a genius, after all this time I was trying to understand the teenage romance drama in the album. This video was really helpful, But now I can't stop thinkin' about it
This is REALLY late but in cardigan Betty says “Peter losing Wendy” in the fairytale Peter loses Wendy because he never grew up. In the second second verse of cardigan it says “your heartbeat on the highline” high line is something strung between two points. This maybe clownery but in August it says “I can see us twisted in bedsheets” and then in cardigan it says “underneath someone’s bed” a little parallel. And also in August it says “will you call when you’re back at school?” To August it was real, she describes it as a summer love, and in the next line “I remember thinking I had you” to me this means that James ghosted August to get Betty back. What also points to James ghosting August is that augusts songs repeats the same line and eventually fades. Signifying that August got nothing but living for the hope of it all but eventually fading. She faded.
I personally don’t think Betty was making James jealous, I think maybe they both knew they were something real but he didn’t ask her to dance and make it official because of his social anxiety. So basically to me it seems like Betty was asked to dance and said ok to be nice to someone else which upset James. This prompted him to run away with August because he was sad thinking he lost the shot with the love of his life. I think this is why August says you weren’t mine to lose because she would never be the one who had his heart because he was still longing for Betty. I think it is a love triangle but not a cheating scandal lol
The trilogy is Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles and Taylor. Ever Since New York (Harry), Cardigan/Hoax (Taylor) and Don’t Let It Break Your Heart (Louis Tomlinson) all have lyrics matching up. Something happened in NYC. This all after Taylor publicly dissed Harry at the VMA’s in Brooklyn “Brooklyn saw me…empty at the news, there’s no water inside this swimming pool.” Louis looked pissed off and guilty after that diss. Louis:”I know you left a part of you in New York under your bed” and Taylor:”You know I left a part of me back in New York” and “and when I felt like a cardigan under someone’s bed, you put me on and said I was your favorite”. There are other references too in other songs like Louis’ “Lucky Again” and Tay’s “Hoax” . She talks about A Hero and the cinema. Louis replies with “if you think that guy is Superman ….they’re selling tickets at the cinema”.. to me it points to the film My Policeman where there is a love triangle. Louis and Taylor fought over Harry’s affections. No doubt. Taylor said “what you did was just as dark”….to me that’s s message to Louis. Maybe this is why Harry felt so compelled to do the MP film because he saw himself in the story. It’s just my analysis, but I’m really wondering about those NY lines. Louis’ song came out first before Taylor’s.
explained it so good, was listening to all the songs for the first time and didn't find all the parallels between the 3. After watching this video i finally understood it.
i loved your video! Also in cardigan it says "kissing in cars and downtown bars was all we needed" and in the end of betty they end up kissing in the car as well
Wow!! Didn't know they were this connected!! I knew they were connected but didn't know they this connected!! Thanks so much for posting nena!! You are amazing with dedication!! Thanks for everything you did!! ❤️
Loved the video, i can go on and on about explaining this to anyone who asks me too loll, also you should do an August play along!! It’s the perfect time, you have tooo
I love when in betty she says "standing in your cardigan" which I think is like again he is admiting he saw passed her to cheat, he stood on her but like sorry babe haha, i love it
I literally found out 'bout the connection between these three lyrics a few days ago and u explained a lot thank u for the analysis It was so interesting🤍
I think there's a tell that James and Betty got back together in the way she sings "Betty I'm here on your doorstep and I planned it out for weeks now..." really small and inscure, but then in "and when you kiss me, will it be just like I dreamed..." the song busts out and gets kind euphoric like it actually happened the way he hoped it would. It reminds me of the end of movies when the boy finally kisses the girl and the music goes up and the camera starts spinning while everyone is clapping lol. Anyway, just a thought.
I like to think that James and Betty never ended up together like Taylor said, but I like to think that the entire album is connected because of a post in Pinterest. (it's not going to be in album order, but in the order that it happens in, if that makes sense) betty- James' perspective, it's his plan on how he was going to win Betty back and he explains what he did and gives excuses. cardigan- betty's perspective, about how James made her feel when they were together and how she knew that she was the one for him. august- Augustine's perspective. She didn't see their relationship as "just a summer thing" but as true love. illicit affairs- Augustine's perspective. After she learned about Betty, but she stays with him because she loves him. The struggles of having a forbidden relationship and later on how she felt about being a summer thing. Exile- James and Betty talk after James shows up at Betty's party. the 1 - betty's perspective, in the moment after she learned what James had done and kind of thinking about why James had done it. Her kind of thinking that they were truly over. this is me trying- James' perspective. He's trying his best to mend the relationship, but he knows that he hurt her. peace- James leaving the town after graduation. He wants to let Betty heal. epiphany- I know this song is about Taylor's grandfather, but the post said that it was James' perspective when he enlists in the military. my tears ricochet- James dies during the battle. I think that the POV goes back and forth between James and Betty hoax- Betty feels guilty and tries to cope with James' death. the last great american dynasty- this song is in the perspective of Taylor. I know it's about Rebekah Harkness, but she was also known as Betty Harkness, so I think that this song is about Betty leaving and living a whole new life. mad women- Betty gets with someone else, but James is still in the back of her mind. seven- Betty's childhood. invisible string- this was all supposed to happen. it's all fate. James does not have any excuse. He knew what he was doing, he just didn't want to own up to it because he knew that he would lose Betty.
i think august knew when she says "for the hope of it all", like she knew about betty but she just loved james so much that she still has hope that he might chose her and end up with her.
I'm not the one to make theories or anything but listening to how the songs are connected and maybe there could be more others under different themes but yeah listening to how you are explaining them one by one its just makes a lot more sense and it touches my emotions a little more stronger!
Yes Queen, I'm glad you're explaining this, Augustine was never mean or someone who would steal someone's else's boyfriend, It's such a shame that society thinks that if a girl is interested in a guy who has a significant other, She is a home wrecker, She is in love, All she wants is love, btw, I'm so jealous of your cardigan, I could relate to this triangle as I was also one of those girls who was in love with a guy, who was with someone else. I hope we can be best friends Nena, Sending Love Queen!! ❤️🤗
bro fr. my friends got so pissed at me bc the boy my friend had a crush on (and refused to pursue for a whole year and said if she wanted to date him she’d wait a year from then) asked me out and i said yes because i liked him too. he broke my heart and i ain’t got no sympathy or support they call it karma. at my lowest mental state. it’s fucking stupid why do girls have to gang up on each other over some guy? it’s so immature for her to claim a guy that doesn’t want her and get mad that it worked out for me. jealousy is natural but i’m not a villain and i didn’t stab her in the back! even if i did, it’s nothing compared to how she enables her (well now the whole group’s) friend to bully me and spread rumors and stuff bc she didn’t want to stir the pot and didn’t even feel offended on my behalf. idk i don’t feel like being in high school is an excuse for being self centered, immature, and cruel. but i see it left and right.
I took it as Betty & James aren't explicitly together but they know what was between them. So James sees Betty dancing with someone else and gets jealous, kind of ghosts Betty and when he saw August...he chose his comfort. He wanted to make himself feel better and didn't even think about August's feelings. I think it's even worse that Betty knew it what would happen. James is the worst.
I don't know, when a girl puts herself like "the one", or acts like the other girl is a "blur", a mistake, that she is "the only one that is real"; it feels like an ego booster, like you are trying hard to put yourself above another person. Speculating that Betty and James got together in the end, it feels like Betty tells herself that speech over and over again to convince herself that she made the right decision, a bit excusing James behaviour because "they were meant to be anyway" (James is trash 🗑️).
yea ofc justice for august ❤️❤️ especially because she says Betty and James end up together which is like good for them but what abt our girl august ? Oh and the perspective I got from “when they are young they assume you know nothing” is that they assumed that she was dumb so he could fool her. like when she said “but I knew everything when I was young”
i feel like you referenced cruel summer multiple times, and i feel like cruel summer is also connected to this, cruel summer being from the perspective of august
the fact in just under 120 days, ill be able to relate fully to the song betty, as ill be 17 plus if i get tickets to the eras tour ill be screaming 'im only 17' when im 17
You missed that in cardigan it says “dancing in your Levi’s drunk under a streetlight” and in Betty it says “stopped at a streetlight” so I think that those two lines are connected somehow. Maybe Betty was there with James and they were dancing together?
give me that cardigan 😭😭 also i just think that the whole love triangle story was so smart of taylor (she is the mastermind) and how we get different all the different perspectives and stuff it’s like a grown up version of should’ve said no except we get all the views and stuff it’s so beautiful or should i say gorgeous (that was kind of cringy sorry!)
Out of the 3 August is my favorite and my main girl! I've been the "August" in a situation like this. It's very true what you said about how they don't always know the other person is with someone already. In my situation the guy totally lied to me and said he was single! Then later I found out different when I saw a text come through on his phone from the other person he was with. I'll forever be team August, because I've been her and sympathize with her a lot.
I always think maybe cruel summer is also related because it talks about sneaking into a garden gate every night during the summer and keeping secrets. Like maybe a preview into the love triangle from the Lover album
I saw someone else say it, but I think that “the 1” could be the older matured perspective from August. At first she talks about how she’s recovered from the heart break, and when she says “in my defense I have none for digging up the grave another time”, it’s like she’s aware that she was never the one for James, she wishes that James was hers. And in the bridge when she says “if one thing had been different would everything be different today” it’s like she’s wondering if betty hadn’t been in the picture or if her and James lived closer, etc, then maybe they would have been end game. There’s also a serious of questions throughout the song. Like deep down she knows that it never would have worked but she still needs to ask because she wants an actual explanation.
I wish I had seen this sooner. But I'm still glad I had bumped this video over my YT. More of this kind of video, please. 💖 Would really love to binge watch.
ok this is just a theory but in the beg of cardigan 'Betty' sings "brand new phone" what if she wanted to get a new identity because of what happened, or what if it turned her like emo or smth. In Betty James says "would you tell me to go f myself" Betty seems like a sweet girl who wanted love and after what happened I think even James knows what he did to her. also "black lipstick" idk y'all Taylor is MESSING W OUR MINDSSSS edit: i was just listening to cardigan and it reminded me that betty also said “hand under my sweatshirt baby kiss it better” instead of what we all thought it was what if it was betty trying to believe it was nothing and wanted james to kiss her heart, which was under her sweatshirt. still a james hater tho edit 2: ok this is it i swear 😭 but idk if yall noticed on the album there three songs are have the same amount of tracks b/w them, kind of signifying they all have their own stories
I could be totally losing my mind but in the archer it says "who could ever leave me darling, but who could stay" cuz it was a connection with the like of course ur coming back to me and like but like why the hell would i trust you??? but yk she chose james anyways, i feel like im losing my damn mind but yk
I love so much this love triangle but when you think of it its just that at the end Betty and James maybe get back together and August/Augustine is there just left heartbroken this is so sad (my favorite character here is August/Augustine but my favorite song here is Betty)
Girl i noticed betty ends with "stopped at a streetlight you know i miss you" and in cardigan betty says "but i knew you, standing in your levy's drunk under a streetlight" GUYS HE WAS DRUNK WHEN HE WENT TO THE PARTY
Wtf what a toxic boy
AHHHH WTH
Ohhh yeah I never noticed that
‘to kiss in cars and downtown bars’
‘kissin in my car again stopped at a streetlight’
i think that by streetlight, she meant that it was one of those lamps on the sidewalk that lin manuel miranda cleans in mary poppins returns (random connection lol)
@@KristineWPhilbin They're too young to be going to bars. It makes me think it's a memory after the whole HS events.
My opinion James bad guy Betty is OK August queen if you don’t agree with me I would love to hear your opinion of the characters❤
few things
1. betty and cardigan both end like a nicely tied bow but august just fades out...
2. august repeats the same lyrics bcs augustine only knew james for a summer but cardigan has more lyrics bcs betty knew james and small details about him :((
My opinion: I think Betty and James had a massive fight at the school ball because James saw her dancing with a guy and was super jeoulous. They decide to give a break and Betty thought that in the next day everything would be fine again, but then James meets Augustine in the way home and spends the whole summer ghosting Betty; but in the end he dicides that he wants her again, and they're together for good.
ooo this is an interesting perspective!
I disagree. Once a cheater, always a cheater.
I truly one gg
i agree with this because james says “betty i know where it all went wrong”, meaning this is why i did what i did, then proceeds to
describe the dance and what he saw and I think the “walking home on broken cobblestones just thinking of you” part is james walking home from the dance with this huge misunderstanding still thinking about betty and this random guy. Once the song says “she said ‘james get in let’s drive’ those days turned into nights”, i believe the whole affair started because he thought betty was being unfaithful or fickle and just wanted something to drown their sorrows in and august just happened to be there at the right time.
my question is how long do we think betty and james were together for before he cheated
Have you noticed how James describes his romance with August as “just a summer thing” while she calls it “summer love”? 🥲 Justice for August!!
omg so true 😭😭
why? she new he had a girlfriend? she had no business with him
@@nesta3348 I don’t think she knew. Judging by the lyrics of Betty I think James’s and Betty’s relationship was secret.
@@WhyIsEveryName_Taken what makes you think that, I didn't see it in the lyrics
@@nesta3348 the “kiss me on the front porch in front of your stupid friends” (or something like that) makes it seem like no one knew about them. Like maybe their friends wouldn’t approve of their relationship so they kept it secret, but now James doesn’t give a crap anymore. Also the “meet me behind the mall. That one probably doesn’t mean anything but it’s a secretive place so maybe? This is all speculation though. You can interpret anyway you want to.
Literally james the biggest red flag🚩 he blames august and betty for his mistakes and now he’s APOLOGIZING and only to betty? August deserves better and I REFUSE to believe that betty and james ended up together. Betty should’ve found a better man.
She should've but she didn't think any better of herself but that she was an old sweater under someone's bed :(
DID YOU JUST SAY "BETTER MAN"??
Betty's karma was a guy on the Chiefs coming home to HER.
@@LanceNeedsSleepyour right it should be better boy beacause James was not mature enough to be considered a man
He was just a boy. He was just in high-school de didn't knew anything
in my opinion the paralell between the lyric “i’m only 17, i don’t know anything” in betty and all those lines about being young but still knowing everything in cardigan are not serving the pupose of making james more guilty for doing what he did. i think it just proves how mature betty was at the age of 17 and how immature james was. i like this paralell, because it feels almost like these are inherited personality traits. i like how james was stupid and young and using this as an excuse, because it also gives the story a feeling that this whole plot have happened many times in history. this is just something small, that makes this album more “folkloric” and also timeless in my opinion. the lyrics in cardigan also show that james’ actions were adjustable, and betty’s decision of taking him back was reasonable, but the pain still sort of lives in betty from the experience of being betrayed in that way while being so young. it’s crazy how well-written this whole thing is. taylor swift is truly such a genius.
I 100% agree with you, I personally associate the line ‘Peter losing Wendy’ with this too. James being immature and childish like Peter Pan, losing Wendy (Betty) who is so mature and growing up faster than he is
See this, this is what years of being a swifite gives you. You're a good one Nena thank you for explaining this teenage heartbreak
I think that not only these 3 songs but also the whole folklore album is connected. In my opinion, after that party he still switched back and forth between August and Betty, and in the end he had neither of them.
“The 1” could be Augustine’s perspective on James and the relationship they had many years later, “if you wanted me, you really should’ve shown; if you never bleed, you’re never gonna grow”, “it would’ve been sweet, if it could’ve been me”.
“Cardigan” is an older Betty looking back, and it is this song that made me think Betty and James did not end up together, since it’s written all in past tense.
“Exile” describes the dynamic between Betty and James, she gave him “second, third, and hundreth chances”, but she got tired of hearing his excuse, so she “never hear him out”.
“Mirrorball” is a sneak peek into August’s mindset and psychology, how she desperately wanted to be loved and needed people’s validation.
“Seven” is quite a stretch, but it could be little Betty singing about her childhood friend August.
“Illicit Affair” is the relationship between August and James, suggested that he still continued a secret affair with her, “a drug that only worked for the first few hundreds times”, “it’s born from just one single glance, but it dies a million times”.
“This is me trying”: Idk maybe it’s just me, but it sounds like James’s perspective. He felt incredibly guilty about what he’s done and who he has become. He’s “here in Betty’s doorway”, just trying.
Okay I wasn't sure about all of these but I am convinced by the "here in your doorway"!
This does make sense,
The 1 is the perspective of august of moving on
Exile is perspective of betty(Taylor) and james(Bon Iver)
"I can see you standin' honey, with his arms around your body" He realised her new boyfriend is much more loving and being loved by her.
"I think I've seen this film before" as he is seeing her leaving her for the 2nd time.
"You didn't even hear me out" Betty was fed up of listening of his excuses, after giving him "second, third and hundrenth chances"
"You're not my homeland anymore" James also realising there is nothing to put efforts on.
petition for taylor to make a folklore love triangle book.
PLUS in betty the line "It was just a summer thing" parallels with August in the line "So much for summer love"
Poor Augustine
I relate so much to the lyric, “I was nowhere to be found, I hate the crowds, you know that. Plus I saw you dance with him.” I just remember hiding in the bathroom or escaping parties and crowds 🥲
same🥲💗
I was 'Augustine' two years ago.
Every single detail that you mentioned matches with my situation.
He said to the other girl that it was nothing serious and it never mattered but for me everything was real.
Two years ago I was that naive, sensitive girl who just wanted to be loved.
But I've learned a hell lot of lessons from that situation. So, it's fine. I wish him good.
I was also 'Augustine' back in high school & had a "summer love" with someone who liked someone else. Deluded myself into making him mine, but of course you know how that goes.. I hope that you find the worthy love you deserve
I can relate to u so muchhh !!!!😭😭😭😭
Same bestyyy🫂
@@AirBear250 So did you know of the other woman’s existence?!
@@TheKingT17 if she knew.. she is wrong
Taylor is such a good storyteller that its insane
i think that "the 1" could also be seen as apart of the trilogy, having been wrote about james from august's perspective about how she wishes it was her and not betty
Yes that’s genius
The 1- Betty accepting that their over ( older Betty looking back on a HS relationship with James) “we would’ve made it if you didn’t betray me” “ we got through it because we told ourselves you were the 1
Cardigan- Betty’s perspective~her knowing James would want her back “ I knew you but not like a thought” “leaving like a father “ ~ James left her (metaphor) “ ya you come back “ ~ her knowing James would come back/ still loving him but needing time to accept what he did to her/ Betty knowing he knew what he was doing because in Betty James says” I’m only 17 I don’t know anything but I know I miss you” but in cardigan Betty says she( James) knew everything when I ( you ) were young
The last great American dynasty- INEZ point if view- (in betty James mentions someone named Inez the 1 who told betty about the summer thing) Inez telling the story of Betty and James moving on~ ( betty moving on after James death)
Exile - James and betty to each other ~
~James ~seeing betty with another person and getting jealous/wanting betty back so an unreal amount/ thinking Betty never cared about the relationship/ trying to save relationship but sees Betty with someone else ( wondering if he should try to save it)/ thinking their going down the same path again
~betty~ seeing him and knowing he wants her back/thinking James didn’t care about the relationship because she gave so many signs and he didn’t see them / giving James many chances
~both~ them being each others whole word but then it broke down - always having problems but it working out
My tears ricochet~ James dying and Betty grieving- James wondering why Betty’s at his funeral when she left him
Mirrorball~ doing things for other people and not yourself( August doing things only for James)
Seven~ Betty’s childhood with James and his abusive family
August- August’s summer with James/ thinking her and James were perfect /thinking she had James~hoping James would stay with her during the year / living for the hope of James and her/ hoping he’ll chose her instead of Betty( NOT HAT8NG BETTY)/(august is rly sensitive and she rly loved James)- could be mad at James because he was never hers , they were never together “you were never mine to lose” thinking she had James / for august James was enough “ for me it was enough to live for the hope of it all”
This is me trying- betty rejecting James the 1st time he wants her back and James still wanting to try and get her back
Illicit affairs- august, James , betty love triangle ( august trying to keep James with her )
Invisible string ~ it’s all fate
Mad woman~ betty going crazy after moving to another country/ getting with someone else
Epiphany- James joining the military
Betty- James perspective/ apology for Betty from James / “Betty I won’t make assumptions about why you switched your home room but I think it’s cuz of me ” James knowing he messed up/ James realizing her really loved Betty “plus I saw you dance with him” James accusing Betty of cheating when that’s what he did (throwing a tantrum)thinking of Betty while with august ( “ well she came and I couldn’t resist so I went in the car but I was thinking for you”) James realizing what he did was wrong- “and I planed it out for weeks now but its finally sinking in” ~ dreaming about what happened when Betty sees him again - “ betty right not is the last Time I can dream about what happened when I ( you )see your face again
~ eventually Betty takes him back
Peace - Betty regretting things she did I’m the past
Hoax - Betty copping with James death
Extras thoughts;
- James calls his summer with august “ just a summer thing
- will you kiss me in the porch in front of all your stupid friends - I’ll show my love in front of your friends if you take me back
BETTY- knew James would come back to her- thought august was horrible for stealing her boyfriend but as much as she thought that she knew James was really the problem
JAMES - blames both girls for his STUPID mistakes- knew betty was the one but still chose august for the summer
AUGUST- really loved James hoped he would still love her after the summer ended - barely knew who betty was
Evermore is pt 2 of folklore
Story:
James and Betty were in love but over the summer James cheated with august and august thought that they would still be together after the summer but after the summer James realized he really wanted Betty and not august so James goes back to Betty and asks for her back and she says no. Then James asks again and she says yes. But then they break up again and James couldn’t handle the break up so he joins the Military and later dies. Betty has a hard time grieving with his death and eventually moves on. But after moving on she meets someone new they start dating and eventually Betty goes crazy and blames James , august and the new person she was with. Betty’s best friend ( Inez ) told the story in the end ( last great American dynasty) Betty regretted a lot with James and Betty ended up dying because of her grief
Btw I worked on this forever so I hope y’all like it 😊
Wow… just wow
Nah this is crazy
Longest comment award 0:40
I thought tlgad was about the people that owned that house before taylor
Wow this is amazing!
Something different: I really really love the instrumental ending of August. It’s so incredible. And of course this whole love story triangle is so fascinating. Her writing is so strong, so damn deep.
I think the best part about folklore is that the 5 characters within folklore (Betty, August, James, and then Rebekah Harkness, and Taylor herself) have their own songs, but then the rest of the songs in the album, fill in all the stories. Like mad woman is Taylor and Rebekah. Illicit affairs is the love triangle, the one (in my opinion) is augustine older.
I like this idea/theory :) what if Seven could be Betty and August when they were very young from Betty perspective. Exile is older Betty and James not working out ( also parallel “arms around your body”/“saw you dance with him” “I’ve seen this film before”). Mirrorball from young August perspective trying/hoping to make James like her.. I haven’t thought about it this way before but feels like yeah they could all fit in a film of sorts
i always also thought that there was a bit of augustine singing about betty in mad woman , about how she took james back but refused to be as angry as august and no one likes a mad woman and james has made august like that
I had a theory that the 1 is a much older betty after parting ways with James, I think yours makes a lot more sense tho 😭
@@glowinqlusame bahaha
Wait who's Rebekah Harkness? I missed something
one thing that breaks my heart is that august called what she had with james "summer love" (in "so much for summer love saying us cause you weren't mine to lose"), while james called it "summer thing" (in "if i told you it was just a summer thing"), showing just how much he cared
I wish she would make a short film about this love triangle it be better than the twilight love triangle
When she said:"chase 2 girls, lose the one", "The 1" coul'd from agust's pov 'cause she wasn't The one, but she wanted to be
YES
THANK YOU FOR EXPLAINING THIS. I have been a swiftie for a short time and the augustine betty and james love triangle has been something ive been trying to figure out. Also, kind of a stretch here, but i feel like traitor by olivia rodrigo sounds like something august would sing, because there is a line that goes “guess you didnt cheat but ur still a traitor” and james never cheated on august because they were never together, and he was always gonna go back to betty anyways, so the fact that he played august like that was very traitorous.
Same, I’ve been so confused
@@aliquioria Heyyy its you!!!
@@yourstrulyanshika hey girl😂😂
cardigan is track 2, august is track 8, and betty is track 14, 2 + 14 + 8 = 24, the album was released on july 24th, august is the 8th track, and the 8th month of the year, 8 days after july 24th is august 1st.... taylor has an insane mind. also you can of look like how i imagine betty
OMG I DIDNT KNOW IT WSS RELEASED 7/24? THATS MY BIRTHDAY 😭😭
There are a lot of comments so maybe someone already said this.
However, there is good reason to believe that after they got back together James cheated on Betty again (lines from Exile, peace, and more) and then went off to the military where he died (my tears ricochet and epiphany). Betty's lines in Cardigan seem to run deeper than just the high school affair. So then once she's lost the love of her life, she was free to pursue money like Rebecca in The Last Great American Dynasty.
Also, I also feel for August, I think the song Seven is also about her. Although honestly, this whole triangle gives me Better than Revenge vibes from Speak Now, and I can see Taylors growth about the situation and the people involved. I wonder if her recording Speak Now played a part in this story.
I feel August 😭 that song hurts. I love these types of videos, it’s so fun diving deep in the lyrics
The contrast between "im only 17 i don't know anything but I know i miss you" and the lines in cardigan about being young and knowing everything to me is that betty knew everything that made their relationship special before she stopped being with james and thats why she wasn't the one that ruined them . James had to lose her to understand that he misses her and that the only thing he knows as a 17 year old is something related to her. However, he also use it as an excuse.
Another parallel in Betty and cardigan- it says “to kiss in cars and down town bars was all we needed” in cardigan. Then in Betty it says Kissin’ in my car again” therefore insinuating that they did get back together at some point
But wait there’s more
in cardigan Betty says “dancing in your Levi’s drunk under a street light” and the next line in Betty says “stopped at a street light”
I also noticed
Some lyrics in betty are in the past tense and that kind of makes me think that James perspective is him present day mixed with him looking back
In my mind, I always imagined the relationship between Betty and James as nothing serious before that summer. I think they dated a few times and were attracted to each other but were never in a serious relationship. Then Betty asked James to come to that ball but at first he didn't want to come beacause of the crowds. He ended up there anyways because of her and saw her dancing with that other boy and figured she had someone else now and wasn't interested in him anymore. That's why he chose to hang out more with Augustine that summer. Maybe because he wanted to make Betty jealous as he was jealous of that other boy she was dancing with. But actually, Betty always wanted to be with him and was very upset when she heard that he seemed to have another girl. In the end, I think it was all just a misunderstanding because they never told each other what they were truly feeling. At the end of that summer, he apologized at her party for hurting her feelings maybe because Inez told him that he really upset Betty and that she had in fact feelings for him. But I think Betty takes him back and they figure it out.
Awesome video Nena! Really liked how you analysed the lyrics and connected all clues :)
that makes really sense
I agree. In my mind, they weren't serious at all before the dance. I can't really find any lyrics that supports them even dating to be honest. I'm sure they both liked each other a lot, but then the misunderstandings happened and it snow balled after that. I don't think this excuses James' behaviour, but it gives him more nuances which is a lot more interesting than if he was just an idiot seventeen year old boy lol.
yessss!!! i totally agree
this is how it is in my mind
damn poor august REALLY got played
yesss I NEED taylor to turn this into a movie!!
My opinion: Betty and August are just poor girls who suffered because of James (the most toxic boy I've ever heard about)
There's also a theory that says that apart of explaining betty's pov of the story, the first verses of the song cardigan define every previous era of Taylor:
Vintage tee--> Taylor Swift (Debut) this i don't really know how to explain it.
Brand new phone--> Fearless, with the whole Joe Jonas 27s phonecall breaking up with Taylor.
High heels on cobblestones--> Speak Now, an era defined by fairytales, castles with maybe cobblestone floors...
When you are young they assume you know nothing--> RED, she experimented a very hard and real love with Jake Gyllenhaal but people didn't take her seariously. They only defined her as a crazy exgirlfriend who wrote heartbreak songs.
Sequin smile-->1989, in this era she became a worldwide superstar, and she had to fake a lot of smiles in pictures, also the sequins are very particular of the 1989 tour.
Black lipstick--> reputation, not much to explain.
Sensual politics--> Lover, she started commenting politics and defining her ideological matters.
And also that the whole cardigan song is dedicated to us, her fans. This is shown in lyrics for example: giving me your weekends (assisting to her concerts), playing hide and seek (decoding her easter eggs), you drews around my scars (in some way, we saved her because we are always for her) but now im bleeding (due 5o the matter of the selling of her original masters)...
i just can’t believe that taylor is this creative. she’s a mastermind. this is so amazing and i just love it.
What a genius, after all this time I was trying to understand the teenage romance drama in the album. This video was really helpful, But now I can't stop thinkin' about it
This is REALLY late but in cardigan Betty says “Peter losing Wendy” in the fairytale Peter loses Wendy because he never grew up.
In the second second verse of cardigan it says “your heartbeat on the highline” high line is something strung between two points.
This maybe clownery but in August it says “I can see us twisted in bedsheets” and then in cardigan it says “underneath someone’s bed” a little parallel.
And also in August it says “will you call when you’re back at school?” To August it was real, she describes it as a summer love, and in the next line “I remember thinking I had you” to me this means that James ghosted August to get Betty back. What also points to James ghosting August is that augusts songs repeats the same line and eventually fades. Signifying that August got nothing but living for the hope of it all but eventually fading. She faded.
I personally don’t think Betty was making James jealous, I think maybe they both knew they were something real but he didn’t ask her to dance and make it official because of his social anxiety. So basically to me it seems like Betty was asked to dance and said ok to be nice to someone else which upset James. This prompted him to run away with August because he was sad thinking he lost the shot with the love of his life. I think this is why August says you weren’t mine to lose because she would never be the one who had his heart because he was still longing for Betty. I think it is a love triangle but not a cheating scandal lol
I love how you made this analysis because every time I listen to Betty I’m just like “Taylor the closet is glass sweetie” lol
SAME hahahah. But I love her either ways. 😂🥰
tysm nena, i've been trying to explain this to my non-swiftie friends, and they just don't get it, i hope they understand it now
Taylor is a mastermind omg
Finally we get an explanation for folklore
we need a folklore love triangle short film version right now!!
The trilogy is Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles and Taylor. Ever Since New York (Harry), Cardigan/Hoax (Taylor) and Don’t Let It Break Your Heart (Louis Tomlinson) all have lyrics matching up. Something happened in NYC. This all after Taylor publicly dissed Harry at the VMA’s in Brooklyn “Brooklyn saw me…empty at the news, there’s no water inside this swimming pool.” Louis looked pissed off and guilty after that diss. Louis:”I know you left a part of you in New York under your bed” and Taylor:”You know I left a part of me back in New York” and “and when I felt like a cardigan under someone’s bed, you put me on and said I was your favorite”. There are other references too in other songs like Louis’ “Lucky Again” and Tay’s “Hoax” . She talks about A Hero and the cinema. Louis replies with “if you think that guy is Superman ….they’re selling tickets at the cinema”.. to me it points to the film My Policeman where there is a love triangle. Louis and Taylor fought over Harry’s affections. No doubt. Taylor said “what you did was just as dark”….to me that’s s message to Louis. Maybe this is why Harry felt so compelled to do the MP film because he saw himself in the story. It’s just my analysis, but I’m really wondering about those NY lines. Louis’ song came out first before Taylor’s.
explained it so good, was listening to all the songs for the first time and didn't find all the parallels between the 3. After watching this video i finally understood it.
i loved your video! Also in cardigan it says "kissing in cars and downtown bars was all we needed" and in the end of betty they end up kissing in the car as well
i totally agree with your opinions on when it takes place. i've always pictured it sometime in the 50s or 60s.
This is awesome and thank you for explaining this teenage heartbreak so clearly🥰🥰
"homie hopping" 💀😂
I personally feel neither of them should have ended up with James he didn’t deserve either of them
Wow!! Didn't know they were this connected!! I knew they were connected but didn't know they this connected!! Thanks so much for posting nena!! You are amazing with dedication!! Thanks for everything you did!! ❤️
Loved the video, i can go on and on about explaining this to anyone who asks me too loll, also you should do an August play along!! It’s the perfect time, you have tooo
i just need a folklore love triangle short film!!!
I absolutely love your channel you are one of the swiftness that isn’t toxic !!
im so convinced that you are like the most underrated youtuber out there. i love ur channel so much; it feeds my swiftie soul just right: ))
I am a new Swiftie, so thank you for this video ! It helped so much!💕
I love when in betty she says "standing in your cardigan" which I think is like again he is admiting he saw passed her to cheat, he stood on her but like sorry babe haha, i love it
Pov: we need a short film like all too well for this love triangle
I literally found out 'bout the connection between these three lyrics a few days ago and u explained a lot
thank u for the analysis It was so interesting🤍
i loved this video, taylor is such a great song writer
yesterday.i was connecting the lyrical parallels omg
I think there's a tell that James and Betty got back together in the way she sings "Betty I'm here on your doorstep and I planned it out for weeks now..." really small and inscure, but then in "and when you kiss me, will it be just like I dreamed..." the song busts out and gets kind euphoric like it actually happened the way he hoped it would. It reminds me of the end of movies when the boy finally kisses the girl and the music goes up and the camera starts spinning while everyone is clapping lol. Anyway, just a thought.
The fact that she uploaded this video in august😍
”to kiss in cars, and downtown bars, was all we needed.”
“Kissing in my car again”
my fav swiftie! Thank you so much for making tutorials, you’ve helped me so much 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
I like to think that James and Betty never ended up together like Taylor said, but I like to think that the entire album is connected because of a post in Pinterest. (it's not going to be in album order, but in the order that it happens in, if that makes sense)
betty- James' perspective, it's his plan on how he was going to win Betty back and he explains what he did and gives excuses.
cardigan- betty's perspective, about how James made her feel when they were together and how she knew that she was the one for him.
august- Augustine's perspective. She didn't see their relationship as "just a summer thing" but as true love.
illicit affairs- Augustine's perspective. After she learned about Betty, but she stays with him because she loves him. The struggles of having a forbidden relationship and later on how she felt about being a summer thing.
Exile- James and Betty talk after James shows up at Betty's party.
the 1 - betty's perspective, in the moment after she learned what James had done and kind of thinking about why James had done it. Her kind of thinking that they were truly over.
this is me trying- James' perspective. He's trying his best to mend the relationship, but he knows that he hurt her.
peace- James leaving the town after graduation. He wants to let Betty heal.
epiphany- I know this song is about Taylor's grandfather, but the post said that it was James' perspective when he enlists in the military.
my tears ricochet- James dies during the battle. I think that the POV goes back and forth between James and Betty
hoax- Betty feels guilty and tries to cope with James' death.
the last great american dynasty- this song is in the perspective of Taylor. I know it's about Rebekah Harkness, but she was also known as Betty Harkness, so I think that this song is about Betty leaving and living a whole new life.
mad women- Betty gets with someone else, but James is still in the back of her mind.
seven- Betty's childhood.
invisible string- this was all supposed to happen. it's all fate.
James does not have any excuse. He knew what he was doing, he just didn't want to own up to it because he knew that he would lose Betty.
also we need folklore pt2 lol 😅 but TAYLOR PLS!
i think august knew when she says "for the hope of it all", like she knew about betty but she just loved james so much that she still has hope that he might chose her and end up with her.
I’m so happy you talk about this love triangle !! love your videos, keep going :))
I'm not the one to make theories or anything but listening to how the songs are connected and maybe there could be more others under different themes but yeah listening to how you are explaining them one by one its just makes a lot more sense and it touches my emotions a little more stronger!
I loved how you explained it!! I'm a new swiftie, so this was sooo useful for me to understand better ❤️❤️❤️
Yes Queen, I'm glad you're explaining this, Augustine was never mean or someone who would steal someone's else's boyfriend, It's such a shame that society thinks that if a girl is interested in a guy who has a significant other, She is a home wrecker, She is in love, All she wants is love, btw, I'm so jealous of your cardigan, I could relate to this triangle as I was also one of those girls who was in love with a guy, who was with someone else. I hope we can be best friends Nena, Sending Love Queen!! ❤️🤗
She’s only a home wrecker if she chooses to continue to entertain him. The man is just as bad for initiating and cheating.
bro fr. my friends got so pissed at me bc the boy my friend had a crush on (and refused to pursue for a whole year and said if she wanted to date him she’d wait a year from then) asked me out and i said yes because i liked him too. he broke my heart and i ain’t got no sympathy or support they call it karma. at my lowest mental state. it’s fucking stupid why do girls have to gang up on each other over some guy? it’s so immature for her to claim a guy that doesn’t want her and get mad that it worked out for me. jealousy is natural but i’m not a villain and i didn’t stab her in the back! even if i did, it’s nothing compared to how she enables her (well now the whole group’s) friend to bully me and spread rumors and stuff bc she didn’t want to stir the pot and didn’t even feel offended on my behalf. idk i don’t feel like being in high school is an excuse for being self centered, immature, and cruel. but i see it left and right.
If she wants love there are 7.5 Billion people in this world several single people
OMG! This is so much new info! tysm!! Love these.
James is the antagonist.
August is innocent hence the lyrics
‘’wanting was enough, for me is was enough’’
And the whole driving away with James
Also the back to December Taylor’s version thing I got to see put me in tears
I took it as Betty & James aren't explicitly together but they know what was between them. So James sees Betty dancing with someone else and gets jealous, kind of ghosts Betty and when he saw August...he chose his comfort. He wanted to make himself feel better and didn't even think about August's feelings.
I think it's even worse that Betty knew it what would happen. James is the worst.
I don't know, when a girl puts herself like "the one", or acts like the other girl is a "blur", a mistake, that she is "the only one that is real"; it feels like an ego booster, like you are trying hard to put yourself above another person. Speculating that Betty and James got together in the end, it feels like Betty tells herself that speech over and over again to convince herself that she made the right decision, a bit excusing James behaviour because "they were meant to be anyway" (James is trash 🗑️).
August needs a hug
Another thing I noticed is how cardigan mv transitioned into the willow mv lol
18:11 Not August being in The Summer I Turned Pretty-
taylor should honestly make a (short) movie about this it would be amazing
yea ofc justice for august ❤️❤️ especially because she says Betty and James end up together which is like good for them but what abt our girl august ? Oh and the perspective I got from “when they are young they assume you know nothing” is that they assumed that she was dumb so he could fool her. like when she said “but I knew everything when I was young”
james takes no responsability in anything god
@💟Archer Needs To Chill💟 I think for me, maybe not slander for james
i feel like you referenced cruel summer multiple times, and i feel like cruel summer is also connected to this, cruel summer being from the perspective of august
the fact in just under 120 days, ill be able to relate fully to the song betty, as ill be 17 plus if i get tickets to the eras tour ill be screaming 'im only 17' when im 17
You missed that in cardigan it says “dancing in your Levi’s drunk under a streetlight” and in Betty it says “stopped at a streetlight” so I think that those two lines are connected somehow. Maybe Betty was there with James and they were dancing together?
I love how Taylor used Ryan Reynolds and Blake lively’s kids names for her story (Betty, James, Ines)
august is so overlooked
give me that cardigan 😭😭 also i just think that the whole love triangle story was so smart of taylor (she is the mastermind) and how we get different all the different perspectives and stuff it’s like a grown up version of should’ve said no except we get all the views and stuff it’s so beautiful or should i say gorgeous (that was kind of cringy sorry!)
Out of the 3 August is my favorite and my main girl! I've been the "August" in a situation like this. It's very true what you said about how they don't always know the other person is with someone already. In my situation the guy totally lied to me and said he was single! Then later I found out different when I saw a text come through on his phone from the other person he was with. I'll forever be team August, because I've been her and sympathize with her a lot.
so you're supporting someone who hooked up with somebody' else's boyfriend???? she literally knew
Yk what at this point I want any song and I bet all us lynnies do too so I look forward to ALLL MUSIC FROM U!
Wow!! I’m so excited to watch this!!! Ik this is random but can you do a guitar tutorial for epiphany? If you dont have time i understand!! Ilysmmm
I knew you'd make this video
Did you notice how in cardigan it says “to kiss in cars,” and in Betty it says “kissing in my car again”? I just thought that was interesting.
I always think maybe cruel summer is also related because it talks about sneaking into a garden gate every night during the summer and keeping secrets. Like maybe a preview into the love triangle from the Lover album
James Never even apologized he kept trying to explain but all Betty needs is a “I’m sorry”
I saw someone else say it, but I think that “the 1” could be the older matured perspective from August. At first she talks about how she’s recovered from the heart break, and when she says “in my defense I have none for digging up the grave another time”, it’s like she’s aware that she was never the one for James, she wishes that James was hers. And in the bridge when she says “if one thing had been different would everything be different today” it’s like she’s wondering if betty hadn’t been in the picture or if her and James lived closer, etc, then maybe they would have been end game. There’s also a serious of questions throughout the song. Like deep down she knows that it never would have worked but she still needs to ask because she wants an actual explanation.
I wish I had seen this sooner. But I'm still glad I had bumped this video over my YT. More of this kind of video, please. 💖 Would really love to binge watch.
ok this is just a theory but in the beg of cardigan 'Betty' sings "brand new phone" what if she wanted to get a new identity because of what happened, or what if it turned her like emo or smth. In Betty James says "would you tell me to go f myself" Betty seems like a sweet girl who wanted love and after what happened I think even James knows what he did to her. also "black lipstick" idk y'all Taylor is MESSING W OUR MINDSSSS
edit: i was just listening to cardigan and it reminded me that betty also said “hand under my sweatshirt baby kiss it better” instead of what we all thought it was what if it was betty trying to believe it was nothing and wanted james to kiss her heart, which was under her sweatshirt. still a james hater tho
edit 2: ok this is it i swear 😭 but idk if yall noticed on the album there three songs are have the same amount of tracks b/w them, kind of signifying they all have their own stories
justice for anyone whose ever been an augustine
I could be totally losing my mind but in the archer it says "who could ever leave me darling, but who could stay" cuz it was a connection with the like of course ur coming back to me and like but like why the hell would i trust you??? but yk she chose james anyways, i feel like im losing my damn mind but yk
James sucks in every perspective 💥
@💟Archer Needs To Chill💟 agreed! 😁
I love so much this love triangle but when you think of it its just that at the end Betty and James maybe get back together and August/Augustine is there just left heartbroken this is so sad (my favorite character here is August/Augustine but my favorite song here is Betty)
I kind of want to make a folklore comic with a bunch of other characters from the tsu (taylor swift universe).