Warning: The following article contains spoilers from the book The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
Rachel Zegler’s Lucy Gray Baird can be heard singing “The Hanging Tree,” a song from the original Hunger Games films, in the new trailer for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. The upcoming dystopian movie serves as a prequel to the popular four-film franchise, so it makes sense that multiple elements from the previous series will cross over into the new project, set to release on November 17, 2023. Zegler stars as Lucy in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, and those who read the book know that her character has a unique significance to the Hunger Games lore.
The upcoming prequel is told from the perspective of Coriolanus Snow, played by Tom Blyth, 64 years before the events of the first Hunger Games movie. Before he became the President of Panem, Snow was a mentor in the 10th Hunger Games, which looked a lot different from the horrific game that Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark partook in, but they were still as brutal as ever. Lucy was Snow’s assigned tribute from District 12, and, as a result, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes fills in many blanks in Snow’s story, especially regarding his hatred toward Katniss.
Lucy Gray Baird Wrote Hunger Games’ Hanging Tree Song
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes reveals that Lucy Gray Baird wrote “The Hanging Tree,” a song that Katniss sings in Mockingjay, and it later becomes an anthem for the rebellion in the movie. A large portion of the prequel book, and assumingly the film, will take place in District 12 and show Lucy’s life, friends, and family, and one of the most important parts of her life is music. Lucy is in a performing group called the Covey, which also includes other members of her family, and they frequently put on shows at the Hob (a place that should sound familiar to Hunger Games readers). Lucy wrote many of the Covey’s songs, including “The Hanging Tree.”
When Katniss’s father was still alive, he taught her many songs, including “The Hanging Tree,” “Deep in the Meadow,” and more. Since the Covey were banned from ever performing again following the events of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, it is theorized that Katniss’s father’s parents or grandparents passed Lucy’s songs down to him, which he then taught his daughter. The Covey, just like the Everdeens, lived in the Seam, further cementing Katniss’s connection to Lucy. But the book never confirmed if they were related, so readers (and moviegoers in November 2023) are left to come up with their own answers regarding the link between the two heroines.
Why Lucy Gray Sings Hanging Tree In Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes
The lyrics of “The Hanging Tree” in The Hunger Games film series are dark and grim, which is putting it lightly. The song tells the story of a man sentenced to be hung after being accused of murdering three people. He then calls out to his lover to join him in death so they can both be “free.” As explained in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Lucy Gray Baird based the song on Arlo Chance, a man in District 12 whom the Peacekeepers found guilty of killing three people in a coal mine explosion and later executed at the designated hanging tree in the district, which can be seen in the trailer.
The version of “The Hanging Tree” that Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen sings in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 is foreboding and haunting, making it a great battle cry for the rebels. However, the preview of Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird’s interpretation of the song in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes trailer is a bit more emotional and soulful, which makes sense, given Lucy’s personality and circumstances compared to Katniss’s. Fans will have to wait for the prequel film to premiere to hear Zegler’s full version, though. Related: 8 Most Important Hunger Games Prequel Characters To Know
Hanging Tree’s Lyrics Reveal Secret Coriolanus Snow Connection
Although Lucy Gray Baird wrote “The Hanging Tree” about another man in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Coriolanus Snow indirectly admits to her that he relates to its lyrics since he had murdered three people himself. Additionally, the song also references Lucy and Snow’s love story when they decide to run away together after meeting up at the tree. Given that information and Snow’s romantic connection to Lucy in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, “The Hanging Tree” takes on a whole new meaning in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1.
