Suzanne Collins ' newHunger Gamesprequel novel has revealed the origin of the song " The Hanging Tree " - and its surreptitious connection to President Snow . Suzanne Collins is a skillful writer , particularly renowned for the depth of her world - building . That ’s one of the cause herHunger Gamesbooksproved so popular , and they were swiftly conform into a pop series of megahit .

The net book , Mockingjay , introduce a song called " The Hanging Tree . " American composer James Newton Howard turned Collins ' lyric into an actual   Song dynasty forMockingjay Part 1 , and it   was release as part of the prescribed soundtrack . The song was certified platinum in Canada and double atomic number 78 in the United States . Now , though , Collins has decide to divulge the history of " The Hanging Tree . "

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According to Collins ' newHunger GamesnovelThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes , the song was write several decennary before Katniss was born , whenPresident   Coriolanus Snowwas himself just a teen . He was assigned to serve as a mentor to   Lucy Gray , the District 12 Champion in the Hunger Games , and for his impropriety Snow was sent to District 12 to serve as a Peacekeeper . He did n’t mind much , pursuing his human relationship with Lucy , and even in short contemplating abandon his future in the Capitol . regrettably the romance was doomed , in declamatory part because it was lead in the setting of a brewing possible rebellion in District 12 . At one point Snow and Lucy bear witness to the wall hanging of one greyback , Arlo ; his buff Li attend as well , and was arrested as she see his dying . These tragic upshot inspired Lucy to write the song " The Hanging Tree . " She had no idea that , so many year later , the call would become key to the rebellion that overrule the Capitol - and her own buff ,   Coriolanus Snow , by then president of Panem .

Curiously , though , some of the lyrics do not cite to the execution itself ; rather , they relate to a midnight tryst between   Coriolanus   Snow and Lucy Gray herself .

" Are you , are you

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come to the tree

They strung up a human

They say who murdered three

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unknown things did happen here

No unknown would it be

If we meet at midnight

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In the hanging tree . "

Snow came within a tomentum ’s breadth of forsake his career at the Capitol and take flight into the wild , but his ambitiousness and lust for power ultimately proved great than his love for Lucy . An unguarded comment from Snow lead Lucy to actualize his true nature , his viciousness and potential for betrayal , and she vanish in a tempest . Although Snow seek to engage her into the forest , he was misled because Lucy had taught somemockingjaysher song " The Hanging Tree . "   Lucy ’s fate was never revealed , and " The Hanging Tree " outlived all computer storage of her - subsist on to the time ofThe Hunger Games .

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