The Official Promotional Poster for The Hunger Games Movie!

The Hanging Tree of Mockingjay

"The Hanging Tree" words by Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games trilogy

Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Where they strung up a man they say murdered three.
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree.

Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Where the dead man called out for his love to flee.
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree.

Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Where I told you to run so we’d both be free.
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree.

Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Wear a necklace of rope, side by side with me.
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree.

"The Hanging Tree" is a song mentioned in  Suzanne Collins' 'Mockingjay' book 3 of  The Hunger Games trilogy. Katniss sings it to an Avox in the Capitol in one of their 'We remember District 13' propo campaigns with Gale in Chapter 9.

The song is mentioned the second time in Chapter 15 where Haymitch tells Katniss that the captured and the tortured Peeta recognizes the song when he hears the propo where Katniss was singing the song, and he remembers ever hearing her father sing the song in the bakery where his parents work.

For the third time, it is mentioned in chapter 21 where Katniss upon the thought of the tortured Peeta reminds her of the last stanza of the song where "The one where the man wants his lover dead rather than have her face the evil that awaits her in the world." (Katniss).

Here are several versions of the song. I hope you like any of them because I actually like all of them. There's a version that is gloomy while there are versions that are lively and less dismal.













And here below is a piano version and the other is an orchestra version of The Hanging Tree by Sam Cushion

Peeta and Katniss: When did forever start?

Peeta and Katniss

“Peeta,” I say lightly. “You said at the interview you’d had a crush on me forever. When did forever start?”

“Oh, let’s see. I guess the first day of school. We were five.You had on a red plaid dress and your hair . . . it was in two braids instead of one. My father pointed you out when we were waiting to line up,” Peeta says.

“Your father? Why?” I ask.

“He said, ‘See that little girl? I wanted to marry her mother, but she ran off with a coal miner,’” Peeta says.

“What? You’re making that up!” I exclaim.

“No, true story,” Peeta says. “And I said, ‘A coal miner? Why did she want a coal miner if she could’ve had you?’ And he said, ‘Because when he sings . . . even the birds stop to listen.’”

“That’s true. They do. I mean, they did,” I say. I’m stunned and surprisingly moved, thinking of the baker telling this to Peeta. It strikes me that my own reluctance to sing, my own dismissal of music might not really be that I think it’s a waste of time. It might be because it reminds me too much of my father.

“So that day, in music assembly, the teacher asked who knew the valley song. Your hand shot right up in the air. She stood you up on a stool and had you sing it for us. And I swear, every bird outside the windows fell silent,” Peeta says.

“Oh, please,” I say, laughing.

“No, it happened. And right when your song ended, I knew— just like your mother — I was a goner,” Peeta says. “Then for the next eleven years, I tried to work up the nerve to talk to you.”

“Without success,” I add.

“Without success. So, in a way, my name being drawn in the reaping was a real piece of luck,” says Peeta.

“You have a . . . remarkable memory,” I say haltingly.