The Hanging tree
James Newton Howard Lyrics
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Coming to the tree
They strung up a man
They say who murdered three
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met at midnight
In the hanging tree
Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Where dead man called out
For his love to flee
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met 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 at midnight
In the hanging tree
Are you
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 at midnight
In the hanging tree
Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Wear a necklace of hope
Side by side with me
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met at midnight
In the hanging tree
Are you (you)
Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Where dead man called out
For his love to flee
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met at midnight
In the hanging tree
The Hanging Tree, written by James Newton Howard for the movie 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1', is a haunting and mysterious song with deep-rooted connotations. The lyrics revolve around a hanging tree where a man was hanged for murdering three people. The song is an invitation to someone, possibly a lover or a friend, to meet up at midnight at the same tree where the man was hanged, to escape and be free. The person being invited may have been involved in the murder or may have witnessed it, and this is their chance to absolve themselves of any guilt.
The tree is portrayed as a place where strange things happen and where the dead man calls out for his love to flee. The line "wear a necklace of hope, side by side with me" further emphasizes the desire for the person to come to the tree and escape together. The lyrics have a sense of foreboding and desperation, creating a picture of a dark and dangerous place where anything and everything can happen.
The song is not only a significant part of the Hunger Games movie series but has also become a popular song worldwide. The chilling tune and eerie lyrics make it unforgettable, giving it a timeless quality.
Line by Line Meaning
Are you, are you
Coming to the tree?
Where they strung up a man
They say who murdered three
Are you planning to visit the tree where a man was hanged for committing the murder of three people?
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met at midnight
In the hanging tree
The place where the man was hanged had unusual events occur, so it wouldn't be surprising if we met there at midnight.
Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Where dead man called out
For his love to flee?
Do you plan on visiting the tree where a man called out to his lover to run away before he died and still haunts the place?
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 at midnight
In the hanging tree
Is the tree where I instructed you to run so we could both be free the same as the place where strange events occurred and we could potentially meet there at midnight?
Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Wear a necklace of hope
Side by side with me?
Will you join me at the tree wearing a necklace of hope, symbolizing our desire for a better future together?
Where they strung up a man
They say who murdered three
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met at midnight
In the hanging tree
Again, the song emphasizes the tree where the man was hanged and it being a place of unusual events, making it not unusual for us to potentially meet at midnight there.
Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Where dead man called out
For his love to flee?
Once more, the song refers to the tree where the man called out to his lover to escape before he died, increasing the supernatural elements of the story.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Suzanne Collins, James Newton Howard, Jeremy C Fraites, Wesley Keith Schultz
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@04nbod
I didn't pick up on that. The Capitol Jabberjay were all male. The District 12 Mockingbirds were all female. There is something thematic going on there. The mockingbird is a songbird.
Is Corialanous the Jabberbay? He was sent to District 12 and like the Jabberjay reported back on rebels. Was he mating with the District 12 Mockingbird? Did they make a Mockingjay?
Like the Jabberbay the capitol was able to control Corialanous and Lucy Gray could not be controlled.
There are 64 years between the 10th and 74th Hunger Games. Katniss is 16, meaning there were 48 years between the 10th Hunger Games and her birth. Snow says they marry young in the districts, there could be 2 generations between Lucy Gray and Katniss if Lucy Gray got pregnant and spawned a Mockingjay.
I know people think it's Maude Ivory that is related to Katniss but that parallel is pretty strong. Unless its being used more loosely.
@@AyeshaM02
@kittykatsmiles3141
I have a line to add, at the very end.
(whisphered song)
I have, I have,
come to the tree.
Now I know what you meant, "for me, to flee."
Brother, sister, father... and you, and me...
left my mother crying,
by the hanging tree.
@melissapinol7279
I'm a professional Folksinger, and a lot of the songs that are collected from the "folk" out in the country are very unpolished like this one when collected, and later polished up and rerecorded by professional singers. This is a totally realistic example of a Traditional song that someone might sing as it was passed down to them, complete with the raw emotion such songs often have. That's why I liked it so much. It was believable.
@murdocksg2228
how do you think James Newton's background as a composer influenced this? Any comments? Loved your comment btw.
@melissapinol7279
Well, you asked for comments, so here's a lesson! First I am not personally familiar with James Newton's musical background so I can't comment on this part, but I am very familiar with songs from the Appalachians, which is the area that the story was supposed to take place in. I could hear a similarity to other songs from these mountains, so I suspect Newton did some research. There is a long tradition of unaccompanied singing that was brought over from the British Isles, particularly Scotland. The main difference is technical, as these songs are remembered orally instead of being written down or recorded, the refrain or chorus tends to remain the same instead of being changed to fit each verse. This is not something the average listener would even notice, so it was fine with me. Songs about hanging or hangmen is pretty common, there is one about "Hangman, Hangman, slack your rope awhile" in which the prisoner sees each family member in turn ( father, mother, so on) but no one will help him until his sweetheart shows up and saves him. That particular song is very old and versions exist that probably go back hundreds of years, and was brought over by the original settlers when they came. There are different tunes, versions or "variants" as they are called, all tell pretty much the same story and can be recognized as basically the same song by Folklorists and Folksingers. So the song in the movie is on a recognized theme. Sometimes in a concert I sing different versions of the same song from different countries and times and people are often surprised to learn it's actually the same song! Also in the story the area is very impoverished, it's unlikely that there is recorded music or even radio available ( forget YouTube) so it's probable that people went back to the oral music tradition. Songs like this are not just for entertainment, they are also a kind of therapy to let out strong bottled up emotions, especially if your life isn't so great and you're oppressed. The raw way Katniss sings it is completely believable and I'd have been disappointed if they had done it any other way. Folk music is often viewed kind of as an extension of the self, in the Oral tradition there would have been hundreds of songs people would have known, each one capturing a particular situation or emotion. They are very therapeutic.
@rodericvera3460
@@melissapinol7279your answer is impressive. now i wanna learn more
@melissapinol7279
Thank you! I was born in 1960 and my dad was a "Folkie" so I've literally been listening to and studying this stuff all my life. Some of my very first memories are of listening to folk music, my mom said I was singing Sea Shanties when I was 3 years old! When I went to college I studied Anthropology and studied a lot of Folklore, I found out even more about the Oral tradition. I would say I'm an amateur Folklorist, though I was a Counselor and a professional writer for a living. I started singing Folk music in my 20's, I used to perform for various events and did one album which is on YouTube. If you have any specific questions about Folk music, just ask!
@jackdavinci
The thought that came to mind for me when I heard this was, yeah it sounds like a folk song or something you sing around a campfire, but also I was a little surprised since there's not many lyrics and it's repeating, that it wasn't sung as a round.
@cameronchase3545
She might not be a singer but she’s a hell of an actress and you can hear every emotion in her voice, which is what that character needed.
@-chenlanying5818
Why does it say 'featuring Jennifer Lawrence' when she's the main singer ?
@cameronchase3545
@@-chenlanying5818 cause it’s from a movie soundtrack
@HWR_-eb5fm
@@-chenlanying5818 Primarily because this comes from the album that’s just the background score. So James Newton Howard - the composer - gets the primary credit for writing the orchestral part of the song, while Jennifer Lawrence gets featured credits for providing the vocals.