Rachel Zegler’s “The Hanging Tree” single from The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds and Snakes releases on Friday, October 20, 2023.

In this chapter of The Hunger Games saga, audiences see the origin of the song, when Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler) sings it for the first time. “The Hanging Tree” is then passed down through generations, where Katniss Everdeen sings it during Mockingjay – Part 1.

“The Hanging Tree” is released on Geffen Records.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds and Snakes follows a young Coriolanus (Tom Blyth) who is the last hope for his failing lineage, the once-proud Snow family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol. With his livelihood threatened, Snow is reluctantly assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), a tribute from the impoverished District 12. But after Lucy Gray’s charm captivates the audience of Panem, Snow sees an opportunity to shift their fates. With everything he has worked for hanging in the balance, Snow unites with Lucy Gray to turn the odds in their favor. Battling his instincts for both good and evil, Snow sets out on a race against time to survive and reveal if he will ultimately become a songbird or a snake.

Directed by Francis Lawrence, the film stars Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Peter Dinklage, Hunter Schafer, Viola Davis, Josh Andrés Rivera and Jason Schwartzman.