If you’re a tribute from a non-Career district in the Hunger Games and don’t have a lot of charisma or fighting ability, it’s best that you spend as little time as possible in the Cornucopia when the Games begin with a loud gong. And if you’re a tribute in general, don’t step off your platform during the 60 second countdown or you’ll be blown up by landmines. Nevertheless, once the Games begin, most tributes make for the Cornucopia to find food, water, weapons, tools, and other useful items. The most valuable and useful stuff often placed closest to the Cornucopia itself. Not surprisingly, the initial competition for supplies usually results in intense fighting with a significant number of tributes killed in the first few minutes or hours of the Games. Tributes from the lower districts tend to be the most vulnerable because Careers usually band together in alliances that were agreed upon beforehand and are considered brutally aggressive. After the bloodbath, they pursue other tributes one by one until they’re the only ones left to fight each other. The death toll of the Cornucopia bloodbath is usually 8-12 on average.

A good song for the Cornucopia bloodbath scene would be Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust.” Written by bass guitarist John Deacon, this song was the band’s best selling single with over 7 million copies sold. The phrase “bite the dust,” usually means killed or taken out of the competition as well as failure. And in the context of the Hunger Games, any meaning fits quite nicely when it pertains to the Cornucopia bloodbath. Because the Hunger Games is a fight to the death and tributes who die are automatically taken out of the competition. But in the Hunger Games version, I changed some of the lyrics to fit how a bunch of tributes are being taken out in quick succession. I also have it in Katniss’s point of view in which she knows she has to grab something and get out of Cornucopia quickly before the Careers go after her.

“Another One Bites the Dust” (Hunger Games Edition)

Sung by Katniss Everdeen

Oh! Let’s go!

Tributes rushing for their supplies
For the cornucopia way down low
Careers are very vicious and allied
So get a backpack and go

Am I ready, hey, am I ready for this?
Am I fleeing from the carnage you see?
Out in the arena a cannon blasts
To the sound of the beat

Another one bites the dust
Another one bites the dust
And another one gone, and another one gone
Another one bites the dust
Hey, they’re gonna get me, too
Another one bites the dust

How do you think I’m going to get along
Where everyone wants me gone?
I’ve got to use everything that I have
And live it out on my own

Are they happy, are they satisfied?
How long can I stand the heat?
Out in the arena a cannon blasts
To the sound of the beat

Another one bites the dust
Another one bites the dust
And another one gone, and another one gone
Another one bites the dust
Hey, they’re gonna get me, too
Another one bites the dust

Another one bites the dust
Another one bites the dust
Another one bites the dust
Another one bites the dust

There are plenty of ways that you can kill a man
And bring him to the ground
You can beat him, you can spear him
You can shoot him bad and leave him when he’s down

But I’m ready, yes, I’m ready for them
I’m running with my own two feet
Out in the arena a cannon blasts
Repeating to the sound of the beat

Another one bites the dust
Another one bites the dust
And another one gone, and another one gone
Another one bites the dust
Hey, they’re gonna get me, too
Another one bites the dust

For a musical on the Hunger Games, I’m rather astonished that I don’t have many songs featuring Effie Trinket. And for a lot reasons, it’s kind of a shame since Effie is the kind of character who’s well suited for a musical since she has a rather cheerful disposition. Sure she hates her job being stuck as escort for District 12, which is the lamest district by the way. But she nevertheless tackles her vocation with enthusiasm and gusto, which you know is bringing kids to die for entertainment of the masses. Because if she does her job right, she might get a promotion. Yet, because her job is escorting kids to the Capitol where they’d almost always die for entertainment, she can be rather cheerful at a time when it’s most inappropriate to the point of obliviousness that she’s more upset about Katniss stabbing a table than almost stabbing Haymitch’s hand. And she can be kind of a ditz or at least has no idea of how Still, she’s one of the series’ best known and well beloved characters. I mean people don’t dress up as her for nothing. Sure she might seem like a frivolous, apathetic bitch, but later on you get the impression that she genuinely cares about Katniss and Peeta. Yet, sometimes it might not seem to be the case. And eventually, Katniss comes to realize that Effie’s shallowness is a defense mechanism to cope with the Games. Still, in a series that’s filled with violence and dark themes, Effie can always offer a few lines that would make people chuckle, even when she’s completely missing the point.

When choosing a good song for Effie Trinket, I went with “Put on a Happy Face” from Bye Bye Birdie, a musical that was loosely based on Elvis Presley getting drafted. The original song was sung by Dick Van Dyke and Janet Leigh in the movie, in which the former is telling her to cheer up. Still, it’s a rather familiar tune even though people have no idea where it came from. In the Hunger Games version, I have Effie Trinket trying to cheer up Katniss and Peeta who are legitimately not happy with facing almost inevitable death at such a young age. It also shows how rather insensitive that she can sometimes seem to be.

“Put on a Happy Face” (Hunger Games Version)

Sung by Effie Trinket

Gray skies are gonna clear up,

Put on a happy face;

Brush off the clouds and cheer up,

Put on a happy face.

Don’t try to think of your own tragedy,

It’s not our style;

You’ll look so good that you’ll be glad

Ya’ decide to smile!

Pick out a pleasant outlook,

Stick out that noble chin;

Wipe off that “impending death” look,

Slap on a happy grin!

And spread sunshine all over the place,

Just put on a happy face!

Put on a happy face

Put on a happy face

And if you’re feeling that your odds aren’t great

Don’t sit and whine

Think of some tasty chocolate cake

And you’ll feel fine

Don’t you two look so gloomy

At least you get some dessert

If you put enough pressure

Then coal turns into pearls

So spread sunshine all over the place

And put on a happy, happy face

Put on a happy, happy, happy face

Oh, come on you two, smile it’s the Hunger Games

Note: This post contains stuff that wasn’t in the movies. So if you haven’t read the books, you shouldn’t be viewing this.Because those who only saw the movies really wouldn’t understand.

When adapting books into movies, screenwriters have to find ways to compress a several hundred page novel into a 2 hour film. This isn’t an easy task. But as with most movie adaptations, things tend to get left out while stuff tends to get changed around. The Hunger Games movies are no exception to that. Yet, one of the major parts that got left out of the movies was the story surrounding Madge Undersee. In the books, she’s the daughter of District 12’s mayor as well as Katniss’s friend at school since both of them found themselves in rather isolated positions due to their place on the socioeconomic ladder. Also, both of them have mothers whose experience with tragedy doesn’t really help their parenting skills. But unlike Katniss, this doesn’t change Madge’s situation too much. Nevertheless, in the books, she’s the person who gives Katniss a Mockingjay pin for luck after she volunteers to be a tribute in her sister’s place. In Catching Fire, it’s revealed that the Mockingjay pin in question was once owned by Madge’s aunt Maysilee Donner who was also a tribute in the Hunger Games (as well as best friends with Katniss’s mother). In fact, she was in it the same year as Haymitch. Yet, unlike Katniss and Peeta, Maysilee didn’t make it. Still, Madge’s story ends when she and her family are killed when District 12 gets bombed at the end. Those who only saw the movies wouldn’t know anything about this girl because Madge isn’t even in it.

When it came to doing a song parody for her, I couldn’t think of a better one than “Diva’s Lament (Whatever Happened to My Part?)” from Spamalot, itself a musical version of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The original version has the Lady of the Lake angrily complaining on not making a single appearance in the show since Act II despite being the leading lady. And if she’s the leading lady, then she should more time on stage than most of the other characters. Never mind that she wasn’t even in the original movie at all. In the Hunger Games version, I have Madge Undersee complain how she got adapted out of the movies despite being a rather important character. And in some ways, she kind of has a point.

“Whatever Happened to My Part?”

Sung by Madge Undersee

What ever happened to my part?

I was important at the start.

I am Katniss’s childhood friend

And gave her my dead aunt’s pin.

Nobody knows just who I am

And that the mayor is my dad.

I was in the books you see here

But they cut me from the feature.

Cause my storyline would complicate the plot.

Whatever happened to my part?

Do they know about this pin?

Its backstory thick and thin

It was once owned by my late Aunt Maysilee.

She was reaped but didn’t win,

And unpleasantly done in,

Now Kat receives her pin from Greasy Sae

Whatever happened to my tale?

I’m in the books but not the film.

Now the viewers are all confused,

Not knowing how the pin was used.

I might as well go to the pub

Why do I even try to give a fuck?

I play a role in the first two books

Well they can kiss my tush

It seems to me they’ve really lost the plot

Whatever happened to my

Where’s Suzanne Collins, dammit

Whatever happened to my

Not yours, not yours,

But my,

Part!

Note: This post contains spoilers. So if you haven’t read the books or seen the movies up to Mockingjay Part 2, you shouldn’t be viewing this.

For some great beauty is a major asset. For others it’s a curse. And in the Hunger Games, this can’t be better illustrated both ways with Finnick Odair. His charm and irresistible good looks made him very popular in the Capitol and helped him gain the sponsors he needed to win his Hunger Games at the tender age of 14. However, after the victory celebrations were over, he developed a reputation as a womanizer who’s left a string of broken hearts at the Capitol. But in reality, President Snow was prostituting him to the highest bidder as well as threatened to kill someone he loved if he refused. So basically for him, “saving it till marriage,” was out of the question.Still, just when you think things can’t get any worse for him, he falls in love with a victor in from his home District 4 named Annie Cresta, who’s seen as mentally unstable but actually has PTSD. But in any case, they’re not supposed to be together as far as the Capitol is concerned. Yet, their love endured despite all odds.And it’s clear that Snow knew about their relationship since the two were reaped for the third Quarter Quell, yet Mags volunteers in Annie’s place in order to die on her own terms. Also, Snow had her arrested when he escaped from the arena with Katniss and Beetee during the Quarter Quell which leaves him devastated and a nervous wreck who could barely hold it together. And yes, Snow uses that as leverage against him. That is, until she’s rescued along with Peeta and Johanna from the Capitol. Once in District 13 together, they proceed to get married. But it’s not long until Finnick is called to serve on the “Star Squad” in the fight at the Capitol. Some guys just can’t get a break.

For an appropriate song parody here, I went with “One Day More” from Les Miserables. In the original, Marius and his buddies are about to start what is known as The June Rebellion which was a clash between middle class young men and the authorities during the 1830s. However, he also just got together with Cosette which puts him in a bind between sticking it to the man with his friends or spending more time with his girlfriend. Let’s just say he should’ve chosen the latter since the Rebellion in that musical was a disaster that resulted in all his friends getting killed. And if Jean Valjean weren’t there to save his ass on Cosette’s behalf, he would’ve joined them. In the Hunger Games version, I have Finnick conflicted between staying with his new wife or going to the Capitol. Yet, I have other characters singing parts in preparation for the Capitol invasion.

“One Day More” (Hunger Games Edition)

[Katniss]

One day more!

Another day, another destiny.

This never-ending road in agony;

As I agreed to be the Mockingjay

I’ll kill Snow with my bow one day.

One day more!

[Finnick]

I did not live until today.

How can I live when we are parted?

[Katniss]

One day more.

[Finnick & Annie]

Tomorrow you’ll be worlds away

And yet with you, my world has started!

[Johanna]

One more day all on my own.

[Finnick & Annie]

Will we ever meet again?

[Johanna]

One more day with no one caring.

[Finnick & Annie]

I was born to be with you.

[Johanna]

What a life I might have known.

[Finnick & Annie]

And I swear I will be true!

[Johanna]

But my fighting isn’t there!

[Gale]

One more day before the storm!

[Finnick]

Do I follow where she goes?

[Gale]

At the barricades of freedom.

[Finnick]

Shall I join my brothers there?

[Gale]

When our ranks begin to form

[Finnick]

Do I stay; and do I dare?

[Gale]

Will you take your place with me?

[ALL]

The time is now, the day is here

[Katniss]

One day more!

[Coin]

One day more to revolution,

We will nip Snow in the bud!

And I’ll bomb kids in the Capitol,

So their hands will soak with blood!

[Katniss]

One day more!

[Beetee & Plutarch]

Drop these dirty bombs,

See them as they fall,

Rescuers will blow up

Down there in the Capitol,

Give a little blast

Nail them in the ass

Most of them are goners

So they won’t miss much!

[District 13 (2 Groups)]

[1:] One day to a new beginning

[2:] Raise the flag of freedom high!

[1:] Every man will be a king

[2:] Every man will be a king

[1:] There’s a new world for the winning

[2:] There’s a new world to be won

[ALL]

Do you hear the people sing?

[Finnick]

My place is here, I fight with you!

[Katniss]

One day more!

[Finnick & Annie]

I did not live until today.

[Johanna]

One more day all on my own!

[Finnick & Annie]

How can I live when we are parted?

[Coin(overlapping)]

I will send Katniss’s Peeta

He will follow where she goes

Once he’s close to her he’ll surely

Grip his hands around her throat.

[Katniss]

One day more!

[Finnick & Annie]

Tomorrow you’ll be worlds away

[Johanna]

What a life I might have known!

[Finnick & Annie]

And yet with you my world has started

[Coin (overlapping)]

One more day to revolution

We will nip Snow in the bud

We’ll be ready for these rich snobs

[Betee and Plutarch (overlapping)]

Watch ’em run amok

Blow ’em as they fall

Never know your luck

When there’s a free-for-all!

[Katniss]

Tomorrow we’ll be far away,

Tomorrow is the judgement day

[ALL]

Tomorrow we’ll discover

What the great Capitol has in store!

One more dawn

One more day

One day more!

Note: This post may contain spoilers for those who haven’t read the books or haven’t seen the movies up to Mockingjay Part 2.

As many movies and books have a major epic battle in them, the Hunger Games is no exception. In Mockingjay, District 13 plans and stages an invasion of the Capitol in order to overthrow President Snow who by this point has a long list of terrible deeds in his wake. I’m not sure with all the details on this but I’ll try to set the scene. So President Alma Coin deploys  Katniss and her propo team and a unit called, “The Star Squad” to a seemingly trivial propaganda assignment in the Capitol. However, she has Peeta go along with them despite that he’s still dangerous, unpredictable, and not quite recovered from his hijacking. This leads Katniss to think that Coin wants her dead. Meanwhile, they think that the real invasion is underway and commanded by Paylor which is kind of true. But when it comes to modern warfare, sometimes you might never know where the war is coming to. Which is exactly what happens when Katniss an the Star Squad find themselves up against mutt beasts, armed peacekeepers, and booby trapped pods. Let’s just say it’s a scene of all out urban warfare on the Capitol streets. And it looks like Peeta might attack someone…

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For a song to parody this, I have “The Mob Song” in mind from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. The original has Gaston and the villagers assemble with their torches and pitchforks as well as head to the castle in order to kill the beast. Oh, and Gaston has Belle and Maurice put into a wagon headed for a loony bin but they manage to get out. Still, seeing the scene in the movie makes you understand why the Beast was being such a controlling jerk to Belle in the beginning. Because when it comes to getting a girlfriend in order to break a spell in his neck of the woods, he doesn’t really have a lot of options. For the Hunger Games version, I have Coin sending the Star Squad to the Capitol as the invasion is underway. But I have it end before people start getting killed.

“The Capitol Invasion Song”

[Coin:] The Capitol will make off with your children.

[Crowd:] {gasp}

[Coin:] And will force them to fight it to the death.

[Crowd:] Yes!

[Coin:] We’re not safe till his head is mounted on my wall! I say we kill Snow!

[Crowd] Kill him!

[Man I:] We’re not safe until he’s dead

[Man II:] He’ll come stalking us at night

[Woman:] Set to sacrifice our children to his monstrous appetite

[Man III:] He’ll wreak havoc on our districts if we let him rule Panem

[Crowd:] So it’s time to take some action, boys

Coin: It’s time to follow me

Old Man Snow

In his city

Through the darkness and the shadows

It’s a nightmare but it’s one exciting ride

Say a prayer

Then we’re there

At the entrance of the Capitol

And there’s something truly terrible inside

He’s a beast

He’s insane

He’s a bastard

He’s sadistic

With a psychopathic streak

Smell his rose

See him roam

But we’re not coming home

‘Til he’s dead

Good and dead

Kill the Beast!

[Katniss:] Okay, but I want to kill Snow personally.

[Coin:] Fine, but go to the Capitol with the propo team and the Star Squad 451. And Peeta’s coming with you, too.

[Katniss:] How’s Peeta?

[Coin:] Well, they say he’s too unstable for combat but I can’t see how he’d be much trouble on a trivial assignment.

[Katniss:] Uhhh….okay.

[Coin:] We’ll rid the country of Snow. Who’s with me?

[Crowd:] I am! I am! I am!

Grab your guns

Get your weapons

[Katniss:] Get up aboard the hoverplane.

[Star Squad:] We’re counting on Boggs to lead the way

Through the streets

Through city

Where within a classy mansion

Something’s lurking that you don’t see ev’ry day

It’s Snow

Smells of blood and white roses

We won’t rest

‘Til he’s good and deceased

Sally forth

Tally ho

Grab your trident

Grab your bow

Praise the Lord and here we go!

[Boggs:] I have this Holo map that will help us avoid known booby trapped, “pods” on the Capitol’s streets.

[Katniss:] Oh, shit, Peeta’s getting out of control. What am I going to do?

[Gale:] Think of something and if that doesn’t work, I’ll kill him.

[Star Squad:] We don’t like

What we’ve understood

That he sure scares us

And this bastard is psychopathic at least

Bring your guns

Bring your knives

Save your children and your wives

We’ll save our country and our lives

We’ll kill the beast!

[Finnick:] I knew it! I knew it was foolish to bring Peeta along.

[Katniss:] Maybe it would have been better if he had never come at all. And I think he’s here because Coin wants me dead because she can’t control me anymore. But we need to help him.

[Peeta:] Can you please kill me now before I start seeing Katniss as mutt again?

[Katniss:] That’s not gonna happen. Besides, this seems like a safe neighborhood.

[Gale:] Encroachers!

[Finnick:] And they have mutts! No!

[Boggs:] Warn everyone! If it’s a fight they want, we’ll be ready for them! Who’s with me?

[Katniss:] Take whatever booty you can find. But remember, Snow is mine!

[Star Squad:] Hearts ablaze

Banners high

We go marching into battle

Unafraid although the danger just increased

Raise the flag

Sing the song

Here we come, we’re fifty strong

And fifty soldiers can’t be wrong

Let’s kill the beast!

Katniss and Peeta’s win at the Hunger Games made them instant celebrities as star-crossed lovers who’d rather die than be forced to kill each other. However, not everyone is happy about it, particularly Panem’s resident dictator President Coriolanus Snow. Unlike many people in the Capitol, Snow knows that Katniss was faking her romance for Peeta for the cameras and saw her idea of a nightlock suicide pact as an act of rebellion against the Capitol. And it doesn’t help that her actions inspired rebellions in several of the districts which leads Snow to determine that Katniss is trouble. So how does he deal with it? Well, for one, he has Seneca Crane put to death for letting both Katniss and Peeta win. Next, in the beginning of Catching Fire, he pays a visit to Katniss’s house in the Victor Village, tells her of the situation, and threatens to harm her loved ones if she doesn’t help defuse the arrest by agreeing to keep up her fake romance with Peeta. She agrees and so does Peeta when she tells him about it so they keep up the ruse. However, as public wedding plans and the Victory Tour are underway, Katniss inadvertently fuels the rebellion in every district she goes with her mockingjay pin becoming its symbol. You can surmise that the growing rebellion is now out of Katniss’s control and that her efforts to defuse it are doomed to fail. Now Snow also has a problem on his hands with Katniss because he can’t just have her executed because her Hunger Games victor status would make her a martyr. Nor could he really have her alive. Fortunately, for him, the the third Quarter Quell is around the corner and Katniss is District 12’s only female victor so….

For a good parody on Snow’s deciding that Katniss must be eliminated, I went with the song, “This Jesus Must Die” from Jesus Christ Superstar. In the original version, the Jewish chief priests at the Temple of Jerusalem are worried about Jesus’s popularity among his followers in the city. To them, Jesus was a rabble rouser who needed to be stopped who not only hurts their influence but if he or his followers lead or inspire some insurrection. And historically, they had reason to worry about Jewish insurrections because the chief priests only existed at the mercy of the Roman Empire and they knew it. One major Jewish insurrection and the Sadducees would be history. This was exactly what happened in 70 A.D. when the Temple was destroyed, but Jesus was already risen by then so he had very little to do with it. In the Hunger Games version, I have Snow and his advisers discussing what to do with Katniss Everdeen who’s inspiring rebellions all over Panem. And yes, Snow knows she must be eliminated, but he doesn’t know how to do so at this point.

“This Katniss Must Die”

Peacekeeper: Good President, the city waits for you
The Capitol and Peacekeepers are here for you

Snow: Ah, all of you, you know why we are here
We’ve not much time and quite a problem here

Crowd on screen: Hosanna! Mockingjay!

Antonius: Listen to that howling mob of blockheads in the street!
A signal with her fingers and District 11’s on its feet

All: She is dangerous

Crowd on screen: Mockingjay Superstar
Tell us that you’re who we say you are

All: She is dangerous

Egeria: The victors are in on tour right now to whip us some support

Lucia: A rabble rousing mission that I think we must abort

All: She is dangerous

Crowd on screen: Mockingjay Superstar!

All: She is dangerous

Egeria: Look President, they’re out in District 2.

Lucia: Quick, President, go take her off at once

Snow: No, wait – we need a more permanent solution to our problem

Antonius: What then to do about Katniss Everdeen
Girl’s who’s on fire, hero of fools?

Lucia: More riots, more dresses, more fighting and Peeta

Snow: One thing I’ll say for her: Katniss is cool

Antonius: We dare not leave her to her own devices

Her half-witted fans will get out of control

Lucia: But how can we stop her? Her glamour increases
By leaps every minute; she’s top of the poll

Snow: I see bad things arising: they’ll start to rebel
And overthrow me at hand
I see blood and destruction, our elimination
Because of one girl
Blood and destruction because of one girl

All: Because, because, because of one girl

Snow: Our elimination because of one girl

All: Because, because, because of one
Cause of one, cause of one girl

Lucia: What then to do about this Katnissmania?

Antonius: How do we deal with the coal miner’s kid?

Lucia: Where do we start with a girl who’s on fire
Or her star-crossed lover the boy with the bread?

Snow: Fools! You have no perception!
The stakes we are gambling are frighteningly high!
We must crush her completely
So like Crane before her, this Katniss must die
For the sake of the nation, this Katniss must die

All: Must die, must die, this Katniss must die

Snow: So like Crane before her, this Katniss must die

All: Must die, must die, this Katniss must
Katniss must, Katniss must die

Note: This post might contain spoilers. So if you haven’t read the books or seen the films up to Mockingjay Part 2, then you shouldn’t be viewing this. Because it might ruin the whole thing for you.

During the course of Mockingjay, while Katniss becomes a symbol of a revolution, she has plenty of psychological baggage catching up to her. Now Katniss wasn’t altogether there in the beginning since she lost her father at 11 years old and was too busy trying to support her family through poaching to grow up as a fully functioning human being. After she and Peeta win the Hunger Games, she’s already suffering with PTSD by Catching Fire and is forced to keep chugging as other characters decide that she’s too important to whatever is going on to be allowed to recover from shell shock. This gets exacerbated at every given opportunity whether it be the Quarter Quell or the rebellion. And boy, does she suffer since she has to deal with things like friends dying, her hometown bombed, war and destruction, getting wounded, Peeta’s hijacking, betrayal, and so much more.

For a parody on this state, I decided to use “Jean Valjean’s Soliloquy” from Les Miserables (it’s a great musical, I know). Now in the original Jean Valjean struggles with his worldview and how the bishop he robbed is the first person who’s ever been kind to him since he’s been on parole for stealing a loaf of bread. This even to the point when the bishop forgives him for stealing his silver. This leads him to take another path of life and break his parole. In the Hunger Games version, I had it set up at Snow’s scheduled execution after Snow tells Katniss that he didn’t bomb the Capitol in an attack that  killed children and her sister Prim (when it really looked like it). Why? Because the Capitol didn’t have the bombs to conduct such an attack at that scale. And that he’d have no reason to kill Capitol civilians other than as collateral damage. Not to mention, Katniss is seeing how evil Coin truly is since she tried to get her killed and wanted another Hunger Games with Capitol children. This leaves Katniss to snap and kill Coin.

“Katniss’s Soliloquy”

Sung by Katniss Everdeen

What have they done?

Sweet Jesus, what have they done?

Bombed the Capitol at night,

Blew up a bunch of children

Have they fallen so far,

And is the hour so late

That nothing remains but the cry of my hate,

The cries in the dark that nobody hears,

Here is where I stand at the ruined city here?

Was there another way to go

That didn’t lead to so many to go

My life was a war that could never be won

They made me a symbol of their revolution

But Coin wanted power and wanted me dead

For seeing me as a personal threat

Yet, how can I even forget

How that explosion killed my Prim?

An innocent like any other

She harmed no one

Nor one or another

She was girl who inspired love

Why did she die?

The girl I’ve volunteered to protect

Is now gone because I’ve tried

Take an eye for an eye!

Turn your heart into stone!

This is all they have lived for!

This is all they have known!

Always thought the evil to behold

Was only locked inside the Capitol

But Prim’s death was by the rebels

I feel my pain inside me like a knife

How could I side with such a soul,

Did I even know?

Why she wanted to take my life?

Was there another way to go?

I am reaching for my bow

And the crowd is closing in

As I stare at Alma Coin

And her vileness within

Not sure if I can kill Snow now

See my arrow pointing up

I just saw my sister die

And Coin I can’t forgive!

Note: This post might contain spoilers for those who haven’t read the books or seen the films up to Mockingjay Part 1.

Despite being the main character and the hero of the Hunger Games trilogy, I didn’t have a lot of song parodies for Katniss Everdeen. Perhaps it’s because it’s easier to do parodies for other characters singing about her. Maybe it’s due that Katniss’s story while momentous isn’t really fun by her perspective. I mean she started out as a dirt poor girl from District 12 who volunteered as a tribute for hers sister. Once she won the Hunger Games with Peeta via threatening suicide, she becomes an instant celebrity and an icon that inspires revolts in several districts. And sometime later, she’s made to take part in the Hunger Games again since the 3rd Quarter Quell is an all star edition year. Luckily she escapes to District 13 with some victors. And in the third book, she’s asked to become the Mockingjay symbol of the rebellion (and has little choice whether to accept). Nevertheless, Katniss’s life has changed so much that she’s now unsure who she is anymore.

For a parody on her state of mind at this point, I think “Who Am I?” from Les Miserables might be appropriate. Now the original has Jean Valjean thinking about whether to turn himself in to the court during a trial for a guy who’s identified as him. At this point in the story Jean Valjean is a successful factory owner and mayor of a small French town as well as a changed man. In this song he struggles between abandoning his responsibilities or violating his conscience. However, I think the trial was a scheme by Javert who automatically recognized him when he saved a guy under a cart. Now in the Hunger Games version, I have Katniss singing on whether she should be the Mockingjay and whether she is the same girl she used to be.

“Who Am I?”

Sung by Katniss Everdeen

She wants me as a tool

Should I be the Mockingjay?

Should I accept her offer

Or should I try to get away?

How is my Peeta now?

Should I try to save his life?

Will she agree to my terms

Or will she put him on the knife?

If I consent, I am a tool.

If I turn her down, I am damned!

I can give victors immunity from sentence.

And Peeta’s not free.

How can I abandon them?

How would they live

If I don’t agree?

If I agree, they may be saved

If I turn her down, I am damned!

Who am I?

My name is Katniss Everdeen

I live in District 12 and am 17

I won and was in the Hunger Games

But this year I broke out and escaped

Who am I?

The Capitol despised me for evermore

But can I ever be the girl I was before?

And must I now a symbol be

As a Panem revolutionary?

Must they die?

How can I ever face my fellow men?

How can I ever be myself again?

And how is Peeta, I don’t know

And how he’s doing under Snow?

He gave me hope when hope was gone

He gave me strength to carry on

Who am I? Who am I?

I am the Mockingjay!

And so Coin, you see it’s true

I’ll be your Jay and try to work with you!

Who am I?

Katniss Everdeen!

Poor, poor Haymitch. Now this guy can’t catch a break. I mean the guy has been through so much shit in his life that his drinking problem is completely understandable. At 15, he was reaped for the 2nd Quarter Quell where he had 47 to 1 odds as well as killed fellow tributes as well as witnessed some of their deaths. Luckily he won, but his way of winning inflamed Snow so much that he had Haymitch’s mother, brother, and girlfriend killed 2 weeks after his victory. And to make matters worst, prior to the first book, Haymitch had to mentor District 12 tributes for practically all his late teens and his adult life. And before Katniss and Peeta burst onto the scene, no tribute under Haymitch’s care has survived the Hunger Games. Considering this is the Hunger Games, it’s probably safe to say that these 46 tributes died through no fault of his own. I mean it’s a fight to the death for God’s sake.

Now I thought parodying “Holding Out for a Hero” would make a great song for Haymitch who really needs something to be happy about. The original song is from Footloose, expressing longing for a hero. It’s probably romantic in nature and usually addresses a guy. In the Hunger Games version, it’s Haymitch singing to Katniss and Peeta on how he really needs a break in his life.

“Holding Out for a Hero” (Hunger Games Edition)

Sung by Haymitch Abernathy

Why have all my tributes gone

And why they went like sods?

Where’s my street-wise protégé

To fight the rising odds?

Isn’t anyone from 12 who’s a very savvy teen?

Late at night I toss and I turn and I dream of what I need

[Chorus:]

I need a hero

I’m holding out for a hero ’til the end of the fight

They gotta be strong

And they gotta be fast

And they gotta get out there alive

I need a hero

I’m holding out for a hero ’til the end of the fight

They gotta be smart

And it’s gotta be soon

And they gotta be larger than life

As the Games approaches

While I try to do my best

So I won’t have to watch both of you

Having a weapon lodged in your chest

Trapped in the arena and up against Careers

It’s gonna take some miracle to get you out of there

[Chorus:]

I need a hero

I’m holding out for a hero ’til the end of the fight

They gotta be strong

And they gotta be fast

And they gotta get out there alive

I need a hero

I’m holding out for a hero ’til the end of the fight

They gotta be smart

And it’s gotta be soon

And they gotta be larger than life

Out in the arena there’s every danger above

When everything’s working against you

I will be following the Games at some place

Watching you

Get out of the Cornucopia fight ASAP

For it’s a quick way to die

If you want my advice

Just try to stay out alive

[Chorus:]

I need a hero

I’m holding out for a hero ’til the end of the fight

They gotta be strong

And they gotta be fast

And they gotta get out there alive

I need a hero

I’m holding out for a hero ’til the end of the fight

They gotta be smart

And it’s gotta be soon

And they gotta be larger than life