Safe & Sound

Today's Taylor Swift song is the meaning of "Safe & Sound" from the Hunger Games Soundtrack.

What is this song about?

This song is about the Hunger Games!

Taylor surprised everyone when she announced it's release over Twitter.

8:31 PM- 22 Dec 11
"Something I've been VERY excited about for a VERY long time is going to be happening VERY soon" 

8:37 PM - 22 Dec 11
"(and I'm not referring to Christmas)"

9:55 PM - 22 Dec 11

"And this is it, the big surprise... Go get it! #TheHungerGames http://instagr.am/p/a2sQb/"

The song and video are filled with symbolism corresponding with the Hunger games books.

Taylor says in an interview with MTV in February 2012, “I felt like I really needed to pay tribute to this movie and tell this story. There’s a moment where I find the Mockingjay pin and hold it up -- and having a music video with that much symbolism in it is not something that I’m used to. Because everyone who’s a Hunger Games fan knows what it means when there’s fire in the trees, what it means for the house to be burnt…Everyone can take their own meaning away from it but it all goes back to the symbolism of the book.”

The mockingjay pin is a pin that was given to Katniss Everdeen before she took place in the Hunger Games. These games symbolize the power terror the capital wants to imprint on the minds to the citizens of Panem. 12 districts of Panem must send two children each to the capital to take part in a "survivor" type television spectical, except they do not get voted off, they are killed by one another.  The last one standing is the victor.

What other symbolism is in the video?  Tonz.  For starters the video is filmed in a graveyard.  There are many deaths in the Hunger Games.  There are constant fires, a tactic the Capital uses to destroy their enemies. The house the two people are in is burnt down, as Taylor finds out when she later visits.  There are fires in the background for both Taylor and the two inside the house.  At the end of the video the sky looks like it is on fire. Taylor also carries flowers that could be reminiscent of the flowers that Katniss placed over Rue (a fellow competitor in the Hunger Games) when she died.  Taylor herself appears in the video lying down as if she was dying with her arms clasped together over her chest.  At the very end of the video we see Taylor closing her eyes symbolizing death.

The lyrics could symbolize many relationships that Katniss had with her friends and herself.  At the beginning of the book Gale and Katniss hunt together and she must leave him to go to the capital, her relationship with Peeta, she doesn't leave him alone in the hunger games and helps him come back to full strength, her relationship with herself, she keep going and protect her family even though "her music", her father is gone.  But the relationship the song is driving at is Katniss's relationship with Rue.

"The war outside our door keeps raging on
Hold onto this lullaby"

Katniss sings a lullaby to Rue as she is dying.

"Just close your eyes
The sun is going down
You'll be alright
No one can hurt you now
Come morning light
You and I'll be safe and sound"

Rue will be safe and sound and no one can hurt her anymore.

Click here for lyrics to the song, "Safe & Sound".