Behind the Lyrics: “Draw You Out” by Noah Kahan and His Epic Soundtrack Single for ‘The Hunger Games’

Noah Kahan and The National’s Aaron Dessner reunite for Kahan’s first soundtrack single, “Draw You Out”. Composed for The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping, the folk-pop track follows the singer’s chart-topping 2026 LP, The Great Divide.

Written specifically for the film, “Draw You Out” finds Kahan thinking about personal evolution and destination. But instead of revisiting his home state, Vermont, the new single takes place in the film’s post-apocalyptic setting.

I Carry You on With Me

Writing in an Instagram post, Kahan said he “adored the works of art” by The Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins.

“I was already totally connected and inspired by the tragic yet hopeful story of Haymitch and Lenore Dove, and writing a song about the purpose, grief and perseverance through pain that they exemplify was an experience I’ll always be grateful for,” he said.

I carry you on with me,
I promised you I would, and I do.
And I float around, show up unannounced,
In the places that you knew.
I draw you out from the edge of my mouth,
It feels good to say your name.
It’s all I have now, what a wonderful sound it makes.

He describes the many sides that make up each of us, and how we grapple with the darker iterations. Once consumed by the “coward” and the “fighter,” he feels a kind of freedom. It’s giving in so he can finally leave them behind.

I was born with someone else’s face,
A coward’s anger and a fighter’s rage.
I wait around for them to take my place,
And say, “Love, we’re free now.”

Till My Feet Touch Ground

The search continues. Knowing we continue to evolve, Kahan uses a river metaphor here for rebirth. He no longer knows the person he used to be. But there’s hope in the person he might become—leaving behind anger and rage.

It echoes his writing on The Great Divide. A place can help define us, but it doesn’t have to set the rest of our lives in stone.

I was living in a stranger’s house,
So I found shelter by the river’s mouth.
And I go swimming till my feet touch ground,
Till I find something permanent.

Photo by Chloe Kern/WireImage