Original artwork, not a still
(singing) "The hero of Canton, the man they call 'me'."
— Firefly ‧ 2002
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Jayne at his most gloriously self-regarding: a mercenary who sells out his crew for the right price singing his own legend back at the world. The swap of his name for "me" is the whole joke, and it works because the episode then turns the song bitter. Fans quote it to crown themselves hero of something small and ridiculous.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for FireflyShow the scene
In "Jaynestown" (Firefly, 2002), Serenity lands on the mud-moon Canton, where the crew discovers that mercenary Jayne Cobb is a folk hero to the local mudders. Years earlier he robbed the magistrate and, forced to dump the loot to escape, accidentally showered the poor with money; they have sung a ballad about "The Hero of Canton" ever since. Later, drunk on the town's adoration, Jayne lurches down a staircase with a local girl on his arm, bellowing the chorus with his own name replaced by "me", and demands eggs for a living legend. His legend collapses when a young mudder dies saving him.
Sources (2)
- Wikiquote: Firefly (TV series), Jaynestownsection JaynestownReference checked
- Wikipedia: JaynestownPlotReference checked
Context reviewed
