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Hero of Canton, The Ballad of Jayne Cobb, was a song about Jayne Cobb. The song was written by the workers, known as "mudders", of the Canton factory on Higgins' Moon, for the money which Jayne stole from Magistrate Higgins and had to throw overboard during his escape in the episode Jaynestown.

Lyrics[]

Jayne!
The man they call Jayne!
He robbed from the rich and he gave to the poor.
Stood up to the man and he gave him what for.
Our love for him now, ain't hard to explain,
The hero of Canton, the man they call Jayne!
Now Jayne saw the Mudders' backs breakin'.
He saw the Mudders' lament.
And he saw that magistrate takin'
Every dollar and leavin' five cents.
So he said, "You can't do that to my people!"
"You can't crush them under your heel."
Jayne strapped on his hat,
And in five seconds flat,
Stole everything Boss Higgins had to steal.
He robbed from the rich and he gave to the poor.
Stood up to the Man and he gave him what for.
Our love for him now ain't hard to explain,
The Hero of Canton, the man they call Jayne.
Now here is what separates heroes
From common folk like you and I.
The man they call Jayne,
He turned 'round his plane,
And let that money hit sky.
He dropped it onto our houses.
He dropped it into our yards.
The man they call Jayne
He turned round his plane,
And headed out for the stars.
Here we go!
He robbed from the rich and he gave to the poor.
Stood up to the Man and he gave him what for.
Our love for him now ain't hard to explain,
The Hero of Canton, the man they call Jayne!

Behind the scenes[]

The song reappears at the end of the episode in an instrumental arrangement, and in a slower, more melancholy version, as Jayne and Mal are discussing Jayne's impact on the Mudders, and what truly makes someone a hero.

In Serenity: Better Days, the Hero of Canton is once again mentioned after Jayne gives a monk some money to buy shoes.

In the song dollars and cents are mentioned, which is inconsistent with the currency in the 'Verse (credits or platinum), although that may be a reference to the currency on Earth-That-Was.

Appearances[]

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