The Legend of Pai Mei
David Carradine and Uma Thurman Lyrics
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Once upon a time in China
Some believe around the year, one-double knot-three.
Head priest of The White Lotus Clan Pai Mei
Was walking down the road
Contemplating whatever a man with Pai Mei's infinite power would contemplate
Which is another way of saying, who knows.
As the monk and the priest crossed paths...
Pai Mei in a practically unfathomable display of generosity
Gave the monk the slightest of nods.
The nod, was not returned.
Now was it the intention of the Shaolin monk to insult Pai Mei?
Or, did he just fail to see the generous social gesture?
The motives of the monk, remain unknown.
What is known, were the consequences.
The next morning Pai Mei appeared at the Shaolin Temple,
And demanded that the temple's head Abbot offer Pai Mei his neck to repay the insult.
The Abbot, at first, tried to console Pai Mei, only to find, Pai Mei was inconsolable.
So began, the massacre of the Shaolin Temple,
And all sixty of the monks inside,
At the fists of the White Lotus.
And so began, the legend of Pai Mei's Five-Point Palm
Exploding Heart Technique.
Uma Thurman:
And what praytell
Is a five-point palm
Exploding heart technique?
The Legend of Pai Mei is a song from the Kill Bill soundtrack, featuring David Carradine and Uma Thurman. The song tells the story of Pai Mei, the head priest of The White Lotus Clan and his encounter with a Shaolin monk. Pai Mei, who is known for his infinite power, is seen contemplating as he walks down the road. As he comes across a Shaolin monk, he nods at the monk, but the nod is not returned. Pai Mei sees this as an insult and demands that the head Abbot of the Shaolin Temple offer him his neck to repay the insult. When the Abbot tries to console him, Pai Mei is inconsolable and ends up killing all sixty monks in the Shaolin Temple with the help of The White Lotus. This leads to Pai Mei becoming the legend he is and the creation of the Five-Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique.
The song touches on themes such as power, revenge, and the consequences of our actions. The act of nodding in our daily lives may seem insignificant, but in the story, it leads to a mass massacre. The song also raises the question of the intentions of the Shaolin monk. Was he intentionally trying to insult Pai Mei, or did he just fail to see the gesture? The answer remains unknown, but the consequences are deadly.
Line by Line Meaning
Once upon a time in China
In an indefinite past, possibly around the year 103, a story took place.
Some believe around the year, one-double knot-three.
There is a belief that this story took place around the year 103.
Head priest of The White Lotus Clan Pai Mei
Pai Mei was the leader of The White Lotus Clan.
Was walking down the road
Pai Mei was walking on a path.
Contemplating whatever a man with Pai Mei's infinite power would contemplate
Pai Mei was thinking about something that a man with his abilities could only understand.
Which is another way of saying, who knows.
It is difficult to determine what Pai Mei was thinking.
When, a Shaolin monk appeared on the road traveling in the opposite direction.
A Shaolin monk came in the opposite direction while Pai Mei was walking.
As the monk and the priest crossed paths...
Pai Mei and the monk met each other on the path.
Pai Mei in a practically unfathomable display of generosity
Pai Mei showed a great deal of generosity through his actions.
Gave the monk the slightest of nods.
Pai Mei nodded his head slightly towards the monk.
The nod, was not returned.
The monk did not reciprocate the gesture.
Now was it the intention of the Shaolin monk to insult Pai Mei?
It is uncertain whether the Shaolin monk intended to insult Pai Mei.
Or, did he just fail to see the generous social gesture?
Could it be possible that the monk simply didn't notice the kind gesture?
The motives of the monk, remain unknown.
The reason behind the monk's actions is not known.
What is known, were the consequences.
However, what happened after this event is known.
The next morning Pai Mei appeared at the Shaolin Temple,
Pai Mei arrived at the Shaolin Temple on the following morning.
And demanded that the temple's head Abbot offer Pai Mei his neck to repay the insult.
Pai Mei requested that the head Abbot of the temple offer his neck as an apology.
The Abbot, at first, tried to console Pai Mei, only to find, Pai Mei was inconsolable.
Initially, the Abbot tried to calm Pai Mei down but it was of no effect.
So began, the massacre of the Shaolin Temple,
Thus began the attack on the Shaolin Temple,
And all sixty of the monks inside,
All sixty of the monks within the temple
At the fists of the White Lotus.
were eliminated by The White Lotus Clan.
And so began, the legend of Pai Mei's Five-Point Palm
This is how the story emerged about Pai Mei's Five-Point Palm technique,
Exploding Heart Technique.
which has the ability to cause the heart of a person to burst.
And what praytell
What does
Is a five-point palm
The Five-Point Palm technique
Exploding heart technique?
is a move that targets the heart and causes it to explode.
Contributed by Jeremiah J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.