"Santianna", also known as "Santiana", "Santy Anna", "Santayana", "Santiano", "Santy Anno" and other variations, is a sea shanty relating to the Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna. Supposedly, the last whaler to return to New Bedford hauled in to this tune. The song is listed as number 207 in the Roud Folk Song Index.
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The shanty is popularly supposed to have been started by British seamen who jumped ship to serve with Antonio López de Santa Anna in the Mexican-American War. Tension between the USA and Britain was still high, and Santa Anna became a hero-figure to those countries opposing the US. Some verses, for example those dealing with his death, were added later.
The lyrics themselves are rather economical with historical accuracy; for example, the result of the Battle of Monterrey (or alternatively the Battle of Molino del Rey) is presented as a US rout rather than the Mexican defeat that really occurred.
"Santianna" is a capstan shanty, and follows a call-and respond pattern. The call is in normal type, and the response is in italics.
As with all shanties, many versions exist. Most are humorous comments on a sailor's life:
The English version made famous by Odetta and The Kingston Trio is also about a ship that leaves from Liverpool to California, a wealthy place: "Plenty of gold, So I've Been told, way out in California..." this version is probably about the California Gold Rush - "Back in the days of '49... Way out in California".
There is also a Norwegian version of this song, which it is about a man who sails from Copenhagen to Kristiansand and meets a girl whom he spends a night with. He then has to travel to India, and when he arrives he is handed a letter saying that his Norwegian "friend" is dead. He then sings of how he never returned to Norway, for his Anna is dead. The song is remodeled by Storm Weather Shanty Choir.
Welsh singer-songwriter Meic Stevens recorded a version in which he refers to the Free Wales Army and the influx of English settlers to Wales.
In 2008 German folk-collective Werkraum under leadership by Axel Frank recorded an own adaption of the English original, but using some changes in the verses, referring to Tory Island instead of Liverpool, probably inspired by a stormy cruise to the coast of Northwest of Ireland plus the historical fact of the massive Irish immigration to America.
A version of the song was also released in 2010 by critically acclaimed doo-wop group Lemanis, as part of a compilation of sea shantys for One.C records. This version had the ship leaving Plymouth for Mexico, with the crew recounting their tales of the women they left behind. Why they were going to Mexico is unknown.
http://www.informatik.uni-hamburg.de/~zierke/lloyd/songs/santyanna.html