Santianna
"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. The song is listed as number 207 in the Roud Folk Song Index.
Origin
The theme of the shanty, which dates from at least the 1850s, may have been inspired by topical events in the news related to conflicts between the armies of Mexico, commanded by Antonio López de Santa Anna, and the U.S., commanded by Zachary Taylor, in the Mexican-American War.
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), in a few renditions, is presented as a US rout rather than the Mexican defeat that really occurred.
Lyrics
"Santianna" is a capstan shanty in call and response form. The call is in normal type and the response is in italics.
- O! Santianna fought for fame!
- Away Santianna!
- And Santianna gained a name
- All on the plains of Mexico!
- Mexico, Mexico,
- Away Santianno!
- Mexico is a place I know!
- All on the plains of Mexico!
- O! Santianna had a wooden leg
- Heave away, Santianna!
- He used it for a cribbage peg
- All on the plains of Mexico!
- Chorus:
- Heave her up, and away we'll go
- Heave away, Santianna!
- Heave her up, and away we'll go
- All on the plains of Mexico
- O! Santianna fought for his gold
- Heave away, Santianna!
- The deeds he did have oft been told
- All on the plains of Mexico
- Chorus
- O! Santianna gain'd the day,
- Heave away, Santianna!
- He gain'd the day at Molly-Del-Rey*.
- All on the plains of Mexico
- Chorus
- He won the day at Molly-Del-Rey,
- Heave away, Santianna!
- And General Taylor he ran away.
- All on the plains of Mexico
- Chorus
- O! Santianna fought for his life,
- Heave away, Santianna!
- He gained his way in the terrible strife.
- All on the plains of Mexico
- Chorus
- O! Santianna's men were brave,
- Heave away, Santianna!
- Many found a hero's grave.
- All on the plains of Mexico!
- Chorus
- O! Santianna's day is o'er,
- Heave away, Santianna!
- Santianna will fight no more.
- All on the plains of Mexico!
- Chorus
- O! Santianna's day is gorn,
- Heave away, Santianna!
- We left him buried off Cape Horn.
- All on the plains of Mexico!
- Chorus
- We dug his grave with a golden spade,
- Heave away, Santianna!
- And marked the spot where he was laid.
- All on the plains of Mexico
Other versions
Covers in French-language
Covers in other languages
The English version 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, probably about the California Gold Rush – "Back in the days of '49... Way out in California", is based on one sung in 1935 by a sailor, J. M. Hunt, reproduced in Lomax's Our Singing Country (1941). The Kingston Trio omitted Hunt's verses about "Zacharias Taylor gained the day..."
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 using some changes in the verses, referring to Tory Island instead of Liverpool, probably inspired by a stormy cruise to the north-west coast of Ireland and the historical Irish immigration to America.
In 2012 the German group Santiano recorded a new version of this song. The group has had much success, and received an Echo for their first album containing Santiano as well as other shanties.
A version of the song was also released in 2010 by critically acclaimed doo-wop group Lemanis, as part of a compilation of sea shanties for One.C records. This version had the ship leaving Plymouth for Mexico and the crew recounting their tales of the women they left behind. Why they were going to Mexico is unknown.
There is a Norwegian version of this song about a man who sails from Copenhagen to Kristiansand and meets a girl with whom he spends a night. He then has to travel to India and, when he arrives, he is handed a letter saying that his Norwegian friend is dead. He never returned to Norway for his Anna is dead. The song is remodeled by Storm Weather Shanty Choir.
There is a version in Icelandic, called "Fulla ferd Santíanó" (Full Ahead Santiano), a seaman's story about sailing home after days at sea, written by Siggi Björns an Icelandic musician and an ex-fisherman. This version was recorded and realised on a CD with a band called"Æfing" from a small fishing town, Flateyri, in the Icelandic Westfjords.