Santianna
Encyclopedia
"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
.
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.
shanty, and follows a call-and respond pattern. The call is in normal type, and the response is in italics.
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.
Sea shanty
A shanty is a type of work song that was once commonly sung to accompany labor on board large merchant sailing vessels. Shanties became ubiquitous in the 19th century era of the wind-driven packet and clipper ships...
relating to the Mexican
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
General Antonio López de Santa Anna
Antonio López de Santa Anna
Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón , often known as Santa Anna or López de Santa Anna, known as "the Napoleon of the West," was a Mexican political leader, general, and president who greatly influenced early Mexican and Spanish politics and government...
. Supposedly, the last whaler to return to New Bedford
New Bedford, Massachusetts
New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States, located south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and about east of Fall River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 95,072, making it the sixth-largest city in Massachusetts...
hauled in to this tune. The song is listed as number 207 in the Roud Folk Song Index
Roud Folk Song Index
The Roud Folk Song Index is a database of 300,000 references to over 21,600 songs that have been collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world...
.
Origin
The shanty is popularly supposed to have been started by BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
seamen
Seaman
Seaman is one of the lowest ranks in a Navy. In the Commonwealth it is the lowest rank in the Navy, followed by Able Seaman and Leading Seaman, and followed by the Petty Officer ranks....
who jumped ship to serve with Antonio López de Santa Anna
Antonio López de Santa Anna
Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón , often known as Santa Anna or López de Santa Anna, known as "the Napoleon of the West," was a Mexican political leader, general, and president who greatly influenced early Mexican and Spanish politics and government...
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
Battle of Monterrey
In the Battle of Monterrey during the Mexican-American War, General Pedro de Ampudia and the Mexican Army of the North was defeated by U.S...
(or alternatively the Battle of Molino del Rey
Battle of Molino del Rey
The Battle of Molino del Rey was one of the bloodiest engagements of the Mexican-American War. It was fought in September 1847 between Mexican forces under General Antonio Léon against an American force under General Winfield Scott at a hill called El Molino del Rey near Mexico City.-Background:On...
) is presented as a US rout
Rout
A rout is commonly defined as a chaotic and disorderly retreat or withdrawal of troops from a battlefield, resulting in the victory of the opposing party, or following defeat, a collapse of discipline, or poor morale. A routed army often degenerates into a sense of "every man for himself" as the...
rather than the Mexican defeat that really occurred.
Lyrics
"Santianna" is a capstanCapstan (nautical)
A capstan is a vertical-axled rotating machine developed for use on sailing ships to apply force to ropes, cables, and hawsers. The principle is similar to that of the windlass, which has a horizontal axle.- History :...
shanty, and follows a call-and respond pattern. 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 cribbageCribbageCribbage, or crib, is a card game traditionally for two players, but commonly played with three, four or more, that involves playing and grouping cards in combinations which gain points...
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 TaylorZachary TaylorZachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States and an American military leader. Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass...
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
- *MonterreyMonterreyMonterrey , is the capital city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León in the country of Mexico. The city is anchor to the third-largest metropolitan area in Mexico and is ranked as the ninth-largest city in the nation. Monterrey serves as a commercial center in the north of the country and is the...
or Molino del ReyBattle of Molino del ReyThe Battle of Molino del Rey was one of the bloodiest engagements of the Mexican-American War. It was fought in September 1847 between Mexican forces under General Antonio Léon against an American force under General Winfield Scott at a hill called El Molino del Rey near Mexico City.-Background:On...
Other versions
As with all shanties, many versions exist. Most are humorous comments on a sailor's life:- I thought I heard the Old ManCaptain (nautical)A sea captain is a licensed mariner in ultimate command of the vessel. The captain is responsible for its safe and efficient operation, including cargo operations, navigation, crew management and ensuring that the vessel complies with local and international laws, as well as company and flag...
say - Heave away, Santianna!
- He'd give us grog this very day.
- All on the plains of Mexico
Covers in other languages
The EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
version made famous by Odetta
Odetta
Odetta Holmes, known as Odetta, was an American singer, actress, guitarist, songwriter, and a human rights activist, often referred to as "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement". Her musical repertoire consisted largely of American folk music, blues, jazz, and spirituals...
and The Kingston Trio
The Kingston Trio
The Kingston Trio is an American folk and pop music group that helped launch the folk revival of the late 1950s to late 1960s. The group started as a San Francisco Bay Area nightclub act with an original lineup of Dave Guard, Bob Shane, and Nick Reynolds...
is also about a ship that leaves from Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, a wealthy place: "Plenty of gold, So I've Been told, way out in California..." this version is probably about the California Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
- "Back in the days of '49... Way out in California".
There is also a Norwegian
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
version of this song, which it is about a man who sails from Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
to Kristiansand
Kristiansand
-History:As indicated by archeological findings in the city, the Kristiansand area has been settled at least since 400 AD. A royal farm is known to have been situated on Oddernes as early as 800, and the first church was built around 1040...
and meets a girl whom he spends a night with. He then has to travel to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, 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
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
singer-songwriter Meic Stevens
Meic Stevens
Meic Mortimer Stevens is a Welsh singer-songwriter often referred to as "the Welsh Dylan" and has been compared favourably with musicians like Syd Barrett. Stevens's songs have a mystical, faintly psychedelic flavour, and are mostly sung in his native Welsh language...
recorded a version in which he refers to the Free Wales Army
Free Wales Army
The Free Wales Army was a paramilitary Welsh nationalist organisation, formed in Lampeter, Mid Wales, by William Julian Cayo-Evans in 1963. Its objective was to establish an independent Welsh republic.-History:...
and the influx of English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
settlers to Wales.
In 2008 German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
folk-collective Werkraum
Werkraum
-Overview:Growing up in the fields of experimental music and post-industrial music with several other projects since the early 1990s, Axel Frank began to adapt a more melodic neofolk, electronic and dark ambient approach...
under leadership by Axel Frank recorded an own adaption of the English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
original, but using some changes in the verses, referring to Tory Island
Tory Island
Toraigh is an inhabited island 14.5 km off the northwest coast of County Donegal, Ireland. It is also known in Irish as Oileán Thoraigh, Oileán Thoraí or Oileán Thúr Rí.-Language:The main spoken language on the island is Irish, but English is also understood...
instead of Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, probably inspired by a stormy cruise to the coast of Northwest of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
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
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
for Mexico, with the crew recounting their tales of the women they left behind. Why they were going to Mexico is unknown.