Santiana is a well-known shanty – sometimes known as ‘Plains of Mexico’ due to the line being used repeatedly throughout. But few people actually know what the lyrics mean. We’re going to change that. Get ready to learn all about Santiana.
We’ll dig into the history of the song, break down the lyrics, and share our favourite versions of the shanty. If you’re familiar with the tune and fancy singing it, check out our instrumental karaoke version of Santiana.
Santiana is a shanty that shows just how much lyrics can change over time. The lyrics are not historically accurate. It loosely discusses historical events but many events have been reinterpreted to make the song better.
There are several versions available and some of the lyrics are wildly different. This isn’t a surprise. Bored sailors travelling to different locations would get imaginative with the lyrics. Now, this evolution of the lyrics happens with every shanty. But it’s particularly noticeable with Santiana because we have proof of so many versions.
Depending on the version, it’s known by a variety of alternative names: Santy Anna, Santayana, Santiano, Santy Anno, etc. We prefer the lyrics from one of the early sources because it’s what we first heard and it’s stuck.
So who or what is Santiana? It’s a person. The Mexican politician and General Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón. That’s a bit of a mouthful so he was commonly known as ‘Santa Anna’. His name has been contracted from ‘Santa Anna’ into ‘Santiana’.
The lyrics discuss skirmishes between the armies of Mexico and the US. We’ve already introduced Santa Anna as the General of Mexico’s army. The US army was led by Zachary Taylor. Interestingly both of these men went on to become the president of their respective countries. We’ll discuss the particulars as they’re mentioned in the lyrics.
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