traditional, arr. Dave Guard

© 1958 & 1961 by Beechwood Music Corporation
All Rights Reserved

Song Specific Liner Notes

Covers by other artists

Song lyrics or txt file with CHORDS

Thank you to Joe Connor provided these lyrics to The Kingston Trio Place FORUM siting the source above.

Joe also noted: "The treatment of Santy Anno is interesting. Many of the Lomax verses are quite similar to the Trio's. However, I always wondered why American sailors would be singing about Santa Anna, a Mexican general (Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna) who beat the Texans at the Alamo and who fought the U.S. in the Mexican War (1846-48). Well, the following verses from the Lomax book tell us why. The sailors were bragging about the U.S. victory in the Mexican War"

General Scott and Taylor, too.
Heave away, Santy Anno.
Made poor Santy meet his Waterloo.
All on the plains of Mexico.

Santy Anno was a good old man.
Heave away, Santy Anno.
Till he got into war with your Uncle Sam.
All on the plains of Mexico.

No one will ever know the why and wherefore of the heroes of the chanteys, like Stormalong and Reuben Ranzo. Nor can anyone explain why these particular figures of fantasy pleased the sea-washed, underfed, dog-tired sailor, and made him pull his hands raw on a tarry rope. These secrets have gone down over the horizon with the white winged clippers. Gone, too, is the reason that General Santyanna, whom the Texans whipped in their war for independence, should be the hero of the finest halliard chantey. Captain Rasmussen, a Norwegian chanteyman who sailed before the mast on the square-riggers, learned this version along the coast of Mexico in the great days of the mahogany trade.

The chanteys arose among the despised common seamen, as they fought the drag of the line and anchor and bawled out whatever wild cries, oaths, and barbarities would help them in their struggle with the wind and sea. Of all folk music, these work songs of the sea most clearly belong to the unlearned, unwashed, common labourer, and are, most certainly, vigorous, the most stirring, and the hardest to imitate.

Recent research indicates that chanteying fell into disuse on English ships during the eighteenth century, and emerged again full bawl in the rising American merchant marine about 1815. English naval discipline did not permit the singing of chanteys, nor did the near-military regulations on board the heavily armed East Indiamen encourage it. These vessels carried large crews which could handle the work aboard ship without the spur of the chantyman, though sometimes a fiddler or a piper played while the men tramped round the capstan. Chanteying continued on smaller English vessels, but it was probably not until the American packets began their regular trans-Atlantic runs in 1817 and American clippers began to show their heels to the rest of the world, that these songs came into their own. They were essential to the handling of a fast American ship which carried a great spread of canvas and a small crew; without them, the work on such a vessel simply could not be done.

The chanteys roared into life again on board British vessels in the 1830's, when English seamen began to replace Americans aboard the packets and, later still, in the 1860's when the British merchant marine once more dominated all the seas.

Meantime, Yankee singers had put their stamp upon these songs, and they had become truly Anglo-American.

26. SANTY ANNO (the song)

Collected by Alan Lomax and Peter Kennedy from Captain Rasmussen

Maximilian's daughter has my love,
Heave away for Santy Anno!
Maximilian's daughter has my love,
Heave away, my lads, for Mexico!

And I left my love in Laguna town,
Heave away for Santy Anno!
And I left my love in Laguna town,
Heave away, my lads, for Mexico!

And when will I see Laguna's shore?
Heave away for Santy Anno!
And when will I see my love once more?
Heave away, my lads, for Mexico!

Chorus:
So, heave her up and away we'll go.
Heave away, Santy Anno.
Heave her up and away we'll go.
'Way out in Californio.

There's plenty of gold, so I've been told.
Heave away, Santy Anno.
Plenty of gold so I've been told.
'Way out in Californio.

Chorus

Well, back in the days of forty-nine.
Heave away, Santy Anno.
Back in the days of the good old times.
'Way out in Californio.

Last revised: March 30, 2006.