I’ve written about it before, but to recap, Santiana is:
a sea shanty about Mexican general and eventual President Antonio López de Santa Anna — the correct spelling and pronunciation of his name was clearly lost as the shanty developed; variations include “Santianna”, Santiana”, “Santy Anna”, “Santayana”, “Santiano”, and “Santy Anno”.
Santa Anna is famous as the Mexican leader during the Battle of the Alamo and his subsequent defeats in the Battle of San Jacinto and the Mexican-American War — alluded to in the song, the General Taylor who “took his life” is the eventual President Zachary Taylor.
Fun fact: My fingers almost outpaced my brain just now and wrote that as “James Taylor”…
me, quoting me
And if you want to click one fewer link, here it is:
At some point, I realised that “Mexico” has the same number of syllables and the same vowel sounds as “Pelayo”, and realised I could do a Realmgard version of the song.
Though, of course, that creates a certain anachronism. One, Pelayo is Realmgard-Spain, not Mexico. And two, Realmgard is roughly equivalent to 1620s Earth (except when it’s funny); Santa Anna lived 1794-1876 and the song, as we see above, is from circa the 1850s.
I note this, but I’d care more if I was having real pirates in a real-world set Historical Story singing about Santa Anna (not least of all because the Golden Age of Piracy ended nearly a century before Santa Anna was even born), rather than pirates in a fictional world singing a song like Santiana.
Incidentally, I do a few preliminary ideas about Realmgard’s equivalent of Mexico and the New World in general. Though I’m yet to work out a geography or cultures for this part of Terrace that I’m satisfied with.
And, for context, this one is basically a sequel to the one I did on August 1 to kick this whole thing off.
As for the context of the Realmgard version of the song, I’m not sure where I’m going with this. Hidalgo is meant to be a name, ultimately derived from the Spanish word for “nobleman” — incidentally, the social class Don Quixote (real name Alonso Quijano) belongs to. The Gran (a form of grande in Castilian Spanish and other Spanish languages/dialects; “big” or “great”, cf. the Andorran national anthem “El Gran Carlemany“) isn’t part of the name. His name is Hidalgo and he is Great. I’m not really sure who he is, though — not really helped by the fact that the actual song can’t seem to decide if Santiana is a person or a boat…
He’s clearly some kind of successful military figure. I think the only other real military figure I’ve introduced to compare him to is Quintus Marcellinus Styracosaurus, clipped to Styracosaur to fit the metre.
Captain Goblinbeard takes his pipe from his mouth and looks up at Billie.
“Now, Miss Hawkins,” he says. “It’s been quite the triumphant day for us, wouldn’t ye say?”
He looks over his shoulder to where his longtime rival Jehan-Picard Souricier is trussed up to the mainmast, then over to where the Countess-Dowager Dirigible is admiring her painting of the Realmgard harbour as her much put-upon daughter holds it up.
Billie empathises with the young Countess.
“Captain,” one of the crew calls, pointing an accusing finger at Souricier. “He’s been saying such horrible things about my mother. Can I stuff a sock in his mouth?”
Captain Goblinbeard nods gravely.
“Aye, Mr. Sprengt. That ye may.”
As Souricier’s desperate pleading and profanities are silenced by a sock, Captain Goblinbeard turns back to Billie.
“As I were sayin’, Miss Hawkins. I’d say it’s only right that we celebrate today’s victory with a right proper sea shanty,” he says.
Billie has a bad feeling about this.
“Perhaps ye’d like to lead us?” Captain Goblinbeard says.
Billie blushes. “I don’t like singing in public, Captain,” she murmurs. “And I’ve never led a sea shanty before.”
Captain Goblinbeard shrugs. “Well, Miss Hawkins, there be no time like the present.”
Billie swallows nervously.
“Well,” he says haltingly. “Well —
“Well, Gran Hidalgo gained the day
It’s up, Gran Hidalgo.
Styracosaur of the west, they say,
Along the plains of Pelayo.”
“Hey!” one of the pirates exclaims. “I know this one!”
“Everybody knows this one!” another pirate notes. “It’s only the most famous sea shanty there is! And — uh oh, the Captain’s looking at us. Quick, shut up! Shut up!”
Billie begins feeling more confident as the rest of the crew joins in on the sea shanty. Even Souricier is mumbling the tune though the old sock crammed in his mouth, at least until one of the crew gives him a glower and a stiff elbow to the ribs.
She continues on with her singing:
“So, roll along and away we go,
It’s up, Gran Hidalgo.
Roll along and away we go
Along the plains of Pelayo.”
“Well done indeed, Miss Hawkins,” Captain Goblinbeard says, favouring her with a nod of approval. “Twas a fine rendition.”
Billie looks around to see the other pirates and cheering and applauding. Part of her is happy the rest of the crew appreciated her song. Mostly, though, she’s mortified and horrified and won’t be mollified. She wants to be somewhere, anywhere very, very far away and never leave that place.
“If you need me, Captain,” she stammers. “I’ll be in the bunks. Hiding from everyone.”
“She has the most beautiful singing voice I have ever heard,” one of the crew says, sniffling and dabbing his eyes with the corner of his sleeve. “Like an angel. Who got vocal lessons from a siren. Who swallowed a nightingale.”
“It’s a sea shanty,” another one of the crew notes. “Why are we singing about plains? And isn’t Pelayo mostly mountains? Who wrote this song? It makes no sense!”
See? Shanty.
I, uh, I don’t really have that much to add. But, like, the lyrics of Santiana don’t make sense…
But, anyway, follow me here:
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